Second in a Series

Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News jokes that it is “amazing we don’t know any of these New York Times ‘bestsellers’ ” he wrote in the mid-1970s, so he’s equally amazed at the values his two mostly forgotten books, “The Relentless Reds” (PressCo, 1976) and “The Royal Reds: Baseball’s New Dynasty” (PressCo, 1977), can bring these days on Amazon.com and eBay.

“Each had a quick run of 50,000 copies [after the two world championships],” McCoy said. “They were sold at local bookstores and by mail order. I never did a signing and there never was a special appearance by anybody to push the books. They sold out quickly and there were no second runs.”

Today each title can command upwards of $80, depending on condition. McCoy shakes his head in complete disbelief. He was paid $2,000 each with no percentage of sales or royalties. In fact, he didn’t own a copy of either until a writer friend gave them to him. “I needed an agent,” he quipped.

The books were regionally published by Shelbyville, Ky.,-based PressCo. Inc. Each is roughly 226-page softcovers chock full of stories, stats, interviews and seasonal overview, complemented by a ton of Dennis Gruelle photos covering the 1975 and '76 seasons. Pete Alexis contributed player profiles and the late Cincinnati Post Reds beat writer Earl Lawson penned both forewards.

“The publisher was a former CIA official named Bill Matthews who published some small papers in Kentucky,” McCoy recalled. “Both years he approached me shortly after the season. Needed them done. Now. Was told I was the fastest writer around. I locked myself in my bedroom office both times and wrote them both in about two weeks, using my own newspaper clips.”

For some reason, Matthews never did a second printing despite brisk sales and a huge market demand for anything Big Red Machine. A print run of 50,000 is not small, especially for a regional title, but the titles have long held some rarity. “Every once in a while I get one in the mail from someone asking me to sign it,” McCoy said. Otherwise, he doesn’t see the books too often.

But they’re out there and they make a great present for the Reds fan who seemingly has everything and cherishes the Big Red Machine era. These books are a lot of fun to thumb through and you'll love going back to the time and players when Reds baseball was the very best in the world.

Best Reds Release of 2008!
“Joe Nuxhall, The Life, Legacy and Words of a Cincinnati Icon,” by John Kiesewetter
(Peiment, 2008)
It was a busy year for newly released Reds books, but none was better than this joint effort of Cincinnati Enquirer staff that pays tribute to legendary player and broadcaster Joe Nuxhall. Featuring the words of Kiesewetter, the illustrations of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jim Borgman, and the images of long-time staff photographer Michael Keating, this 128-page full-color hardback is loaded with photos, cartoons, anecdotes and personal interviews, including a bonus DVD with four 30-minute Nuxhall interviews. Editor Michael Perry deserves a huge plaudit for pulling together this awesome display and limited-edition collectible. Available at www.nuxhallbook.com for $34.95.

New Release: "Drawing Pete," by Jerry Dowling
(Edgecliff Press, 2008)
Compiled from the career drawings of former Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jerry Dowling, this fascinating 112-page collection illustrates Pete Rose’s career through the decades from a completely different vantage point. Dowling’s terrific wit and style captures the exact mood of the moment of Pete’s career . . . with special thanks to Dowling’s alter ego, the sarcastic “Dirty Rat,” who lands the final word in each of his cartoons. Whether you are old enough to have witnessed Pete’s career or just young enough to have experienced the warts (of which there are many), this title is a fun, funny and wonderful addition to Reds literature. Price: $29.95, at Cincinnati-area bookstores or the Edgecliff Press website, where you can also get a peek inside the book.

Forgotten Champions: “The 1940 Cincinnati Reds,” by Brian Mulligan
(McFarland, 2005)
Maybe you’ve heard of this book, maybe you haven’t; maybe you realize the greatness of the first true Reds World Series champions, maybe you don’t. But you should not pass up Mulligan’s solid revisionist history of this remarkable, resilient team that now seems lost in baseball time to most Reds fans. Building off the suicide of catcher Willard Hershberger late in the 1940 season, Mulligan approaches the narrative from a human interest angle to cover the ongoing personal and emotional landmines this team leaped to capture an exciting seven-game World Series victory against the Tigers. The names should be familiar: Lombardi, Vander Meer, Derringer, Walters, McCormick, Myers, Werber, Frey and McKechnie. It’s a team with great personalities and a story of remarkable perseverance—a season Reds fans today should know and embrace. Price: around $30 at Amazon.com and the McFarland & Co. website. 

