Castellini denies Baker, Jacoby report

[WvuDieHard]

Owner Bob Castellini echoed what general manager Walt Jocketty said: Dusty Baker was fired because of the Reds' late collapse.
"It really was a tough decision," Castellini said. "I had a good relationship with Dusty. He's a hell of a guy, a real renaissance man. But it wasn't working with this particular team, at this particular minute. You've got to make a change."
"Did you see the team playing with great passion, vigor and and confidence? And as a team? I don't think that anyone can say that positively. I think it was apparent that they were not playing up to their potential."
Castellini denied a report that Baker was fired after Jocketty told him hitting coach Brook Jacoby was going to be fired. Baker reportedly said: "If you're going to fire someone, fire me."
"That's somebody's imagination," Castellini said. "If he had that discussion with somebody, it wasn't me. That's No. 1. No. 2, that would never enter into a decision whether you would fire Dusty or not.
"That has never come up. We have never discussed Brook as far as next year or the year after. Those discussions come."
As for the new manager?
"We were looking for the best guy for this particular team," Castellini said. "Do we have anyone exactly in mind? No. We're going to search ad listen to a lot of people. We're on it right away."

HMMMM......more DustMop bullshit. He just can't stand accountability can he? 1507 hit the nail on the head by discovering that Dustmop trait early in the season.

 

[Redsfan1507]

He's a martyr.

They modeled that big oversized foam #1 finger after Dusty... misused, and taken out of context just like Dusty- it was designed to be pointed at someone...like he always did, not an indication of #1...which hes never been...just my opinion.

 

[JohnU]

Heyman contrived some of that in his story, which was clearly designed to make the fans, the front office and "racist" America out to be the bad guys ... and Baker the victim. Dusty stirred that stew himself and Heyman got all defensive when the comments derided him playing the race card.

The race card was really NOT the point of the story. The Jacoby firing was the problem and Dusty makes it sound like he was a stand-up guy who got screwed. Castellini doesn't have to say any of this, since the fans are very supportive of him. Nobody likes being made out the criminal.

 

[JohnU]

Part of the story that makes me want to urp ... if true ... was that Dusty apparently wanted Walt to block the Byrd deal to the Parrots and Walt didn't, saying that when Ludwick came off the DL, the Reds would be OK in LF. Baker disagreed, even if it was to block the deal.

Honestly, blocking the Byrd deal seemed pretty ridiculous even though it seems like it now.

The problem is that, if Dusty thought Byrd was better, he sure didn't waste any time shoving Ludwick into the 5 spot, then cleanup, finally in the 2 spot. Wonder if Dusteroo was just showing Walt up.

If so, that would have been in the conversation.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Dusty and Walt sure weren't on the same page with Chapman and Broxton. They weren't on the same page with every single Reds SS until there were none left on the roster to challenge Cozart. Jocketty upstaged Dusty by announcing in the media Bruce was being brought up to PLAY, dooming Dusty's boy Patterson.

Jocketty isn't without error. He should have given Dusty the boot in 2011, or at least after his 3 game gaffe-fest in the NLDS last year. I also think he overpaid for Marshall, and shouldn't have signed Ludwick for more than 1 year. He's done a prett fair job signing under the radar help, but signed too many distractions for simple, stubborn ol Dusty though.

I do think Jocketty has a lot more baseball sense than Dusty Baker though. In relieved hes gone, but hope he signs with another team. The Mets or Nats might like him. The Whitesox are adrift with Ventura, and if they signed Dusty, Dunn would retire, saving them a bag of cash. The Yankees and Dusty deserve each other. Toronto might be in the market for another idiotic cash heavy, production light addition, and Dusty and Edwin could snooze together during games again.

Dusty probably has lots of options.

 

[WvuDieHard]

All I know is that it will be fun to watch the Dustmoper crash and burn another franchise.

 

[Redsfan1507]

I think general consensus is that Dusty can take a loser, and get them to play over .500, as long as he has a GM with a checkbook that can buy a vet or three. He just can't seem to get into deep post season without a bigger checkbook.

Lots of teams would like to play .500 for a change.

He'll get a job I'd say.