Their hidden agenda was to stabilize a franchise that has been careening out of control. Twelve years after she gained control of the ball club, Mrs. Schott's short-sighted management nears its inevitable reckoning. The farm system has become infertile through lack of investment. The fan base has dwindled through years of neglect. The player payroll has grown far beyond the bounds of revenues, and has nearly exhausted Mrs. Schott's cash reserves.
Hard decisions are at hand.
For the Reds to return to profitability, player salaries must be slashed and ticket prices will likely rise. The genius of Marge Schott is that she will be able to blame someone else for the bad news. The good news is that she is gone, and that the Cincinnati Reds may again be taken seriously. Tim Sullivan is an Enquirer columnist. Published June 13, 1996.