Classic: “Pennant Chase,” by Jim Brosnan
(Harper, 1962)
Two seasons after his landmark “The Long Season” in which pitcher Jim Brosnan writes the first in a genre of “insider” clubhouse books later made popular by “Ball Four,” comes the companion title chronicling the 1961 Reds’ journey to the National League pennant. Today “Pennant Chase” is widely considered one of the top 10 baseball books of all time as Brosnan gives the reader a seat for the Reds’ improbable season. Clear, descriptive, personal, cynical, witty  . . . Brosnan never needed a ghost writer to paint his stories. The sad part is the book covers only the regular season and stops at the World Series. The worst part is a couple of generations of Reds fans may have heard of the 1961 Reds but they have never acquainted themselves with Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Jim O’Toole, Joey Jay, Ed Bailey, Wally Post, Gordy Coleman, manager Fred Hutchinson and the rest of the gang through “Pennant Chase,” a true classic. Price: Under $20 for hardcover first editions at Amazon.com.

Collectible: "Base Ball in Cincinnati," by Harry Ellard
(Cincinnati, 1907)
The early history of Cincinnati baseball is told by journalist Ellard through one of the most historically significant sports books—and one of the most collectible. Ellard used many original documents and player interviews to pen this remarkable history of life and baseball in Cincinnati during the latter half of the 19^th century. Now, first edition volumes are exceedingly rare and a second edition printed in 1908 also carries huge demand. The 277-page treasure gives a detailed account of early Reds teams, players and team business, and comes with around 70 photographs, many of them never published anywhere else. Little expense was spared in the book's making with thick photo and page stock, elaborate cloth cover and binding, and high-quality printing.

The book also has an interesting legacy. The Ohio Book Store in downtown Cincinnati did a limited reprint in 1987. Those rare copies now sell for $50-$300, depending on condition. In 2004, McFarland & Co published a softback reprint that somehow costs $35. Go figure, but that is likely your best route if you merely want to read the book without the collectibility cost.

However, you must have "Base Ball in Cincinnati" if you are a high-end Reds collector. The Ohio Book Store versions can often be found on eBay and Amazon.com. A second edition from 1908 sold at a 2004 Robert Edwards Auction for $1,840. First and second editions can be found at www.abebooks.com. First edition price: $3,450.

Perspective: “Beyond the Sixth Game,” by Peter Gammons
(Houghton Mifflin, 1985)
Long, long on my recommendation list whether you’re a Reds fan or a general baseball fan, Gammons’ very best work uses the now-legendary Game 6 of the 1975 World Series between the Reds and Red Sox as the demarcation line by which the modern game changed forever. With franchises in trouble, attendance falling and the new era of player free agency looming, Gammons uses the 1975 World Series as the arc for a compelling before-and after-story of baseball history. Along the way, he goes into great detail behind the scenes of the play, players and games of a classic World Series. Forget the Red Sox slant. If you want to understand how today's game evolved from one October night in Boston into the big business we know today, "Beyond the Sixth Game" is a must read. Available at Amazon.com and eBay in hardback for less than $10.

Worth Mentioning. . . .
Lee Allen’s “The Cincinnati Reds" (Putnam, 1948) remains a relevant and collectible (but dry) history . . . . The coffee table-style "Big Red Dynasty" by Greg Rhodes and John Erardi (Road West, 1998) is the most complete look at the Big Red Machine era. . . . "The Cincinnati Game" by Lonnie Wheeler and John Baskin (Orange Frazer, 1988) is a really clever, introspective and different Reds history, and an unknown gem. . . . "Marge Schott: Unleashed" by Mike Bass (Sagamore, 1993) is riveting and jaw-dropping. . . . The late, great Reds beat writer Earl Lawson of the Cincinnati Post shared his 34 years covering the team in "Cincinnati Seasons" (Diamond, 1990). . . . "Tom Browning's Tales From the Reds Dugout" (Sports Publishing, 2007) is generally well-liked by readers. . . . "Red Legs and Black Sox" by Susan Dellinger (Emmis, 2006) adds the angle of the 1919 World Series scandal from the author’s grandfather, Reds Hall of Famer Edd Roush. . . . "The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Cincinnati Reds" by Mike Shannon (Triumph, 2008) takes a look at fairly recent Reds history in a way the title suggests . . . and "Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Highlights" by Greg Rhodes (Clerisy Press, 2007) is a quick, fun read that makes a nice stocking stuffer.

