Dick Williams succeeds Walt Jocketty, who remains president of baseball operations while stepping away from the day-to-day grind.
No longer will Jocketty have to put up with those pesky questions from reporters like “Who’s going to play left field” or “Don’t you think Aroldis Chapman should be a starter?”
Or — and here’s my favorite, asked last season by a Cincinnati columnist — “Why are you in Florida watching a minor-league game with the trade deadline approaching?”
Williams could not have kept a lower profile over the past 10 years while toiling in the front office and rising to the level of Jocketty’s assistant. If you’ve heard of him, you’re either on the payroll, in his family or habitually scouring the front-office bio section of the Reds’ media guide.
And, no, it's not that Dick Williams, the mustachioed maestro who managed the dynastic Oakland A's in the 1970s.
He died a few years ago.
This Dick Williams, 44, is a Cincinnati native who joined the organization when Bob Castellini assumed control in January 2006. His father, W. Joe Williams, and uncle, Thomas Williams, are minority owners. Williams’ grandfather, William J. Williams Sr., was a majority owner in the 1960s and 70s.
So Dick is part of the family business.
“I think if anything, it just aligns my interests that much further,” Williams told reporters. “I am as incentivized as anyone to see this succeed.”
Browns fans are competitive, even if team isn’t
The Cleveland Browns aren’t doing so well this season. What else is new, right? They lug a 2-6 record into tonight’s NFL Network matchup with the 7-0 Cincinnati Bengals.
They are running with the lead pack in one category, however. According to this study conducted by a breathalyzer company, their fans rank fourth in the league in drunkenness, trailing only the Bills, Lions and Eagles.
Browns fans have plenty of experience drowning their sorrows. Tuesday, for example, marked the 20th anniversary of Art Modell relocating the Browns to Baltimore, leaving Cleveland without a team for three years.
Toss in the Cardinals and Chargers, who are next on the list, and the six drunkest fan bases cheer for teams that have never won a Super Bowl. The Browns and Lions, of course, are two of four teams, along with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars, never to appear in one.
At the other end of the spectrum, the study found Bengals fans to be the most sober among the 27 teams considered. Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, the New York Jets, Oakland and St. Louis were not included for some reason.
Keep in mind this was hardly a scientific study. Fans used a blood-alcohol content app on their phones to record results over the first seven weeks of the season.
Out of the mouths of babes — and Dusty’s kid
Dusty Baker's surprise hiring to manage the Washington Nationals despite a reputation for ruining pitchers got me thinking about his tenure as skipper of the Cincinnati Reds.
Favorite memory? That’s easy.
One day in the clubhouse a group of writers milled around, because that’s what writers do in a baseball clubhouse hours before the game. They mill.
In this instance, the milling took place near the lineup card recently posted on the wall. A quick glance showed no sign of Ken Griffey Jr., which seemed puzzling since he was still playing every day when he wasn’t laid up with one injury or another.
“Wonder why Griffey’s not in the lineup,” one scribe mused.
Then, from below, came the voice of a youngster:
“Because he’s old and can’t hit lefties.”
It was Dusty's son, Darren, whose previous brush with fame had come during the 2002 World Series when he wandered onto the field as a toddler/batboy and had to be rescued at home plate by Giants first baseman J.T. Snow before colliding with a base-runner.
Baker later seemed equal parts embarrassed, angry and amused to hear his son had blurted out a critique of Griffey to the entire press corps.
Especially because it was true.
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