Loading ...From the DDN:
As of Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 11, Todd Benzinger knew he would be returning to the Dragons to manage the team for a second season, but he didn’t know who his coaches would be.
“Really? That’s fantastic,” said the Reds’ former first baseman when he heard his new hitting coach would be Ken Griffey Sr., who finished a 19-year major-league career with a .296 batting average and several All-Star appearances, mostly with the Reds.
“I played with him, and even though Tony Perez was the hitting coach then, Kenny was a batting coach, too,” Benzinger said.
Also returning to the Dragons will be pitching coach Tony Fossas. Last season’s hitting coach, Tony Jaramillo, is expected to be assigned elsewhere in the organization.
The surprises to me are a) that Benzinger was back. I thought he was a disaster last year as manager, they got off to a horrible start and never showed any fire on the field all season. b) Griffey coaching at low A ball. It keeps him close to Cincy, but that’s a lot of bus trips for someone that’s been on a major league coaching staff in the past.
I would take KGS as the Reds hitting coach right now over Jacoby!
I might take Ken Griffey Sr. in our lineup over some of the guys that played last year!
I think I’d take Griffey (although my uncle always called him Ken Whiffey) over Jacoby too.
My guess is that Benzinger is a placeholder until 2011 when KGS will be named manager.
If they wanted to make SR the manager, why not this year? Hell, they gave Benzinger the job last year with no pro experience at all.
Benzinger has girls’ basketball coaching experience. You can’t get experience like that just anywhere.
Griffey’s resume has nothing of the sort on it. I fully support re-hiring Benzinger as manager.
(Sarcasm provided for free.)
another Griffey signed a one year deal today as well. It will most likely be his last. It’s something how Seattle is giving such credit to Jr for turning around the morale of the franchise.
@preach: I suspect it’s a load off for Junior to be back in Seattle where they adore him, and also to be somewhere where he’s not expected to be the star of the team on the field. Any production they get from him is basically gravy, I think. First time that’s been the case for him in like 18 or 19 years. That’s really gotta feel better for a reluctant star like him.
It doesn’t surprise me that others have already reached the same conclusion as I did when I read this: Why isn’t Ken Griffey our hitting coach? Now we have a AAA manager that could probably manage our club better than who we’ve got and a low A hitting coach that could definitely out coach who we’ve got. Makes sense to me.
If any production they get out of him is gravy, then what is it when he whiffs with RISP?
How much time is left on Jacobys contract? Maybe the Reds didn’t want to eat another contract and are just letting Sr. work up there for a year. OR could it be that SR. doesn’t want the grind that is involved in the Major league position over the minor league postion. I have found SR. to be very moody on the times I have met him, I just wonder if he doesn’t want the “hassles” that come with a major league position.
@Drew Nelson:
You may be right, but I don’t see how bus trips all across the midwest with a bunch of teenagers is any less of a grind on a 59 year old.
@EKyRedsFan:
Giblets.
@Drew Nelson: I agree – as much as I liked Griffey Sr. as a kid, when I’ve seen him in public he’s seemed aloof.
Not that that necessarily means he’d be a bad hitting coach, I guess… but I dunno… I’d think a good hitting coach would need to be pretty patient and be able to work with many types of people. Not sure I see that in Senior.
(Caveat: Opinion based only on tiny tiny shreds of actual evidence!)
(Caveat: Opinion based only on tiny tiny shreds of actual evidence!)
Never stopped Marty.
After I’m elected to the HOF, I’ll stop writing the caveat.
bring on the Tums.
First the amount of presure on SR will be tons less working in Dayton over Cincy. It will be more relaxed and there is more coaching going on at that level then on the major league level and much small egos and maybe that is what he wants.
I agree with KGS over BJ and think that it may be something that we do not know about, as far as why that is not the case.
I also agree with our AAA guy being better then Dusty, but almost anyone would be better !!!
I think our Reds will turn it around BIG TIME & will have many years of being one of the best, and even win a WS or a few WS……When Walt Jocketty (I was always so jealous that the Cards had the best man there is.) gets to have a say in who are next manager is. Which I think, and am sure he will bring in a former Red who not only knows the game & is dedicated, but will bring back such a great feeling being a Reds player and a Reds fan AGAIN !!! It’s been way to long, but now with Walt there……We are one move away from starting something GREAT. That is bye-bye to Dusty & hello to a REAL RED. I am one life long Reds fan who can’t wait, but who is very happy that I know it’s coming !!! GO REDLEGS !!!!!!
Do you have a specific miricle worker in mind or do you just want our next manager to be an ex-Red?
^ *miracle
Would Davey Johnson take a managing job if offered it? What’s he up to these days?
What about McKeon? (I guess he must really be getting up there in years now…)
These are the only 2 guys who’ve had success here since the Reds won it all under Piniella in 1990.
In truth, I’d like to find some “new blood” who thinks about the game intelligently and is open-minded to new information and possibly better, non-traditional ways of doing things. (i.e., the exact opposite of Dusty Baker!) A Joe Maddon type maybe?
The thing is… I have zero confidence that the Reds brass would know how to find a guy like that even if they wanted to.
so you believe Walt was just “lucky” in St. Louis and building it into a winning franchise?
No, and he didn’t do it overnight either, which is what everyone in Cincinnati seems to expect of him
It does seem to be what Castellini expects… delusional as that is.