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GOODYEAR, Arizona − Wittenmyer & Williams is a regular point/counterpoint column from Enquirer Reds reporter Gordon Wittenmyer and sports columnist Jason Williams. This week, they lay out the blueprint for fixing what's broken on the ownership side.
Williams: Great to be here in Arizona. Had a nice chat with Bob Castellini on Tuesday morning. He seemed to be doing just fine. Apparently, reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
Wittenmyer: You must be talking about the rumors that swirled when the Reds business side completely botched the announcement of Phil Castellini succeeding Bob as controlling owner. They screwed up so bad with that weird leaked report the first week of spring training that team officials were bombarded with questions about Bob's health.
Williams: And by the time team officials were made available to the media, none of them were Phil or anyone else from the business side of the operation.
Wittenmyer: It made no sense.
Williams: The business side keeps looking more like the Cincinnati Bengals every day when it comes to basic public relations. Heck, even that team's owner talks at least once a year, at the start of training camp.
Wittenmyer: How does that even happen, especially with a team that has some of the best media relations in the game on the baseball side? For the first time in years, Reds ownership had a chance to take a victory lap because they extended the payroll to bring back popular slugger Eugenio Suarez.
Williams: It's the damnedest thing in Cincinnati sports. Even this ownership used to be so accessible and accountable. The Reds were always a model for good public relations, on both sides of the operation. As you pointed out, their whole baseball side is first class, starting with team president Nick Krall, GM Brad Meador and media relations veterans Larry Herms and Jamie Ramsey. I've always found Bob to be great, and I respect him. But ever since Phil stuck his foot in his mouth, that side of the operation hasn't been able to get it out.
Wittenmyer: And the worst part is, they seem to be hiding from it. I don't know if the people who work for Phil are afraid of bringing common-sense advice to him or whether he just can't handle the heat. But there's a huge gap in common sense going on over there. And it's not helping sell some of the great things this club has to offer right now on the field.
Williams: I want be clear about something. This isn't personal, and it's not about us needing quotes for stories and columns. It's about being accountable to the fans. If it was important enough to ultimately acknowledge the change atop the organization, then it's certainly important enough to provide an explanation about why it matters and why now. Especially when the cryptic report leads to assumptions about Bob Castellini's well being.
Wittenmyer: I can't imagine that's what they wanted. But that's what they got. Because of the ham-handed way they handled it. All they had to do was make an announcement early in the day and make Phil available to talk. In fact, they should've done it before spring training ever started. Especially since we've been told that this was a formality within a process that's been underway for more than a year.
Williams: Why risk doing this to Bob just because of the way fans and media might perceive Phil? Bob is 84 years old. He's been an upstanding owner and done wonderful things for the community. Sure, the Reds haven't won, but Bob's had good intentions as an owner. He'd already been through the wringer with the "sell the team, Bob" PR hit. The bunker mentality isn't what Bob needs − and Reds fans certainly deserve more, especially with what the team has put them through in recent years.
Wittenmyer: Look, man, I don't need to kiss-up apparently as much as you do. But credit where credit is due when it comes to his willingness through most of his ownership to stand up and communicate his intentions with the fans. You can always ask for more (see: nickel-and-dime payroll), but you probably can't expect more.
Williams: I'll tell you what fans have a right to expect. Any sign of a spine from the new controlling owner. You don't like what fans say? Stand up and answer questions.
Wittenmyer: Wait a minute. Aren't you the one who's said he should sit down and shut up? Now you want him to stand up and speak to the masses?
Williams: Now that he's the controlling owner, yeah, I expect Phil to stand up whether he likes it or not. It's part of his job now. Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
Wittenmyer: It's no different than Nick Krall standing up last summer and owning the fact he made a mistake signing and then having to release Jeimer Candalario with $22.5 million left on his deal. That's what leadership looks like. You make a mistake. You own it. You move on and keep trying to do what's best for the club.
Williams: And that's the thing, even one big mistake doesn't have to define how good somebody is at their job. Krall's team was in the playoffs by end of that season, and they look like they have a chance to do even more this year.
Wittenmyer: It's time the new guy in charge on the other side of the operation shows what kind of job he can do. But he's gonna have to start doing it, including the part of the job that involves communicating and leadership. Until he does that, I'm not sure any of us can know −
Williams: Don't say it.
Wittenmyer: That's right. Until then, none of us can know where he's gonna go.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When did Reds forget how to treat their fans right?