Sunday, September 08, 2002
Fay: Reds Q&A
Fans express anger on near-strike, Griffey
The near-strike and the Reds slipping toward elimination have the e-mailers feisty this week. Target one: Ken Griffey Jr. Read on:
Q, from Loren: Do you guys get as tired of writing about Griffey as the readers get tired of reading about his legs? The guy can't help it, but enough is enough. Release him, let him go where he wants and do what he wants. He only hurts the team.
A: Yes, we get tired of it. No, he can't help it. And the chances of releasing a player owed $90 million are less than zero.
Q, from Jeff in Fort Wayne, Ind.: How dumb does Griffey think us fans are? I'm pretty sure he shut it down April1. He needs to grow up and be a man! Play with a little bit of pain. All the other stars do.
A: It isn't a matter of playing with a little bit of pain, or at least that's what I think. Griffey has always played through those kinds of things. Torn hamstrings and ligaments are different. No one can judge whether a player is able to play except that player. Eric Davis had a reputation of being a malingerer here. No one says that now. But it took coming back from a lacerated kidney and cancer to disprove that.
Q, from Jim in Colerain: I think it's time the front office admits it made a huge mistake extending Bob Boone's contract. He only beat the bad teams earlier in the year but showed lousy judgment against the better teams. Now we watch our Reds get swept by the terrible Brewers. And his Sunday lineups at home have hurt badly. Every must-win game, he sits key players or uses weak-hitting Juan Castro in clutch situations. If you believe this team will make any postseason with Boone managing, you will have to prove that to me.
A: Actually, Boone will have to prove it to you. The extension gives him the chance to do that. The Reds were 15-24, entering Friday, since the extension.
Q: from Creagle: If both Mr.Larkin and Mr.Griffey were paid on a “performance-based” structure, they wouldn't be making the overpaid millions they are. And fans are supposed to believe that, if there had been a strike, major-league players would need loans to tide them over? Even the lowest MLB salary is many times over what the average fan earns.
A: The fact is, baseball players live in a different world. Some of the things Larkin said leading up to the near-strike didn't make him popular with fans but probably made him more popular in clubhouses around baseball.
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Fay: Reds Q&A
