Seldom have we ever had a ‘Reader Speaks’ page that was consumed by just one subject. But Reds fans far and wide made their feelings known in the latest edition.
In the span of a week we received nearly a hundred responses to the last week’s columns on the Reds firing David Bell…and the Reds then, compared to the Reds now. Here are some of the best.
“Your suggestion that Reds fans should remember Marge Schott fondly was so inappropriate. I’m very disappointed with the Press Pros website.” … Alex Berning
(Ed. Note: Alex, I don’t remember you contacting us previously about anyone’s character, or baseball, good or bad. Read closely and you’ll see that we didn’t say you should remember her fondly…only that she spent the money necessary to make the Reds competitive, and interesting.)
“At least they stayed interesting when she was there.”… John Wolford (via Facebook)
“It’s easy to criticize when you don’t cover the team. Another example of journalism being dead.” … Gregory Seiple
“I suggest that you and Hal McCoy stay in your lane. Times have changed and neither of you seem to realize that the Big Red Machine was not sustainable after 1976. It was inevitable that cities the size of Cincinnati would not be able to compete with the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles markets. Simple economics.” … Robt. Murphy
(Ed. Note: Bob, if you’re bringing up the point, as the Reds do, about small-market franchises, I notice that Milwaukee, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay have done quite well this year. They’re all markets comparable to Cincinnati.)
“I loved Hal’s article about the Reds, because they are clueless. They complain about market support while they run the Reds like a day-old bread store. What you wrote about Marge Schott was true. When they put a winning product on the field people came to see them. They bought season tickets. They paid attention to the farm system. And Arizona is too far away, and creepy.” … Andrew Montgomery
“Agreed, Hal. You have been a baseball and Reds fan for a number of years. Comparing the management team from Bob Howsam to what they are now…the Reds fans deserve better.” … Patrick Hayes. (via FB)
“Nice analysis, but what else would I expect? Keep ‘em honest Hal.” … Skip Peterson. (Via FB)
“David Bell was as incompetent of a manager as I’ve seen. He should’ve been fired 3 years ago. The only thing that outshines his incompetence is that of the ownership and GM.” … Nick Inglis
“Quite literally, one of the best articles I have ever read, Hal.” … Hanna Fugett (Via FB)
“Marge Schott is not the answer to today’s Reds, and she wasn’t the answer in 1990. Lou Piniella won with the ball club that Pete Rose built, and today’s Reds fans would not enjoy the kind of image Schott represented in that picture.” … Gene James
(Ed. Note: But the Reds did win when she was around. And the ballpark was packed, regardless of her image. And Schott respected a lot of Reds fans who smoked Winstons and had limited funds to watch baseball. Frankly, a lot of them looked like her.)
“That picture of Marge on Sports Illustrated is incredible, and how I remember her. She looked liked someone who wanted to win. Times have changed.” … Greg Harshbarger
On another topic…more than a few chimed in on the practice of charging a talent surcharge (like Tennessee) for college sports.
“We stopped buying season tickets at $50, and threatened to before then. And thanks for making the point about those who go to college for an education. We need more teachers and doctors. We have enough football players.” … David Gillenwater
Randy Walker as a Troy Trojan running back in the 70s.
“Thanks for remembering Randy Walker. Good dude and a great Trojan.” Harold Short
“I can’t believe there’s that many who can still afford to go to college football? And we complain about the economy.” … Tom Killilea
“NIL is doomed because there’s only a small number who are capable of giving the kind of money necessary to get that talent. And I don’t care how much you have, everyone gets tired of being asked for that kind of money.” … Harvey Butcher, Jr.
Dave Arbogast Ford, in Troy, is a proud sponsor of OHSAA and Ohio State sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.