A Little Late
When he actually writes these days, I enjoy Paul Daugherty’s voice in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Love him, hate him or merely tolerate him as the lone newspaper sports columnist in town (you suck, Gannett), Daugherty is widely recognized as one of the country’s best sportswriters and an opinion talent I highly respect—even when I don’t agree with him. But his books, including this year’s “Catch Every Ball: How to Handle Life’s Pitches,” with Johnny Bench (Orange Frazer, 2008, $22.00) have left me decidedly flat. This Bench title is 20 years too late—the perfect timing would have been his induction to the Hall of Fame, especially in the self-help/inspirational category. What the struggling sports book market will welcome, however, is the definitive full-blown, tell-all Bench biographical treatment like those of Babe Ruth (Robert Creamer), Joe DiMaggio (Richard Ben Cramer) and Roberto Clemente (David Marannis). Until that time, you should read J.B.'s autobiography "Catch You Later," (HarperCollins, 1979), available at Amazon.com for around $10.

Next: Redlegs Tapes, DVDs and Audio

First in a Series

“The 12 Days of a Redlegs Christmas” is a 12-part holiday gift guide for Reds fans of all ages, interests and means. The series is not designed to be all-inclusive but to pick out an assortment of gift ideas for the Reds fan that might be unique, collectible, practical or just good fun to browse through. Some items will be out of the price range of most fans, yet the “wow factor” is too great to resist including in this series. But I'm confident you will find that one really cool gift for the Reds fan in your life, even if that fan is yourself!

The series opens with a random look at Redlegs artwork. As a Reds collector, I’m a huge fan of this genre, which spreads across photography, statuettes, original art, lithographs and serigraphs, and in some instances, the oddball. Here’s a sampling:

Pete Rose, by Andy Warhol
Crafted by Andy Warhol and originally published as a limited edition (50) fund-raising print by the Cincinnati Art Museum in 1985, this poster featuring Andy Warhol’s original concept in four panels is now offered as a numbered (700) print for $50 or one of 114 Rose-signed prints for $500. Order through www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org.

And if you’re looking for that new investment for your portfolio, you might consider this version of the Rose/Warhol work. Yipes!

John Yim Studio
A talented artist in Rockville, Md., who crafts custom sports artwork across several styles of media, Yim’s distinct style is terrific for one-of-a-kind display pieces. He recently introduced a consumer-friendly line of 14-by-18-inch pencil sketches that include Joe Morgan (right), Pete Rose and Johnny Bench. These sketches are great for getting autographed. You can also request a player or send your own player photo to be sketched. Price: $45 with a very quick turnaround. Want something more upscale? Check out his line of color sports paintings and commission Yim for your favorite Reds player. Cost varies on size but $500-$1,200 is typical. Turnaround is 7-10 days.

Jim Borgman Cartoons
You can buy a selection of editorial cartoons by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jim Borgman, now retired from the Cincinnati Enquirer, at the newspaper’s website. It’s not a deep selection of sports images and sadly the site is missing some of his classic work, especially during the Big Red Machine era, the blowup of the franchise in the early 1980s, the Pete Rose scandal and the 1990 world championship. But there are still some great selections from the past few years. Sift through each month of those cartoons available and you’ll likely find something you like. Price: $13 and above.

Big Red Machine Lithograph by Willard Mullin
Renowned illustrator Willard Mullin, creator of the “Brooklyn Bum,” crafted the best Reds lithograph ever with his 1974 release "The Big Red Machine," which features the bat of a cartoonish Ted Kluszewski swatting Reds opponents to the side. The 22-by-28 litho was limited to 2,000 prints and each is signed by Mullin. This can be a very difficult find and requires some diligent Internet shopping, but they’re out there—and they’re constantly in demand. Someone you know and obviously love bought his at the Reds’ old 580 Gift Shop back in the day for $75. Today’s value: $500-$800, depending on condition.

Joe Nuxhall Bronze Statuette
Stadium giveaways don’t excite me very often and they’re not rare if 30,000 were handed out at the gate. But perhaps the Reds’ marketing department figured out the bobblehead fad ended three years ago when they gave fans this keepsake on Joe Nuxhall Day, June 28, 2008. The giveaway is a miniature bronze replica of the Nuxhall statue in front of Great American Ball Park and is a truly nice display. Available for around $25 on eBay.

