Reds Fan Speaks Out

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

By Greg Eades
London, OH

There is a vocal crowd of people calling for Griffey to leave. Are they the majority, or just a LOUD minority?

There are not many times that an icon of the sport (Griffey at the time) choose to return to their roots and take less money to do it. Griffey did!

The problem has not been, and is not the money. While most of us have trouble comprehending the amount of dollars being paid to Griffey (and Dunn for that matter). The biggest problem is that Cincinnati Reds fans expected this one man to carry this team to the World Series, year in and year out. It hasn't happened in the last 9 years and probably won't happen this year. That has not lowered the expectations of the vocal Reds fans.

So lets look at the other side of the coin. Ken Griffey Jr was a 10 time All Star in Seattle. He welcomed the chance to come back to his home town, and probably could have refused the trade since he was a 10 \ 5 man. He expected the Reds fan base to welcome him with open arms. He took less than market value, and then deferred roughly half of the money so the Reds could afford more and better players. By all accounts and all speculation he has remained steroid free and is a natural player. He is in the last year of his contract and has not implied that he is trying to force a trade.

It has not been Griffey's fault that he was injured. It happens all of the time to good players and poor players. It is also not Griffey's fault that management has not went out and surrounded him with the quality of player that he expected to take the field with.

As a 10 / 5 man, or 10 years in the majors, the last 5 with the same team, he will probably have the right to refuse a trade. If he does, the vocal Reds fans will call him selfish. If he doesn't refuse a trade the vocal Reds fans will feel vindicated that he "wanted out".

I say lets remember the recent past. Lets give him his due for wanting to come back home. For rarely complaining about the fans, management, or being on a losing team. Lets rejoice the fact that the hometown boy with be a first ballot Hall of Famer. And lets, after 9 years of the same pathetic song, let him play baseball and quit blaming this ONE player for all of the faults of the Cincinnati Reds.

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