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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > May > 12
Monday, May 12, 2008
Break up the Reds … now
The Florida Marlins are in town and it got me to thinking — which is an accomplishment in itself.
How do the Marlins do it? What is their magic potion?
They arrived in Cincinnati with the best record in the National League and they arrived with the lowest payroll in the majors — $22 million. That’s about what the Reds, buried in the NL Central basement, pay Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn.
The Marlins were born ONE YEAR BEFORE the Reds last appeared in the postseason in 1994. And yet the Marlins have twice won the World Series. The Reds haven’t even got there.
The Marlins won their first World Series in 1997 with Jim Leyland managing a very expensive team purchased by owner Wayne Huizenga. Then that winter they broke up the team — traded, bartered and sold most of their stars.
Then they rebuilt, mostly from within. Lo and behold, with a low-salaried team managed by Jack McKeon, they won another World Series, beating the mighty New York Yankees.
Once again they broke up the team and started over — mostly from within, using players they developed or young players they acquired in trading away high-priced stars.
So over last winter, they traded their best power hitter, Miguel Cabrera, and their best pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, to the Detroit Tigers.
Now they come to Cincinnati with two real recognizable players — Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. And another manager, Fredi Gonzalez.
What does that tell us, Cincinnati fans?
Is it time to trade Griffey and Dunn, if that’s possible, for young talent? Is it time to bring up Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey and a lot of other young prospects?
Looking at the standings I can only shake my head and say, “Get ‘er done.”
With seven straight losing seasons and the team on a direct path toward the eighth, what can it hurt?
Tear it up and start over.
And it was emphasized in the first inning Monday night when the Marlins hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning off Aaron Harang.
Then I saw Corey Patterson batting leadoff. Why, why, why?
It almost made me wish I was at the Cleveland Cavaliers-Boston Celtics game.
