The Reds Would Like to Apologize, Again

Cincinnati hasn’t been to the postseason since 1995 (Pete Schourek, represent) and hasn’t had a winning season since 2000, so just like five years ago, the Reds organization would like to publicly apologize for their ineptitude. ↵↵And when I say “just like five years ago,” I mean almost identically. Here – thanks to our homeboy Littmann, a Cincy-area native – is an excerpt from the letter to fans from August of 2003, a season they finished with a 69-93 record:↵

↵↵⇥The Reds have a core group that has consistently showed up and produced this season. Adam Dunn, Jason LaRue, Sean Casey and Austin Kearns are just some of the players who have been there day in and day out.↵⇥↵⇥But as the season progressed, it became clear that a lack of depth in our pitching staff was keeping us from reaching the next level. Pitching will win games. Pitching also wins championships. Our commitment to fielding a competitive team means shoring up our rotation and adding depth in the bullpen. And that meant making some difficult, but necessary moves.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥It will be exciting to watch this crop of young pitchers. Brandon Claussen, one of baseball’s best starting pitcher prospects, brings a solid work ethic and bulldog mentality that bodes well for the kind of impact he can have in Cincinnati. Other acquisitions, like Aaron Harang, and Phil Dumatrait, have also shown tremendous potential and we expect their contributions to be significant in the months and years to come.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥From the top down, we’re excited, energized and eager to bring our fans more great Reds baseball this season. We truly love Cincinnati, the Reds, and our fans. And we look forward to seeing everyone at the ballpark.↵⇥

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Let’s see, how did those young pitchers turn out. Brandon Claussen: Hasn’t pitched a game in the majors since ’06. Aaron Harang: A few decent seasons, but is 3-13 with a 5.59 this season; he gets a pass. Phil Dumatrait: No longer with the organization. Oh, and neither are any of the hitters mentioned (Dunn, LaRue, Casey, Kearns). ↵↵So, let’s fast-forward to this week, when the Reds issued this (via e-mail):↵

↵↵⇥Since taking ownership of this franchise, we have aggressively tried to improve our Major League roster for the purpose of restoring championship baseball to Cincinnati. We have sought and signed proven players. We have extended the contracts of select current players. We added Dusty Baker, a proven winning manager. And, we have capitalized on our burgeoning younger players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Johnny Cueto.↵⇥↵⇥We had high expectations for the 2008 season. Unfortunately the team has not played up to our expectations and we have sustained injuries to key players within our starting lineup and rotation.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥The vast majority of our 50 draft picks were signed, culminating last week with first-rounder Yonder Alonso and a pair of talented pitchers.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥We ask your continued trust and patience as we build the roster that will get us back on top. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at the ballpark.↵⇥

↵↵Reds fans, they freakin’ added DUSTY BAKER! What more could you ask for? He totally led a team to the playoffs as recently as five years ago. But hey, we look forward to seeing you out at the park, you die-hards. There’s no less than a 27% chance you’ll see superstars such as Joey Votto get a base hit!↵