A guy in a Blue Jackets jersey and a Reds cap in the grocery store caught my eye on Sunday. He wore an infectious smile.
Maybe it sprang from a big sale on orange juice — he made a fast left into the frozen-food aisle and was gone like a jet in the Bermuda Triangle without offering any clues — but it struck me that if he were smiling about one team or the other, there was little doubt which one it was.
The Jackets are 17-35-7, last in the 30-team NHL, and are thinking of trading Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and other veterans for younger NHL players, prospects and draft picks. They are talking about starting over and building for the future, an ownership blueprint that keeps fans of small-market teams everywhere lying awake at night.
At the moment, the small-market Reds are 0-0 and at the other end of the spectrum. The Reds have been in buy mode all winter. They sent prime prospects Yonder Alonso, Brad Boxberger and Yasmani Grandal and starting pitcher Edinson Volquez to the Padres for starting pitcher Mat Latos, who will slide into the No.2 spot in the rotation behind Johnny Cueto. They traded pitcher Travis Wood and outfielder Dave Sappelt, both 25, and minor-leaguer Ronald Torreyes to the Cubs for left-handed setup man Sean Marshall. They signed former Phillies closer Ryan Madson for $8.This is often not canada goose jacket discount can be cool and even brilliant.5 million and veteran outfielder Ryan Ludwick for $2.5 million, both on one-year contracts.
It's clear the Reds want to win now — not three years from now. And because of their additions and the losses suffered by the St. Louis Cardinals (Albert Pujols) and Milwaukee Brewers (Prince Fielder and maybe Ryan Braun), a lot of people think they will. Pitchers and catchers reported to spring camp on Sunday, and there might be even more optimism about this team than last year's, which was coming off Cincinnati's first playoff appearance in 15 years.
The Reds' third-place finish last season shows how baseless such optimism can be, but instead of taking that 79-83 finish as a reason for despair, general manager Walt Jocketty and owner Bob Castellini aggressively charged ahead. What they are doing could be viewed as a lesson in sports marketing.
There have been reports about how Cincinnati will eventually have to trade 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto before his contract is up at the end of the 2013 season because they won't be able to afford him. There was even some speculation that they would do it this winter — reports the Reds steadfastly denied — to make room for Alonso and maximize what they could get in return.
Castellini said the team intends to try to sign Votto — of course it does — but the Reds at least view his likely departure as a timeline on their window of opportunity to get to the World Series. It at least partially explains why they have tried to patch the team's holes and win now, even if it means giving up some young players they might wish they had in five years.
It is a good strategy. To some owners' chagrin, today's fans are pretty bright. They realize that there are plenty of free agents out there every year and that a sharp general manager can make a few savvy trades and smart buys and turn a team around in a hurry. It might be preferable to develop your own prospects and build through the draft, but it can be done the other way, too.
No one wants to start over. Most fans would rather have a reason to hope and end up disappointed than start a season with no hope at all. They would almost always trade possible success three years from now for possible success now.
Reds manager Dusty Baker has managed teams in both situations, which is why he was smiling when the first wave of players rolled in on Sunday.
"Nothing is better than when you know you've got some good troops," Baker said.
And nothing is worse than starting a season with "troops" that you know have no chance to reach the postseason.
Maybe it sprang from a big sale on orange juice — he made a fast left into the frozen-food aisle and was gone like a jet in the Bermuda Triangle without offering any clues — but it struck me that if he were smiling about one team or the other, there was little doubt which one it was.
The Jackets are 17-35-7, last in the 30-team NHL, and are thinking of trading Rick Nash, Jeff Carter and other veterans for younger NHL players, prospects and draft picks. They are talking about starting over and building for the future, an ownership blueprint that keeps fans of small-market teams everywhere lying awake at night.
At the moment, the small-market Reds are 0-0 and at the other end of the spectrum. The Reds have been in buy mode all winter. They sent prime prospects Yonder Alonso, Brad Boxberger and Yasmani Grandal and starting pitcher Edinson Volquez to the Padres for starting pitcher Mat Latos, who will slide into the No.2 spot in the rotation behind Johnny Cueto. They traded pitcher Travis Wood and outfielder Dave Sappelt, both 25, and minor-leaguer Ronald Torreyes to the Cubs for left-handed setup man Sean Marshall. They signed former Phillies closer Ryan Madson for $8.This is often not canada goose jacket discount can be cool and even brilliant.5 million and veteran outfielder Ryan Ludwick for $2.5 million, both on one-year contracts.
It's clear the Reds want to win now — not three years from now. And because of their additions and the losses suffered by the St. Louis Cardinals (Albert Pujols) and Milwaukee Brewers (Prince Fielder and maybe Ryan Braun), a lot of people think they will. Pitchers and catchers reported to spring camp on Sunday, and there might be even more optimism about this team than last year's, which was coming off Cincinnati's first playoff appearance in 15 years.
The Reds' third-place finish last season shows how baseless such optimism can be, but instead of taking that 79-83 finish as a reason for despair, general manager Walt Jocketty and owner Bob Castellini aggressively charged ahead. What they are doing could be viewed as a lesson in sports marketing.
There have been reports about how Cincinnati will eventually have to trade 2010 National League MVP Joey Votto before his contract is up at the end of the 2013 season because they won't be able to afford him. There was even some speculation that they would do it this winter — reports the Reds steadfastly denied — to make room for Alonso and maximize what they could get in return.
Castellini said the team intends to try to sign Votto — of course it does — but the Reds at least view his likely departure as a timeline on their window of opportunity to get to the World Series. It at least partially explains why they have tried to patch the team's holes and win now, even if it means giving up some young players they might wish they had in five years.
It is a good strategy. To some owners' chagrin, today's fans are pretty bright. They realize that there are plenty of free agents out there every year and that a sharp general manager can make a few savvy trades and smart buys and turn a team around in a hurry. It might be preferable to develop your own prospects and build through the draft, but it can be done the other way, too.
No one wants to start over. Most fans would rather have a reason to hope and end up disappointed than start a season with no hope at all. They would almost always trade possible success three years from now for possible success now.
Reds manager Dusty Baker has managed teams in both situations, which is why he was smiling when the first wave of players rolled in on Sunday.
"Nothing is better than when you know you've got some good troops," Baker said.
And nothing is worse than starting a season with "troops" that you know have no chance to reach the postseason.
没有评论:
发表评论