Williams: Here's when Reds fans will move from Castellini's comment

Ask columnist Jason Williams anything − sports or non-sports – and he’ll pick some of your questions and comments from his inbox and respond on Cincinnati.com. Email: [email protected]

Subject: When Cincinnati Reds fans will move on from Phil Castellini's Opening Day 2022 comment

Message: Did you see the Chamber president’s letter to the editor about moving on from Phil Castellini’s “where you gonna go” comment? I’ll tell you when it’s time to move on. How about start with the Reds winning a postseason series while Castellini’s father (Bob) owns the team? Then how about sustained success and becoming a World Series contender? Maybe then we’ll move on.

Reply: Yeah, maybe. That’s asking a lot, but it’ll undoubtedly take a lot of winning – and meaningful winning. Even then, there will be a faction of fans who’ll never get over Castellini’s ill-advised comments on Opening Day 2022.

You’re right, though. The fans will decide when it’s time, and only winning will help in that decision. Not op-eds from Fourth Street. Not columns from me. Not more bars or bobblehead nights at the ballpark. And the Reds aren't doing themselves any favors toward winning with their inability to land a bat so far this winter, feeding a narrative that ownership is cheap.

Your email got me to thinking about other Cincinnati sports figures whose comments or decisions created yearslong fan resentment toward them. Former University of Cincinnati president Nancy Zimpher was the first person to come to mind. A faction of Bearcats fans remain bitter toward her today for firing Bob Huggins more than two decades ago.

Sure, you don’t hear much about it anymore, but only because Zimpher is retired and stays out of the spotlight. Have her show up at center court during a UC basketball game, hand her a mic and see what kind of reception she’d get. Hint: It’d be similar to the one Phil Castellini received at a Xavier game this month, when the Reds CEO was booed as he spoke at center court.

By the way, who thought it was a good public-relations decision to have Castellini speak about the newly formed Reds-Xavier partnership? Have Tommy Thrall, Marty Brennaman, Barry Larkin, Charley Frank or about a dozen other Reds people do that speech.

Castellini has done a lot of good things. The Reds have created a fun ballpark experience. The Reds Community Fund does incredible work. Unlike the Bengals, the Reds are involved in many major civic decisions and projects. Castellini deserves a lot of credit for all that.

And fans don’t want to hear this, but Castellini wasn’t wrong in what he said to 700 WLW. But it was the delivery, the tone, the timing and the person doing it. The Reds had just come off the roster teardown and were about to embark on a 100-loss season.

Fans were – and still are – upset with Castellini’s father for not yet bringing championship baseball back to Cincinnati, as he promised 20 years ago when he took ownership. Phil Castellini has mostly kept a low profile since 2022. But there remains a faction of fans who perceive him as the spoiled rich kid. I can't help but think that factors into fans' ongoing bitterness toward him.

It all leaves me to wonder: Will fan perception of Phil Castellini factor into the Reds’ ownership succession plan someday?

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When Reds fans will move on from Phil Castellini's 2022 comments