Danbury Mint Porcelain Stadiums
The company that won’t stop mailing you solicitations actually makes really, really nice stuff. They offer gorgeous replicas of Crosley Field (right), Riverfront Stadium and Great American Ball Park made in cold-cast porcelain that is perfect for a desk or shelf display. Each contains Danbury’s intricate detailing and accuracy, and come mounted on a wooden base. Each is sized at about 7-by-7 inches. Available for $75 each at www.danburymint.com. Ominously missing: Danbury Mint's tremendous display of the 1975 Reds' starting lineup, pitcher Don Gullett and manager Sparky Anderson. The 7-inch-high figures sit on a wood base. This item is now sold out and extremely difficult to find. Buy this great display fast if you see it pop up on eBay. Cost: around $250 and up.

Item to Chase
Famed artist LeRoy Neiman is no stranger to painting Reds players in his unique style. Neiman has pieces on Tom Seaver, Pete Rose and two of Johnny Bench—"The Catcher" and "Johnny Bench, 1970" (right). But like all Neiman originals and seriagraph prints, these pieces are extremely pricey. Original artwork goes for around $130,000; the seriagraphs, usually numbered to 200 or 250, sell for anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000. Neiman sports artwork has long proven to be a sound investment collectible. If you want to buy a Reds fan something that's not only valuable and unique, a Neiman print is the ticket. Someone you know and love (still) has the 1970 Bench Neiman. He paid $35 in 1993 because the dealer thought the frame was worth more than the seriagraph. Seriously. Thirty . . . five . . . bucks. 

Frameworks
If you have a picture of your favorite Reds player or moment that needs framing, you have to experience Bob LoBianco at CB Enterprizes (cq) in Advance, N.C. How such a diehard Clete Boyer and Yankee fan is stuck in North Carolina is one story, but the unique style of frames Bob makes and sells at many card and memorabilia shows is another. These ready-made frames come complete with glass, very attractive matte and a 2-inch "button" of the Reds logo that is hollowed into the matte. Cost: $29. It's a helluva deal. Bob's a great guy and he'll cut a matte for your size of item, such as Perez-Steele cards.

(Note: Bob doesn't currently have any Reds mattes on his website but he has them in stock. Ask for an image and he'll email it back to you. You can get an idea of the mattes by visiting this page on his website.)     

Notable
Several e-mailers suggested the Johnny Bench McFarlane Cooperstown figurine (around $30). McFarlane is excellent quality work but I hated the pose of Bench leaning over a railing to make a catch and, more so, the face looks nothing like Bench. That’s not uncommon. For some reason, Bench’s profile gives artists fits and you will rarely see a print, figurine or art piece that captures him accurately. If you're in the art business and can't get the face right, don't bother.

Next: Redlegs books

Monday night was a historic moment around the ol' homefront. I cleaned off my desk. To get a general vision of the garbage pile that is my three-section corner of the world, I uncovered (among other things): a half-eaten white chocolate macadamia nut cookie; an autographed baseball card by Joe Nuxhall; two cold capsules--from last winter; a DVD I had to purchase from Blockbuster because it was lost; the title to my car; a chick book titled "Why Do Men Have Nipples?"; a used Kleenex--from last winter's cold from losing the cold capsules; Ms. R's birthday card--from seven months ago; the Daffy Duck tape dispenser, and a couple of the Goddess' kids.

She apparently has not missed them.

But most of all, there were dozens of yellow Stickies with reminders and scribblings. When you are 139 years old you need reminders and Stickies, even though you forget where you put the reminders. Usually these scribblings are a story idea, a pertinent work thought, phone number or something I want to say on the ol' blog. But then I realize the final edition of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection is being released and everything else falls into the pile, lost in the abyss.

So with the lull between the playoffs and World Series, here are a few random scribblings and musings from the Stickies:

* Tampa Bay, Colorado, Arizona and Florida--the last four expansion teams, all since 1993--have now reached the World Series since the Reds' last appearance.

* Imagine the Reds today if Krivsky, with his decade of Minnesota ties, had made the six-player deal with the Twins last winter that sent P Matt Garza and SS Jason Bartlett to the Rays? Those two young players made an enormous difference on the Rays getting to the World Series.

