Marge Schott's departure was supposed to make the Reds more businesslike, more efficient, more consistent. Instead, rarely a week goes by without fresh revelations of conduct unbecoming a big-league ballclub. During one recent homestand, hitting coach Ken Griffey Sr. felt sufficiently out of the loop that he asked a reporter if a particular pitcher was still on the roster. In the wake of the Ken Griffey Jr. hamstring flip-flop, the Justin Atchley eligibility error, the Atchley roster reversal and the almost unfathomable Oester fiasco, the Good Ship Reds appears increasingly rudderless and listing toward laughingstock. Some things simply can't be helped.
Injuries tend to be random, and they have recently become epidemic.
Yet some persistent problems never seem to get solved. The Reds continue to send mixed messages both internally and externally. He declined to elaborate on their conversations. It's been tough to put a consistent team out there. It's been equally tough to put a consistent team together in the front office.