Sunday, January 16, 2000
Does Lindner have lock on wallet
BY PAUL DAUGHERTY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Maybe he just doesn't want to pay. We haven't talked about that. We assumed Carl Lindner had the money to pay Ken Griffey Jr. Who wouldn't assume that? King Carl could buy and sell Burkina and Faso, with enough left over for Cameroon.
The Reds say they don't want to strip-mine their roster of young talent. They don't want to lose Pokey Reese, whose stature through all this has risen to somewhere between Pee Wee Reese and the Hall of Fame. Pokey is a heck of a lot better now than he was when the season ended.
That could be. Or maybe Lindner just doesn't want to pay.
Lindner could be thinking, “I don't want to be the one setting a new benchmark for baseball's salary lunacy. Let the Dodgers pay Kevin Brown $12 million. Next year, let the Braves pay Alex Rodriguez the gross national product of Tibet. Not me. I didn't get to be King Carl by being irresponsible with my dough.”
(Do you think Lindner says “dough” when he talks about his money? Maybe he says “loot” or “stash.” Maybe he prefers “monumental swag pile.”)
Who would blame Lindner for bowing out of any Junior bidding that approached, say, $17 million a year? The Reds couldn't make that back, unless they jacked red-seat prices to $20 and put a three-hot-dog minimum on everyone who passed through the gates.
Minding his business
There aren't a lot of businessmen running ball teams now, just masters of the universe like Rupert Murdoch, and egos eager to whip out their wallets. Lindner doesn't strike me as one of those.
(Then again, how would I know? How would anyone? The man is the Sphinx. I watched the press conference when he assumed primary ownership of the team, just so I could hear what his voice sounded like.)
If acquiring Griffey doesn't make good business sense, maybe Lindner just said forget it. Maybe this has less to do with the suddenly indispensable Pokey Reese than we've been led to believe.
Reese is a very good player. But, really. He's a second baseman. A second baseman is the least important (and most easily replaceable) player among the starting eight.
The Reds don't have a minor-leaguer yet good enough to play second, in Reese's absence. That's part of the team's thinking.
But Jim Bowden did not specify a short right field porch for the new ballpark for Pokey Reese. Jack McKeon is not on a one-year leash for Pokey. Ken Griffey Sr. is not waiting in the wings in the hopes he'll convince Pokey to make a long-term commitment to Cincinnati.
Wait for better deal?
Bowden may be absolutely sincere when he says Reese is the deal-breaker. He may be on the level when he suggests that Reese, Mike Cameron, Denny Neagle or Brett Tomko and another young, would-be hotshot is too high a fee to pay for Junior.
Feel free to wonder, though, how baseball's best deal-maker could pass up a deal for baseball's best player, who is also baseball's best draw. Or maybe it's not Bowden's call.
There seems a very good chance that Griffey has priced himself out of the very place he really wants to play. If he's an extravagance now, what would change next season, when he's a free agent?
Meanwhile, the Mariners have begun assembling a nice little team around him. John Olerud will play first, Aaron Sele is a solid starting pitcher. They've acquired an ace reliever from Japan. Maybe Griffey stays after this year.
If he's still interested next year, maybe Griffey could allow other big-ticket free agents, including his teammate A-Rod, to sign first, establishing the newest ridiculous market. Then Griffey's agent Brian Goldberg could say, “Junior will take $1 million less, to play in Cincinnati.”
When your salary reaches seven zeroes, what's a million dollars?
That way, Lindner wouldn't be setting any new benchmarks, Griffey would look like a selfless prince and Bowden would have his man.
Bowden and the Reds make January as intriguing as September.
Paul Daugherty welcomes comments at 768-8454. Fair Game, a collection of columns, is available at area bookstores.
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