* Uh boy. Gloom and doom about the potential TV ratings for the Rays-Philberts World Series. Many predict this will be the lowest-rated Series ever . . . for the third time in the 2000s. I dunno, but as Jason Stark pointed out, the two best teams of the regular season advanced. However, the participating teams are not always the issue when it comes to ratings. Look at this decade. What amazing parity of different teams and market sizes reaching the Series—yet the ratings suck. Why? What do the ratings say in an era of great baseball attendance and revenues that all of a sudden fans don't care about the showcase event? I think I know the reason. Let's just say the NFL isn't this stupid. What do you think?

* Underneath the garbage pile I also found an autographed photo of former Reds great Paul Derringer. A Derringer single-signed ball is an extremely rare find and pricey (about $900).

* Another rare Reds signature of any sort is Willard Hershberger, the catcher who committed suicide during the 1940 championship season. Anything with his autograph adds significant value. There's been a cut Hershberger sig on eBay for some time ($324), and while the price is about right, the quality of the cut doesn't quite, um, cut it.

* Doug Gray over at redsminorleagues.com does an amazing job keeping Reds fans updated on the happenings among the bush-leaguers. It's a labor of love, no doubt, so check out his evaluations of the Reds' top 40 prospects: 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40. I don't agree with his No. 1 (for now) but his summations of the young Latins the Reds signed in the past year and the talent in the lower levels is fascinating stuff.

* The kind of Stickie reminder I don't need: the loss of retirement monies from our IRAs and 401k packages in a 30-day period. So much for those early retirement buyout dreams.

* Thar's something in the water. I can't recall when more NFL coaches have been fired during the season. It just doesn't happen very often, but now we've had St. Louis, Oakland and San Francisco make changes. Firing a football coach during the season is usually fruitless because football is a system-oriented game constructed during the offseason. About all a new coach can do midseason is give a different voice and make a few play switches. Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome recently asked me if Marvin Lewis was going to be fired. I replied, "You tell me." So there's several more coaches who could be fired before the season ends. Rising speculation: Wade Phillips being replaced by heir apparent Jason Garrett in Big D.

* Midnight Madness for college basketball has become a useless, overproduced TV gimmick. But then, so has college basketball until they start playing for real in March.

* I raised this on John Fay's blog and it generated some good discussion: What's the point of having the American and National leagues any longer? Tradition? Sentiment? Practicality? Money? When the strike of 1994 cancelled the World Series and then MLB dove into interleague play in 1997, the need for two leagues became irrelevant. They no longer have separate league offices, they use the same umpires, and having partial interleague play has provided gross disparities in scheduling and competitive balance while also playing havoc on travel.

MLB should eliminate the leagues and go with six five-team divisions based on geographical realignment with each division winner and two wild-cards entering an eight-team tournament. The first round remains best-of-five with the semis and World Series being best-of-seven. What this format does is reward the regular-season record by seeding the playoffs (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.) and giving the better likelihood the two best teams reach the World Series, not just the best from each league.

Best of all, this one-league format features playing each team at least one series during the regular season. The bulk of the schedule would still be played within the division, but everyone would play the exact same teams outside their division. Imagine being able to see the Yankees or Red Sox or Ichiro in Cincinnati every other season. We've had interleague play 11 years now and the Reds haven't been to Camden Yards. These sort of nuances are all over the map. Here's how I would split the divisions:

EAST

Boston, Yankees, Philadephia, Mets, Baltimore.

NORTH
Cubs, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Detroit, Toronto.

MIDWEST

Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, White Sox, St. Louis.

SOUTH
Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Washington, Houston

SOUTHWEST
Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Kansas City, Angels.

WEST
Dodgers, Oakland, San Diego, San Fran, Seattle

* Thus far it has been a very disappointing fall barbecue season from my neighbor the BBQ King. The main reason is the Redskins have been at home a lot and he doesn't have people over on home game days. The other reason is the incredible climb in pork prices. We're talking about 50 cents a pound in a year. The King pointed out that smaller consumables such as sausage, hot dogs and bacon have become outrageously priced. He's right. Look at the cost of Hebrew National hot dogs and Bob Evans sausage these days. Not that I'd know anything about those products. Nope. 

* That said, one of the great events in this world is this weekend in Lexington, N.C.

* And I'm not joking. There is now a porn flick called "Who's Nailin' Paylin?" (ed note: the link content is not X-rated but an interview). Said a writer friend: "What took 'em so long?"

