Chris Sabo’s Goggles is always looking for an opportunity to create some silly little logo or button to be displayed on the getting-very-crowded left sidebar of the site.  So, why should I let yesterday’s firing of Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost be any different?

I haven’t spent much time complaining about Dusty Baker during the 2008 season, but that’s because there’s been so much other crap to complain about (see: left sidebar).

If the Milwaukee Brewers can fire Yost with two weeks left in the season, why can’t the Cincinnati Reds fire Dusty Baker at the end of his first season?

Hell, why not do it today?

Dusty Baker was brought in during the off-season to turn this club around. His “experience” and “success” in the Majors was thought to be an asset to a team made up of skilled veterans and promising young players.  In fact, Bronson Arroyo saw so much promise in our young pitching staff that he practically begged to not be traded before the deadline.

With the end of the 2008 season in sight – the first of the Dusty Baker era – the Reds are one loss away from their eighth consecutive losing season, have the 5th worst record in the National League (9th worst record in all of MLB), are 22.5 games out of first place, and are only five games better than the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Let’s compare what Dusty Baker has done this season (68-71, 5th in NL Central) compared to other Reds managers of the last ten years.

• 2007: 72-90 – 4th in NL Central [Jerry Narron (31-51) / Pete Mackanin (41-39)]
• 2006: 80-82 – 3rd in NL Central [Jerry Narron]
• 2005: 73-89 – 5th in NL Central [Dave Miley (27-43), Jerry Narron (46-46)]
• 2004: 76-86 – 4th in NL Central [Dave Miley]
• 2003: 69-93 – 5th in NL Central [Bob Boone (46-58), Ray Knight (1-0), and Dave Miley (22-35)]
• 2002: 78-84 – 3rd in NL Central [Bob Boone]
• 2001: 66-96 – 5th in NL Central [Bob Boone]
• 2000: 85-77 – 2nd in NL Central [Jack McKeon]
• 1999: 96-67 – 2nd in NL Central [Jack McKeon]
• 1998: 77-85 – 4th in NL Central [Jack McKeon]

That’s seven (7) managers in 10 seasons.

I don’t know how it is in Major League Baseball, but I know how it is in the real world, and at the end of the year our bosses want to know:

1. What did you achieve this year?

2. What could you have done better?

3. What are you most proud of?

How is Dusty Baker going to answer those questions (assuming someone in the Reds front office takes the time to ask him)?

What did Baker achieve this year?

Playing a centerfielder who has no business being on a big league club?  Refusing to handle pitchers (young and old) in a responsible manner?  Throwing his hands up in the air and saying, “Well, if you’re going to trade my good players away there’s nothing I can do?”

Pete MacKanin could’ve done all that.  Hell, even Ray Knight could pull that off.

What could Baker have done better this year?

For starters – everything.  Look, I realize you play the cards you’re dealt, but if Baker was brought in here for his years of “success” and “experience,” why didn’t we see any of that?  Why didn’t this team look any different from the sub-par product that’s been paraded onto the field for the last 15 years (give or take one or two good seasons)?

What is Dusty Baker most proud of this year?

I honestly can’t answer this question.  Seriously, name ONE THING – one positive thing – that happened this season that you can attribute directly to Dusty Baker?  I wish you the best of luck with that.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor were the Reds expected to be perenial World Series champions the moment Baker signed his contract, but it’s not unfair for the fans to expect to see some improvement.  Some glimmer of hope that maybe this team is about to turn a corner.  Say what you will about Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto, but neither of them held up for an entire season.  They’re young, they have huge potential, but forgive me if I don’t see them as being the cornerstone of this team.  By the time this team has all of the pieces in place to contend, the Reds will no longer be able to afford Volquez and/or Cueto, and both will leave for a big contract elsewhere.

I’ve alluded to this in previous posts, but I put very little faith that the Reds “success” during the last few weeks is an indication of things to come.  Again, these games mean NOTHING.  If these young guys are so good then they should’ve been up here in May, not September.  The fact is, most of these guys are not everyday players, so don’t get excited that they’re winning meaningless baseball games in September when teams are run-down and playing out the last couple of weeks.

The Cincinnati Reds are years – yes, years – away from being competitive in this division.

And if you want one last concrete reason why Dusty Baker should be fired, here it is:

I just don’t like him.

It’s not all bad news, though. It was just announced that attendance was up at Great American Ball Park this season!

That’s right… UP! The Cincinnati Reds are now ranked 23rd in attendance (out of 30 teams)! After 74 games that Reds have seen 1,928,549 fans walk through the turnstiles, for an average of 26,061 per game.

Give me a break! How many times did you see 26,000+ at GABP this season?

Let me rephrase that:

How many times did you see 26,000+ people – there to support the Reds – at GABP this season?

GO REDS!