OK Reds fans: today we are going back in time to that magical year of 2007 (Time Machine Noise).…Whaa..Whaa…Whaa..bling…pop…hummmmmmm…….Bang!
The Reds hire former All Star and three time NL manager of the year Bryan Price to replace Pete Mackanin on October 13, 2007. The Reds haven't made the playoffs since 1995 and - even worse - haven't had a winning record since the year 2000. Two years after he's hired Price leads the Reds to the playoffs three of the four following years, but is fired after losing to the Pirates during the postseason in 2013. He has one year remaining on his contract.
Price is replaced by his pitching coach Dusty Baker to manage the squad for the 2014 season. Baker has no previous managing experience at any level and in his first season at the helm the Reds finish a disappointing 10 games under .500, missing the playoffs by 14 games.
Things get worse for Baker in April 2015 when he goes on a post-game tirade against a Reds beat reporter, using the "F" word approximately 77 times. The outburst is an embarrassment to the Reds franchise as they prepare to host the MLB All Star the game in July. More so, it calls into question Baker's leadership qualities.
Baker's Rant:
Ah, fuck. I’m just, I’m fucking pissing up a rope in this fucking business. Because everyone has to know everything all the fucking time. That’s not my fucking obligation, it’s not their obligation. You know why fucking Billy Hamilton didn’t fucking play? The other day? Because his fucking finger’s hurt and he couldn’t hit right-handed comfortably. Right? So that’s something that I need to know and no one else needs to know. No one else needs to fucking know it, and all of a sudden it’s out there. His fucking fingers are sore. It doesn’t benefit us. It wasn’t from you, but it doesn’t benefit us one bit to fucking announce to the fucking other teams that we’re playing to bring in lefties when they need to fucking get Billy out. There’s no benefit. So, I’m fucking, to be honest with you, I’m fucking sick of this shit. I’m sick of listening to this fucking shit, I’m sick of fucking the fucking second-guessing bullshit, you guys can do whatever the fuck you want, but I’ll tell you this — I’m not going to fucking tell you everything about this fucking club, because you fucking guys are going to out there and sniff it out anyway. I don’t fucking like it one fucking bit. I bend over backwards to be honest and direct with you fucking guys and you stick it right up my fucking ass — and the fucking team’s ass. And I’m sick of it. What do you got? If you don’t got anything, get out and I’ll do this fucking interview with Marty. You don’t have anything? Just get out, please.
Okay, imagine THAT scenario….Would Dusty still have a job today? As a life-long Reds fan, and as much as it pains me to say it, it smacks again of an undertow of racism that I suspect is nudged along by 700 WLW.....
But I digress, enough of my yappin'. Let's hope the Reds turn it around in 2015 and make a run. I still believe there is hope, and no, I do not want to fire the manager. Yet. Your pal, Colin.
For further reading click here to read "This Reds Fan Will Remember the Dusty Baker Years Fondly."