The Wrong Scapegoat

Wayne Krivsky isn't perfect.
But if the powers-that-be at Great American Ball Park concluded that the former Reds GM was the biggest problem in the organization, then the home team needs far more help than its 9-13 record indicates.

In the same room where Krivsky took the job in February of 2006, his replacement Walt Jocketty said something about how the "culture in the clubhouse" needs to change...and how it needs to reverberate throughout the organization.

A quick observation:
It's not Krivsky's job to run the clubhouse.
It's Dusty Baker's.
And I doubt Baker has the capable lieutenants in there to hold the players accountable and echo Baker's mission and expectations. When the Reds kicked off the season against Arizona, on what should be a ballplayer's most anticipated game of the year, I heard one big bat on the roster say, "Man I can't wait till Opening Day is over."

Just the other day, another guy who easily carries enough clout to be a clubhouse leader said, "Chad Johnson is my hero." (An apparent reference to Chad's overall disdain for Cincinnati).

Krivsky made mistakes, to be sure. The Lopez-Kearns for Majewski-Bray deal hasn't yet panned out. But the former GM often described having "sleepless nights" when making tough decisions. The emotion of it all sometimes brought Krivsky to tears, maybe the most revealing reflection of his passion.

More passion than certain players who are dressed, showered and out the door about 10 minutes after finding themselves on the wrong side of another blowout.

The Reds scapegoated the wrong guy.
--Zach