Chicago Cubs: Talking Cincinnati Reds as the clubs do battle this weekend

Chicago Cubs: Can Jim Riggelman lead the Reds back to relevance?

As we touched on earlier, the Reds’ offense has a lot of really nice pieces. If – and that remains a big ‘if’ – the pitching can turn the corner, this could be a dangerous team.

But, as Cubs fans know all too well, the man at the tiller can make a tremendous amount of difference in a clubhouse. After Cincinnati jettisoned Bryan Price (not sure why it took that long) earlier this year, the Reds turned to former Cubs skipper Jim Riggleman to get things turned around.

Entering this weekend’s series, Riggleman guided the Reds to a 53-56 clip. At that pace, they might even hit 80 wins over the course of an entire season. Jus’ saying. But does he have what it takes to lead the Reds back to the postseason?

"Riggleman has done an admirable job since taking over for Bryan Price after the team started 3-15. He has brought an old-school managing style to the ballclub, which is something this team needed. That being said, I don’t know that he’s the long-term answer that Reds fans are looking for."

Maybe it’s because as a Cubs fan, we’ve had some high-profile managers lead the team to success. Dusty Baker, Lou Piniella and, now of course, Joe Maddon. I hardly equate postseason with no-namers. That’s not to say it can’t be done (A.J. Hinch in Houston, anyone?) – but Koch and I seem to be on the same page.

"For my money, the best candidate has to be Joe Girardi. He’s proven himself to be a very capable manager in the Major Leagues, and would immediately bring legitimacy to the Reds organization."

That, my friends, is a big boy move. You wanna turn some heads in Cincinnati? Bring Girardi in.