So Cincinnati ownership has written a letter to Reds fans asking for their continued patience, and attempting to explain their trades of Griffey and Dunn.  This from the same owner who fired a pretty good GM this spring because the team needed to “win now!”  The Reds have done horribly since the trades, which should be expected with that loss of production, and with any chance of a winning season slipping out of reach fans, I am sure, have ceased turning out at the ballpark.  The Bengals after all are beginning to play.  On one hand, I think the letter shows some respect for the fans and is a great PR move by the team.  On the  other, it seems like it isn’t worth the paper its printed on.  Is Bob Castellini learning that it takes time to put together a winning franchise?  Is he learning that you have to sell tickets to make money, and you have to have something for the fans to see in order to sell those tickets?  Peter Angelos of the Orioles hasn’t seemed to learn that lesson.  While I originally thought Castellini represented a change in Reds ownership for the better– anything honestly would be better than Carl Lindner– I am beginning to believe that old BC thinks reds fans are stupid.  He hired Dusty Baker, and it worked to lure in a few players, but Dusty is a terrible in-game manager and needs a better bench coach apparently.  The management brought in a bunch of mediocre players, with the exception of Cordero, and seems to say they thought that was enough to win the division.    Castellini doesn’t take enough ownership of the problems.  Maybe if Castlelini stepped up and said he wanted to “Win now” and that was an unrealistic goal, but like the fans of the team, he will promise to stay patient, and to make sure that those making decisions are moving the team in the right direction, well then maybe the fans could see fit to do the same.  Castellini is clearly a fan. And he has to recognize that his wishes are shared by the fans, but that just because he owns the team doesn’t mean he has the power to change everything over night.  There are 29 other owners trying to change their stuff overnight with the same pool of talent.    I hope the Reds don’t have to wait 3 more years until Jocketty fails, and then reissue this same letter with a different GM’s name attached. It seems so disingenuous, it kind of makes me sick.

While I know a GM can’t tell us exactly who he plans to rid himself of, its not fair to the guy who still has to go out there and play, tell me where the upgrades will come.  Centerfield? Shortstop? Starting Pitching? Relief Pitching? I would happily plunk my money down to see a rebuilding team, if I know those in charge actually know what needs to be rebuilt.   If they don’t, as say the last administration of the Pirates for example, then I am not giving the team one dime of my money.  There is a recession in case Castellini hasn’t noticed.  A little note saying we will be better one day doesn’t quite cut it.  Major things need to happen this off-season. Interested to see if they do.