If only Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price had a swear jar in his office. He might be able to pay star first baseman Joey Votto's $14 million salary after unleashing an epic, F-bomb laced tirade aimed at the local media before Monday night's game. The staggering final count: 77 F-bombs.
Price, the Reds' second-year manager, was none too pleased with beat reporters — particularly C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer — after news went public that catcher Devin Mesoraco wasn't available to pinch hit Sunday because he wasn't with the team. Price said he didn't like the media reporting news that could help the Reds' opponents.
The Reds had lost four in a row before Monday's game, so Price had reason to be frustrated. Though, it seems a bit like he was taking it out on the media, saying things like: "I bend over backwards to be honest and direct with you f****** guys and you stick it right up my f****** a** — and the f****** team's a**." Keep in mind, the matter at hand is rather mundane in the grand scheme of things. We're talking about a pinch hitter in an April game.
Here's part of Price's rant, as transcribed by Rosecrans and the Enquirer:
Bryan Price: I just want an answer on how we benefit from them knowing that Devin Mesoraco isn't here.
C. Trent Rosecrans: I don't think you do and I don't know that that's my job.
BP: Your job is not to sniff out every f****** thing is about the Reds and f****** put it out there for every other f****** guy to hear. It's not your job. You want me to be candid with you? I've been candid with you. I f****** talk to you guys like men, I tell you what the f***'s going on with the team, I tell you how I'm feeling as candidly as I can and then this s***? You've got to watch this f****** s***? I've got to f****** read that on a f****** Tweet on our own people in here that we don't have a f****** player? How the f*** does that benefit the Reds? It doesn't benefit us one f****** bit. God **** we try to go out there and win f****** games and I got to come in here and then you guys f****** blow it all over the f****** place? Who we can play? Who we can't? I'll tell you what you want to know, I'm not going to f****** lie to you. I didn't tell you f****** s***.
CTR: You did not lie to me and I appreciate it.
BP: Ah, f***. I'm just, I'm f****** p****** up a rope in this f****** business. Because everyone has to know everything all the f****** time. That's not my f****** obligation, it's not their obligation. You know why f****** Billy Hamilton didn't f****** play? The other day? Because his f****** finger's hurt and he couldn't hit right-handed comfortably. Right? So that's something that I need to know and no one else needs to know. No one else needs to f****** know it, and all of a sudden it's out there. His f****** fingers are sore. It doesn't benefit us. It wasn't from you, but it doesn't benefit us one bit to f****** announce to the f****** other teams that we're playing to bring in lefties when they need to f****** get Billy out. There's no benefit. So, I'm f******, to be honest with you, I'm f****** sick of this s***. I'm sick of listening to this f****** s***, I'm sick of f****** the f****** second-guessing b*******, you guys can do whatever the f*** you want, but I'll tell you this — I'm not going to f****** tell you everything about this f****** club, because you f****** guys are going to out there and sniff it out anyway. I don't f****** like it one f****** bit. I bend over backwards to be honest and direct with you f****** guys and you stick it right up my f****** a** — and the f****** team's a**. And I'm sick of it. What do you got? If you don't got anything, get out and I'll do this f****** interview with Marty. You don't have anything? Just get out, please.
Price's main beef here is often a sticky one for those in the public eye. Some people expect the media to benefit them — especially on the local level. And while it's true a high-school baseball team gets covered differently than a pro team, the expectation that the local media should be writing stories that benefit the hometown is silly. It's about as silly as expecting a pitcher to throw the ball right down the middle so the batter has a fair chance to hit it.
Some media is on the team payroll — like the TV and radio broadcasters — but by and large, reporters aren't required to make the teams they cover look good. Nor should they be.
Kudos to Rosecrans for handling things calmly in this situation. We've seen media remembers react much worse in "stressful" situations, so his ability to keep a level-head and not respond with F-bombs of his own is to be commended. He's clashed with the Reds before, particularly with star second baseman Brandon Phillips and took the high road there too.
If Price had an ulterior motive here, like kick-starting a losing team, that may have worked. His Reds beat the Brewers 6-1 on Monday night to end a four-game losing streak. The Brewers have now lost six straight, so maybe some F-bombs are needed in their clubhouse too.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
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