Sunday, April 14, 2002
Reds Q&A with John Fay
Second-guess gang takes aim at Boone
By John Fay, jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
E-mailers played the favorite game of baseball fans everywhere this week: Second-guess the manager. (They also reminded me that Jeremy Sowers went to Vanderbilt, not Georgia Tech. A brain cramp.) Read on:
Q., from John in Greensboro, N.C.: I think real baseball fans are sick of Bob Boone taking the Reds out of games. Why is it every time a starter gets to the fifth inning Boone thinks he has to automatically pull them out, no matter how well they are pitching? Take Saturday's game against Montreal when he takes out Chris Reitsma. Can these guys not pitch more than five innings anymore?
A: The theory is to give young pitchers something to build on. Good strategy if the bullpen holds up its end of deal, which it didn't in Reitsma's case. If Reitsma's healthy, which he says he is, there's no reason not to let him start the sixth inning.
Q, from Richard in Cincinnati: I get the feeling that Reds fans are not going to be satisfied with all the errors, sloppy base-running and lack of hitting and pitching in key situations. I also think that this coaching staff has to take part of the blame. Last year's team was very weak defensively and in the fundamentals and so far this year, I've continued to see the lousy defense and base-running. Has Tim Foli ever heard that Vladimir Guerrero has a strong arm? I never liked Boone and Ray Knight and I think most Reds fans don't either. Why would Bowden bring in people that rub the fans the wrong way and cut loose quality folks like
Billy Doran and Ron Oester?
A: Foli was not responsible for Taylor going on that play. The Reds are playing a lot of young players. That leads to mistakes. But, at some point, the manager and coaches are held responsible. Just ask Phil Garner.
Q, from Vin in Trumbull, Conn.: Now that Ken Griffey Jr. is out again, can we please see Brady Clark in right field every day? I realize Boone thinks he is great coming off the bench. Can you please explain Boone's thinking? Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa would be great coming off the bench too. I am not comparing Clark to them, but he is sure better than Ruben Mateo and probably Encarnacion (even though Juan seems to be starting hot). Other teams are asking for Clark. ... Too bad Boone doesn't see it. Imagine never promoting a person because they are good at doing a lesser task.
A: The Reds, as an organization, are infatuated with tools. They love to talk of “high-ceilings.” But at some point players have to produce. Mateo is at that point in his career. Boone realizes the flaw in save-Clark-for-late logic. When Clark won a game in the ninth with a hit in spring training, Boone said if Clark had been in the game earlier it wouldn't have come down to the ninth. Clark did get the one start when Mateo was sick. Clark ended up going 0-for-4. It might not be fair, but a player like Clark has to produce when he gets a start.
Q, from Bob in Oxford: I agree with you that Larkin is a solid contender for Cooperstown. To be the best player at your position for a decade is quite a feat. Winning the MVP once doesn't hurt, either! Hopefully, he can stick around long enough to reach some nice round numbers, like 2,500 hits, 400 doubles, 200 homers, 1,000 RBI, and 400 steals. It would also help if he could nudge that career BA to .300-something from .299. I don't think there is a meaningful difference between 197 homers and 200 homers, or between hitting .298 and .301, but the Hall voters seem to think crossing those "round number" barriers is a big deal.
A: As Larkin himself said, the key to his future production is his health. All the numbers you mention are obtainable with two or three healthy years.
E-mail jfay@enquirer.com
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Reds Q&A with John Fay
