Baseball may need a good therapist during its grieving process, and then maybe a decent 12-step program.
While many of the sport’s barons are stuck in denial about their problems, a few have offered honest admissions. In Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, at least, new chief officers make no excuses: For too many years, baseball turned a deaf ear on fans.
“We in Cincinnati have not been listening to the customer,” said John Allen, who is running the Reds while banished boss Marge Schott takes her leave of absence for insensitive remarks. “We haven’t made the statement yet: `We want you back.’ “
Kevin McClatchy, who led a group in buying the Pirates earlier this year, also has been hard at work–listening. Indeed, while other owners are bombarding fans with gimmicky promotions and declaring the issue over, McClatchy seems content to keep asking questions.
Baseball in both cities has become real news, rather than just sports news. Largely, that is because of big post-strike problems and because of what these two men are doing in response.
Interestingly, they have some common background. Both worked for minor-league teams, and both of their clubs want new retro stadiums to advance the healing process.
Allen quit his $125,000-a-year job as senior vice president of a Kansas City, Mo., accounting firm in 1989 to take an unpaid internship with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. He wrapped hot dogs, and went to Ohio State for a degree in sports management.
McClatchy is the heir to a publishing empire, but he also has grass-roots experience. He was president of the Modesto A’s.
In Cincinnati, where attendance still is beneath the National League average, Allen already has twice slashed reserved tickets to $3. He also is letting fans run the bases after games, which endless streams want to do.
The price cut, he said, would not have taken place under Schott. It will be interesting to see if it has any long-term effects.
Pittsburgh, meanwhile, still is languishing behind all but one other NL team in attendance–at just 17,183 fans per game. A city with so much baseball history never should be in this position.
Was it Schott, or the shots? Neither Allen nor Reds manager Ray Knight like to give the major-league officials who gagged Schott much credit, but Cincinnati has been playing better baseball since she was limited to walking her dog around Riverfront Stadium.
More Top Picks Best Phone Tripods For Content Creators
The Reds immediately went on a seven-game tear, and now find themselves back in the NL hunt. Attendance also seems to be inching upward, and there is more excitement around the park–both clearly results of Allen’s work.
That definitely is helping the Reds. Said Knight: “I can tell there’s a different atmosphere out there. Everywhere you go, you can’t escape the fact that it’s more fan-friendly.”
In itself, however, players don’t directly credit the club’s improvement to Schott’s mandated absence. Instead, Knight points to a healthy team.
His list of early-season injuries seems endless: Right-fielder Reggie Sanders twice was on the disabled list, with back and rib injuries; second baseman Bret Boone had elbow surgery; catcher Joe Oliver turned his ankle; left-fielder Thomas Howard fractured his wrist; outfielder Eric Anthony separated his shoulder; pitcher Pete Schourek had a ligament strain in his elbow; and third baseman Chris Sabo fought back spasms. Oh, and center-fielder Eric Davis also bruised some rib muscles.
“We were only a semblance of a team, not even close,” said Knight, in his first year as a manager. “It’s hard to lose one quality player, let alone three or four.
“Luckily, no one in our division took off and left us. I just hoped that we could tread water until we got healthy. We’re poised to make our move.
“Now we’re healthy. We’re pretty much the team we expected coming out of spring training.”
The NL’s least: And, like Knight said, the Central is not exactly leaving anybody behind. Nobody is much over .500.
How bad is this division? Pirates manager Jim Leyland is using this heart-wringing, motivational gem: “Why not us?”
Comeback track: Davis has been a pleasant surprise for Knight this season, what with returning after an injury-related retirement. Going into the weekend, he was hitting .284 through 59 games, with 14 homers and 50 runs batted in.
“He’s done everything he could do,” Knight said. “He’s playing like he’s 28.”
Davis said that he did not pick up a bat during his year-long absence, brought on after 1994 by a herniated disc in his neck. Still, he clearly missed baseball.
“It was the interest of the public and the guys in the league I was close to,” said Davis, 34. “Everybody kept telling me I was too young to be retired.
“I thought I could come back; to what extent I didn’t know.”