Miley getting tough

[missionhockey21]

05/24/2005 7:00 PM ET
Notes: Miley makes some minor cuts
Players' massage chairs removed from clubhouse
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

CINCINNATI -- The Reds' 2005 season has become a lot like a season of "The Sopranos." You never know who will be the next to get whacked.

On Tuesday, it wasn't a matter of "who," but "what," as manager Dave Miley had the two Sharper Image massage chairs owned by outfielders Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. removed from the clubhouse.

And with the clubhouse still reeling over the loss of popular closer Danny Graves, who was designated for assignment a day earlier, some players saw this move as somewhat comical.

Dunn had grown quite attached to his chair, which he bought last season. It was a popular tool several players used before pregame stretching.

"I don't know where they're hiding it," Dunn said of his chair. "I need it, though. My back hurts. It's therapeutic. That's what they're there for."

What followed for Dunn was an equally therapeutic lament over the loss of his beloved chair. The big left fielder looked as though he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Poor little guy," he said, looking at the spot where the chair once sat. "He didn't do anything wrong. He didn't complain. He just came to play every day."

Apparently Miley wants his players to come to play without any fancy clubhouse accoutrements.

"We're just changing it up," Miley said. "Let's leave it at that."

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[CincyRedsFan30]

I like the move. Sure, it has nothing to do with on the field play, but it sends a message and it might help the team realize the lax atmosphere they've seemingly had so far this year will no longer be tolerated. Short of resigning or getting fired, there's not much else he can do, and I applaud him for this move.

[missionhockey21]

I don't mind the move but I really wish I would hear about Miley calling more meetings, scheduling more mandatory BP (especially with tonight's disgrace that we call an offense) etc. This is good and all, I just hope to hear Miley becoming a bit more firm. Hopefully this is a step in the right direction. Don't get me wrong, I don't want Miley to make the players hate him, I just want him to take charge more often.

[theFatty]

I don't see how removing a chair can really help that much. Maybe getting at them for crappy or lazy play is a better way to do it.

[CincyRedsFan30]

It's a symbolic move in order to stop some possible laziness from happening. (Such as using the chairs as too much relaxtion as opposed to working. This might things seem less "Circus-like" in the clubhouse)

[redsrbetter]

I also like it. I like it very much. Miley is showing them that he is in charge and he wants these guys to focus on what is wrong. Hopefully this is the first step to Miley's improvement.

Also for Dunn to say that his chair may have wished to be traded may indicate how he is feeling right now. I guarantee he is miserable. Kind of a disturbing thought I think.

[theFatty]

Well Miley needs to do better in game managing. Sending Freel twice on a catcher with a great arm, I belive 50% on throwing runners out, cost 2 runs. And he needs to complain to O'Brien to get him another position player.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Don't count on another position player being added. O'Brien doesn't like to have 25 available players on the roster if he can avoid it.

[Slyder]

Don't count on another position player being added. O'Brien doesn't like to have 25 available players on the roster if he can avoid it.

And Miley could always use Eric "The Crush" Milton and Randy Kiesler as an extra pinch hitter especially since both are hitting better than Aurilia was/is.

I think we are just looking into this a bit too much, Dunn for all we know could have just been trying to get a laugh out of the reporters and see his quote in the paper.

[Wally Mo Pena]

i think his move is pretty stupid. It's a gesture, and the players know that. They see that miley doesn't know what he's doing, that he's at a loss as far as being a manager. He's grasping at straws, like the chair, and that's why dunn was tearing into him. It wasn't the chair's fault.

It's the same way with graves, the front office just doesn't look like they know what they are doing. Why weren't the coaches held responsible for getting danny and paul and milton and all the rest in shape?

Why wasn't miley held accountable for hitting casey third into all those DPs, or starting aurilia and jiminez for the first month while we slid and slid and slid? I doubt the players take him very seriously anymore. He can't make up a lineup card and when the team looses his answer is to take away a massage chair. brilliant. And to do it like a little sneak, get the chairs in the middle of the night. So passive aggressive, not willing to confront anyone.

A real manager, if he has a problem with the chairs, goes and talks to junior and dunn and says "hey, i want to run a a little tighter ship around here, so i'd like you to move the chairs to the training room," or something like that. Not "the chairs have disappeared. we're changing it up and i'll leave it at that." What is that garbage? Disappeared? Did he actually steal them?

Well the reds are screwed. It's just like when bob boone was here. I wanted him fired so badly, but i wanted the reds players to band together and win games because i like when they win. Catch 22. Boone wouldn't get fired if they won, and it sucks to watch them loose. Hopefully DanO or someone will get tired of Miley's pansy ass sometime and get him out of there. I hope the players start stealing his stuff.

[NFLman2033]

yeah, I am not really impressed with it, I mean Dunn and Jr have been two of the guys that are out there everyday and getting the Job done... sure it was a statement.. but sometimes there is overkill..

[theFatty]

Exactly.

He is sending a message to Dunn and Griffey. Who are probably going to be the 2 All-Stars on this team. I don't think the players are too happy about these recent changes. Last week we had a good clubhouse, now I don't think many of them are happy.

[CincyRedsFan30]

I don't care if the players like it. Most other clubhouses aren't nearly as lax as the Reds clubhouse, and I don't think many players on the team get up for games as easily as those on other teams.

I still contend that O'Brien is the team's biggest problem and that Miley has been placed in a bad position for the most part. Sure, some of his lineups baffle me, but I still think O'Brien forced some on them based on Miley stating he wanted Freel leading off, etc. O'Brien is the one who signed Jimenez. I do think Miley deserves some blame, but I think he's in a tough spot now and I think his consistently good record in the minors proves that. And yeah, I know that was the minors, but several of the players are the same. O'Brienn has a history of being with a losing organization. Also, do we really know that it was just Miley's idea to remove the chairs? I'm sure he talked with O'Brien about it first.