The CIncinnati Enquirer

Reds fans had plenty to say today about the firing of manager Bob Boone and general manager Jim Bowden:

Dave Reames, 34, of Loveland: "It's too little too late, but it's what they needed to do. I hate how (Boone) tinkers with the pitching. He calls out guys who are doing well. And I've never liked Jim Bowden."

Matt Kloss, 20, of Loveland: "I don't think the problem was Boone so much as the owner of the team. Firing Boone takes care of a symptom, where the virus is really Carl Lindner. Part of the cure is to get rid of the virus. Players are players. They're professional ball players. They're as good as they're going to get."

Erika Rogers, 24, of Winton Place: "It's long overdue, very long overdue. We spent the money for them to have a brand new stadium and they disappoint the fans."

Dave Lewis, 31, of Miami Township: "I thought Bob Boone was a bad choice to begin with. He was a bargain manager. It wasn't ethical. It was kind of rotten how they hired him because (former Reds coach) Ron Oester wouldn't do that job for that price. It might be a little too late to salvage this year. But being a diehard Reds fan, I'm going to stick with them."

Paul Garbenis, 44, of Greenhills: "It's a good move. They had to do something to shake things up, to show the players that they needed to do something to resurrect the season. I don't know how much of a difference it will make this season but for the years to come .... (Boone) doesn't let the game come to him. (Instead) he ends up micromanaging the game too much."

Rodd Slade, 39, Indianapolis:" They should have let go Ray Knight, because I don't think he's helping the team out in any way. To let the general manager go, they're two years too late on that. (Bowman) had some neat ideas but questionable moves as far as who he's calling up and who he's sending down."

Raheel Khan, 33, of West Chester: : "It's best. Somebody had to take the fall for the poor showing the whole season. They win a few games. After that, they just start losing. It's a team effort but usually the manager has to take the blame for it, just like a team leader."

Rachel Cappelli, 22, of Louisville: "Because the Reds weren't doing their job, that's not (the managers') fault. They're a good team. Everybody has their ups and downs."

Dion Pence, 27, of Seattle, Wash.:"As a whole, you should fire the players instead of just wiping out the whole management staff. It's the players that make it happen. (The year) is kind of a wash now. You can't just go midseason and wipe everything out. You can't start fresh. It takes the guys at the bottom to bring it back up."