NEWSLETTER
Although they managed to win a handful of games early, it is generally not a great time in Cincinnati. The Reds are dealing with an aging core, with some injuries to key players, and a division that looks like it’ll present a seriously uphill climb for the foreseeable future.
So, I suppose it’s understandable that manager Bryan Price needed to blow off some steam.
And blow he did. Like, 77 uses of the F word. Like, an additional 11 uses of other expletives.
You can read the entire breakdown here from C. Trent Rosecrans, whose apparently very reasonable work as a reporter, together with other media members, set Price off. The audio is available here (for now – it’s been scrubbed in other places):
“How the f*** does that benefit the Reds?” I will remember that line forever.
A good manager rant is fine by me, though the substance of what angered Price – reporters reporting important things about the team, including injuries and who is available on a given day – is confusing to me. The anger builds throughout the rant. Clearly, this has been growing within him.
The whole thing raises interesting questions about what teams/players/managers should tell the media, what the media should report, and what fans should feel entitled/desiring to know. If Price told the media things about injuries off the record, then I can understand some of his anger. But, then again, even if Price told them that, and reporters “sniffed out” the information anyway on their own, to use Price’s words, then isn’t it their duty to report it? I don’t have the answers to these questions in this specific situation, because obviously there were things happening behind the scenes. More broadly, though, it’s an interesting discussion. Teams have an interest in protecting sensitive information. Media have an interest in reporting the news. Fans have an interest in knowing everything and anything they can about the teams they love. There will always be tension.
For his part, Price apologized for the language, but not the substance:
Bryan Price – “In my pre-game conversation with reporters yesterday, I used wholly inappropriate language to describe….
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 21, 2015
…. the media coverage of our team. While I stand by the content of my message, I am sorry for the choice of words.”
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 21, 2015
***
Any rant like this must necessarily be met by a re-sharing of former Cubs manager Lee Elia’s 15 percent rant from 1983 (warning: NSFW language – like, a lot of it):
Elia’s was more outrageous. He wins.