The Hardball Times had an interesting article recently about the history of draft pick compensation for free agent players. It’s a timely topic because the Reds chose to trade free agent-to-be Adam Dunn to the Diamondbacks for P Micah Owings, P Dallas Buck and C Wilkin Castillo. Had the Reds offered arbitration to Dunn this winter and he signed elsewhere, the team would have received two draft picks as compensation in next summer’s amateur player draft.

Compensation picks began in 1978 as a way to repay a team that lost a player to free agency whose stats place him in a certain classification of value (Type A, Type B, blah-blah). The compensation system has changed and evolved over the years, but the basics are a team gets a comp pick anywhere from the first to third rounds, depending on the free agent player’s classification. The Reds’ decision on Dunn was simple: They figured it was better to take the players already signed and advanced in pro ball than the risk of two unsigned draft picks requiring bonus money who may never develop.

A lot of Reds fans are ready to torch owner Bob Castellini’s produce stand over the trading of Dunn. In some corners, fans believe getting the two comp picks would have been better than what they received in the trade. Maybe, maybe not.

Through the years and Lord knows how many general managers, the only time the Reds ever made a rewarding comp pick was by Bob Howsam in 1983, when he turned the free agent loss of pitcher Bob Shirley into catcher Joe Oliver with the 41^st overall pick. Other than Oliver, the team's history of compensation picks gets really ugly. Is it possible Dick Wagner was a worse GM than we already thought?

When Pete Rose was allowed to sign with the Phillies in 1979, the Reds bypassed LHP Atlee Hammaker and catcher Bob Geren (who would come to the Reds in 1992) to take catcher Dan Lamar with the 20^th overall pick. Who? Exactly. Pete Rose for Dan Lamar. Now that’s a trivia quiz for winning a bar bet.

A year after Rose departed, Joe Morgan returned to the Astros as a free agent. Wagner passed on future MLB pitchers Tim Burke and Joe Hesketh for RHP Jim Pettibone with the 43^rd selection. Ironically, Hesketh was selected by the Expos for losing former Reds great Tony Perez via free agency to the Red Sox.

The Reds under Howsam and Daddy Wags famously, stubbornly and foolishly refused to participate in free agency the first five years of the system, allowing the gradual breakdown of the Big Red Machine. When they finally decided to join the 20^th century of baseball, their first free agent signing was . . . backup 1b Larry Biittner, 35, of the Cubs. The Cubs’ compensation pick was LHP Vance Lovelace, who much later managed 4 2/3 innings in the majors with the Angels and Mariners.

So there, stupid Cubs fans. Biittner was actually a pretty reliable pinch-hitter and fill-in over 1981-’82.

For Wagner, 1982 was a year of infamy as the Reds sank to 95 losses and Daddy Wags’ likeness was famously hung in effigy. Among his moves were getting rid of George Foster, Ray Knight and Ken Griffey for five sacks of potatoes and Cesar Cedeno. OF Dave Collins was allowed to sign with the Yankees as a free agent and Daddy Wags’ comp pick was LHP Scott Jones, bypassing SS Dale Sveum, who had a decent career, namely with the Brewers. Wagner, along with manager John McNamara, was fired a few weeks after the draft.

The Murray Cook years of 1988-’89 provided a lot of drama as the Reds were so close to the playoffs but never made the big deal for a badly needed pitcher. Cook foolishly re-signed CF Pinhead Milner from the Giants in ’88, forfeiting the No. 15 overall pick as compensation. P Charles Nagy, 3b Ed Sprague or OF Brian Jordan would have been fairly useful over the next 10 years.

A year later, Cook refused to make a big offseason move for a quality starter like Rick Reuschel but signed the Braves’ Rick Mahler instead. The Giants went to the World Series after acquiring Reuschel from the Pirates at the trade deadline; the Reds lost the 57^th pick to the Braves, who took a pitcher named Brian Boltz while passing on Tim Salmon, John Olerud, Phil Nevin and Denny Naegle.

Think the Reds would have drafted any of those guys?

The one time a team did the Reds a favor by signing one of their players was 1992, when the Phillies coughed up the No. 51 pick for 2b Mariano Duncan. Did GM Bob Quinn draft Todd Helton or Jason Giambi, each taken within the next seven picks? Nooooooo. He went for SS Rick Magdelano.

