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The Reds have to get this one right. They can’t whiff on their next manager. We’ve witnessed a conga-line of mediocrity here since Lou Piniella, who could have been named team MVP for the work he did here in 1990. With all due respect, when you hire Jerry Narron, Dave Miley, Bob Boone and Ray Knight to run your team, you shouldn’t expect much but a .470 winning percentage.
No team knocked on Bryan Price’s door after he left here.
Ditto the interims, Pete Mackanin and Jim Riggleman.
(For you OGs out there, I give you John McNamara, Russ Nixon and Vern Rapp. And a big jar of Rolaids.)
Conversely, the limited success the Reds have had since Wire-to-Wire has come with veteran, accomplished managers: Piniella, Baker, McKeon, Davey Johnson.
Not coincidence or nuclear physics. Pretty obvious.
It’s most important when your best players are under age 30, or even 25. Start with the underrated fact that most athletes want to be led. It’s how they’ve grown up, from the time they walked onto a field or a court. They’re used to being told what to do and how to act. It’s no different than parenting, actually.
Being their buddy doesn’t make players better, necessarily. It tells them it’s OK to cut corners. You were treated to that every night this summer. Bad defense, lax baserunning, Noelvi Marte.
Jonathan India gave a revealing interview the other day, to the Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith, in which he said lots of things we in This Space have harped on for months. Here are several India quotes:
“We just float around .500 and try to make the push but we just don’t have enough. We need to make a move. . . We’re running out of time.
“(David Bell) made everyone very comfortable, which was really good for the young guys. . .
“David was very easy to get along with. We need someone that’s going to be more aggressive and keep us accountable. We should be better in this clubhouse about keeping each other accountable. . .
“Making sure you get your pregame work in. That you show up here or show up there. Making sure you take care of your body every day. Certain things like that. Maybe a little more old school. Get some more fire and spirit. . .
“Freddie (Benavides) is a great guy. We love Freddie. He has that edge to him. He keeps you accountable. He lets you know when you mess up.’’
Down the street, the Bengals are staring down a similar issue, to a lesser extent. They’re 0-3, partly because they haven’t tackled well, partly because they don’t do much tackling until September partly because Zac Taylor likes it that way. His players like him for it. The philosophy speaks for itself. It sounds like boos.
Across the country, the Seattle Seahawks are 3-0 with rookie coach Mike Mcdonald. See if this sounds familiar, from ESPN.com:
Whereas (Pete) Carroll took a gentler approach when it came to holding his players accountable, Macdonald -- the NFL's youngest head coach at 37 -- favors an old-school style that includes plenty of tough love.
"He's just big on accountability, which is really important right now because it's a lot of new players, a new staff, a new way of doing things around here," defensive tackle Leonard Williams said. "I think when you're trying to implement something new, it takes a lot on the players and the leaders on the team to hold everyone accountable.’’
It’s a myth that “these are grown men who don’t need guidance.’’ A select few fit that description. Not many work here. Who was the most successful coach of any sort at UC?
That’d be Bob Huggins, as demanding as it gets. His players loved him.
David Bell failed partly because he didn’t expect from his players as much as he expected from himself, when he was a player. He assumed their big league-ness would take care of itself, same as his did. It didn’t.
What was it Leo Durocher said? Nice guys finish last.
Leadership is an art. It’s straddling the narrowest of cliffs between hard lines and soft edges. Demanding a player be better is giving him a gift. A check only he can cash.
A select few come by leadership naturally. My boss at Hickory Woods Golf Course is the nicest guy in the world. His trick is in being such a great guy that you want to work hard for him, because you want his business to do well.
Denny has fired people. He has his own way of doing things and if you don’t abide by those ways, well, there’s the parking lot. But there’s no tough-guy act with Denny. He doesn’t have to make sure you know he’s boss. He just is.
Compare him to my high school wrestling coach, who’d saunter into practice eating chips and drinking a Coke while his wrestlers were trying to lose weight. He couldn’t inspire a dog to chase a cat.
I have no idea who the Reds will choose to lead them into this latest New Start. I do know who they should be looking for. It’s obvious. Isn’t it?
Now, then. . .
TRIP REPORT. . . When I was still working and the Bengals played the Patriots in Foxboro, MA, I stayed in Providence, RI. Foxboro was in between Boston and Providence, and who in his right mind would deal with Boston when Providence was the alternative?
It’s a great little city. Historic, walkable if you’re good with hills. Good Italian food, an Ivy League university (Brown), 30 minutes from Newport.
We spent three nights there, near Brown. It was just a shoving-off point. The big reason for the trip was Block Island. It’s been a Bucket List place for me, forever. Think Martha’s Vineyard or Catalina, without the crowds.
We took a ferry to negotiate the 12 miles from the mainland. Once on the island, we rented mopeds, which weren’t really mopeds, but small motorcycles. The island is only six miles long by 3.5 miles wide, but if you want to see it all, a bike won’t cut it.
We saw it all, from the massive Mohegan Bluffs to the lighthouse at the end of the world, where seals played just offshore. Islands offer the illusion of isolation, but crowds bend that dream soon enough. Not on Block Island, where any pretext of civilization fades the minute you leave the ferry dock.
I’d live there, if it were rational to do so.
As for the rest. . .
Newport is delightful Old Money in the form of massive yachts and the Cliff Walk. Homes the size of Monaco reign atop soaring bluffs overlooking the water. How the other half (of half of one percent) lives. A great 3-mile stroll.
TML sez ckout Providence, Newport and Block Island.
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . Songs sometimes worm their way into my head and refuse to leave. That can be bad. A few years ago, The Night Chicago Died squatted on the land inside my cerebellum and stayed for days. Not good.
It can also be good. I heard this tune all weekend in Rhode Island. I have no idea why.
‘Tis certainly true that The Reds need a veteran manager who will hold young players accountable for mistakes made on the field and at the plate, and that they understand the need to be diligent with their conditioning. The same goes for Bengals coaches who, in addition to changing their preseason philosophy, must take a Mike Tomlin/Andy Reid approach when dealing with wide receiver divas and mouthy cornerbacks.
But solving coaching and player problems will do little good if the culture (yes, culture DOES exist in organizations) of the franchises is crafted by owners who extort tax money from their community and are comfortable receiving annual corporate welfare checks from their leagues. This system creates a “cycle of dependency” for owners and their families that can last for generations. There is no incentive to build and sustain a competitive team and atmosphere. Players eventually see this and either succumb to it or move on.
I would even link your comments on leadership to education. I’ve been teaching for 20+ years and our students keep learning less and less. When you create an environment where you are not held accountable, you foster failure and excuses. Being a Pro is a job and the boss has to hold them accountable. It’s easy to let lots of guys cut corners when they are super talented but it only makes the team toxic.