Who?

Right.

You might also recognize 1992 as the year the Reds bypassed Derek Jeter for Chad Mottola in the regular phase of the draft. Enter Jim Bowden.

You think having three catchers the past couple of years is insanity? In 1995, Bowden gave up the 24^th pick to sign journeyman catcher Damon Berryhill from the Red Sox while also having Benito Santiago and Eddie Taubensee on the roster. Of course, the Red Sox botched the pick by selecting Corey Jenkins over Jarrod Washburn, Carlos Beltran and Sean Casey, among others.

How would Milton Bradley or Jimmy Rollins look in the Reds’ lineup today? Never mind. In 1996, Bowden was handed the 33^rd and 38^th picks for losing Ron Gant to the Cardinals. Bowden picked pitchers Matt McClendon and Buddy Carlyle, Carlyle pitched only 10 games in the majors from 2000-2007 but has performed quite well at times this year . . . for the Braves.

In 2000, the Reds drafted RHP Dustin Moseley at No. 34 as compensation for losing P Juan Guzman, who did a good job down the stretch in 1999. Guzman signed with the Devil Rays as a free agent and almost immediately blew out his arm.  No one is laughing. Moseley’s career was derailed by his own arm problems; now he’s a reliever for the Angels.

Did the Reds take Xavier Nady with their second comp pick for losing Guzman? Of course not. They selected catcher Dane Sardinha and gave him a major league contract in lieu of bonus money, which they didn’t have.

The thing is, drafting amateur talent in baseball is such an inexact science and making compensation picks lends itself to equal amounts of subjectivity. The Reds have a bad history on comp picks, for sure, but what if they had a deep history of playing the free-agent field like the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, Dodgers and White Sox? Imagine some of the players those teams could have drafted if . . . ya know . . . they weren’t already buying established players.

As for the Reds, the recent draft history of former GMs Dan O”Brien and Wayne Krivsky has replenished the farm system. A few of those hands have come courtesy of comp picks. We’ll know shortly how it’s all worked out with RHP Kyle Lotzkar (for Scott Schoeneweis) and infielder Todd Frazier (for Rich Aurilia). We’ll also know about the Red Sox selecting LHP Nick Hagadone (for the Reds signing SS Alex Gonzalez) or the Giants with 2b Charlie Culberson (for Mike Stanton) and P Jake Odorizzi to the Brewers (for Coco Cordero).

As for Dunn and the compensation picks: The Reds had already decided they were not going to re-sign Dunn and they were fearful he would accept arbitration and drive up his cost to over $15 million for one season. Based on the way the 2008 roster has performed, it was probably a smart move by Uncle Walt to stockpile players more advanced in the system than gambling on draft picks.

There’s been mumbling and grumbling about Dusty Baker since the day he was hired (Oct. 14, 2007, actually) to manage the Reds. Now, with the team backsliding and blood-thirsty fans looking for a new scapegoat since Junior Griffey was dispatched to the White Sox, the rumbling is starting to rise:

Will Dusty be fired?

There’s a new general manager in Uncle Walt Jocketty, who is expected to make changes in the front office, scouting and development departments, and likely the coaching staff. The team has underperformed to expectations while young established starters Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Phillips and Aaron Harang have regressed. The team plays awful fundamental baseball. And there are the usual head-scratching moments of Dusty in-game decisions and stubborn lineup permeations.

Additionally, we all know Uncle Walt has owner Bob Castellini’s trust and ear, and few really know what Jocketty thinks of Baker and the job he has done this year.

On the flip side, this is former GM Wayne Krivsky’s roster, not Baker’s, and the team has been decimated by injuries, inconsistency and a brutal first-half schedule. Baker has also bucked the Cubs stigma that he ruins arms and prefers veterans by giving youngsters Encarnacion, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto and Jared Burton a lot of playing time—and rope. We’ve also seen improvement from Bronson Arroyo’s pitching and Adam Dunn’s defense.

There’s also the issue of Baker being due $7 million over the next two years—no small consideration, or amount of cake.

And there’s the important need and perception of finding some stability in the front office and manager’s position. Jocketty is the fifth GM in five years; Baker is the fifth manager in that time.

So what happens? Just because you—the fan—may or may not like Baker is not the debate. What’s up for objective observation and discussion is whether Dusty will be fired, and whether he should be fired. What say you?