'09-'10 Miami hockey season photos
COSI on Wheels
Arrest made in SWAT standoff
Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2009 > November > 11 > Entry
Reds trainer Mark Mann resigns
DO YOU BELIEVE in coincidences? One of my favorite book characters, detective Harry Bosch in the Michael Connelly novels, says in almost every book, “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Nor do I.
But Cincinnati Reds athletic trainer Mark Mann says his resignation today has nothing to do with the fact his mother, Wilma Mann, suddenly “retired” last Friday - although friends say Wilma was not ready to retire and that she was pushed out.
Wilma Mann has worked 37 years in the Reds scouting department and was Director of Scouting Administration since 1997.
HER SON, Mark, has been the Reds head athletic trainer since 2003 and before that he was the team’s assistant trainer since 1995.
Mann said he is leaving to become a financial advisor for major leaguers and will study the craft in the immediate future. He is joining Bob Castellini Jr. and Tim Allred, who already represent some former and current players.
Asked if what happened with his mother hastened his decision, Mann said, “Ironically, no. I told (general manager) Walt Jocketty about 24 hours before the thing with my mom’s retirement. It is all separate and not related.”
Mann, along with team medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek, over the last 15 years has built the Reds medical staff and facilities into one of the best in the majors and Mann said, “In my subjective opinion, we have the best medical team in baseball.”
Mann said he will play a part in selecting his successor.
“I was just offered a unique opportunity,” he said. “It will be tough to leave the day-to-day stuff of baseball. Because of my mom’s association, I grew up in Cincinnati and around old Riverfront Stadium. I love the team and I love the city. But this will give me a chance to spend more time with my wife (Michele) and my two sons - an opportunity to come home every night and every weekend.”
Ah, the old more-time-with-the-family statement.
Mann is a class guy who was easy for the media to deal with and was always honest and upfront with the information he was permitted to relay.
When Brandon Phillips “announced” last year that he was playing with a broken finger, Mann quickly informed the media that it wasn’t so, that Phillips had neither a fracture nor a break. Phillips used the term fractured and later said he didn’t know that a fracture was a break.
AMAZINGLY ENOUGH, Mann was signed by the Reds as a pitcher in the 29th round of the 1990 draft, but a shoulder injury ended that career and got him interested in athletic health care and a new career.
Since then, he has taken care of hundreds of players shoulders and other parts of their bodies. Now he’ll help take care of their money.
Permalink | Comments (16) | Post your comment |
Comments
By George Hale
December 2, 2009 11:17 PM | Link to this
Good. Now get somebody that will instill and measure discipline in conditioning including mandatory strength and aerobic training.
By ironmyke
November 17, 2009 8:34 AM | Link to this
Interesting. My guess would be that Mrs. Mann “retired” like Hal retired. The Reds’ big financial problems are showing. It’s a tough business problem. It’s taking much longer to rebuild the team than the customer base is willing to tolerate.
By Wordman
November 17, 2009 12:26 AM | Link to this
Bob Castellini is, unfortunately, a fraud. When he took over the team he told the fans he would build a winner. How’s that working out? He is turning out to be Marge without the dog. It’s a Catch 22. If you want to have a good team, you have to pay for it. If you don’t sell enough tickets, you can’t afford a good team. Sorry to tell you, Bob, but the fans won’t show up until you put a good team on the field. Never have, never will.
By jo jo
November 16, 2009 8:57 AM | Link to this
So jock may have to trade the Reds best all around player in Phillips. Why did he bring in a 36 yr old who has a 46yr old body and pay him 11mil. The Reds front office is the worst in baseball. Castellini has done nothing to help this franchise win. I can see trading Harang/Arroyo or Cordero if possible but not your best player. Why Scott Rolen who will probably break down in April and the Reds pay him to play on the DL
By michael
November 15, 2009 9:06 AM | Link to this
When a team is not producing, changes will be made. I guess these “little people” are being used as camouflage to make us think that the Reds are trying to improve. Last year they signed Tavares and tried to advertise it as a major transaction. Whats next?
By MisterRedLegs
November 14, 2009 10:19 AM | Link to this
A real writer like myself would investigate this instead of just writing about it. Dont you have any contacts in the organization. Break some news.
By Tom
November 13, 2009 1:04 PM | Link to this
Thirty seven years is a nice career with one organization including 12 years as a Director. Nothing lasts forever. I guess Walt and Co. want their own person in that job.
By Tom
November 12, 2009 7:41 PM | Link to this
“I told (general manager) Walt Jocketty about 24 hours before the thing with my mom’s retirement.” So after he told the GM he was quitting they get rid of his mother.
By Mike-Cinci
November 12, 2009 12:25 PM | Link to this
It appears Mark Mann made a career move that he thinks will be better for him financially and better for his family. He will be working with Bob Castellini’s son who has experience in the business. Sounds like Mark is a happy man and it is great he will stay involved with the Reds to transition to a new trainer.
By StuttgartTim
November 12, 2009 8:57 AM | Link to this
Hey ROJo. Before you accuse Hal of getting the facts wrong you should actually read what he writes. He didn’t write that Mann played minor league ball. He also didn’t write anything about playing in college, or about his HS record. Dude, just because you read something and assume something else doesn’t mean that we all do.
By BrarHopper
November 12, 2009 2:47 AM | Link to this
It’s interesting to watch the Reds AND the DDN crash and burn at the same time and in the same fashion. They both get worse year after year, never better and no improvement on the horizon.
By rojofan
November 11, 2009 10:48 PM | Link to this
Mr McCoy, would you please check your facts here? Mr Mann never played minor league baseball. Mr Mann never threw a pitch in college. Mr Mann had a losing record on his high school baseball team, and blew a rotator cuff in his last game. Weeks later, Mr Mann was drafted by the reds in the 27th round of the amateur draft in 1990 on the sole basis that his mother was a favorite in the scouting department. He has a phys ed degree from NKU and failed his athletic trainers certification twice before passing. He spent 3 years as a trainer in the minor leagues before being called up to the big leagues by Wilma Mann’s boss, the great Jim Bowden. His resume is filled with lies and delusions of grandeur. Wilma left and the Reds got rid of a giant headache. 11/11/2009 8:35:07 PM
By n50
November 11, 2009 8:24 PM | Link to this
Ok…so the Reds are going to have to cut payroll, so sez Walt Jocketty and this was added to by the speculation that what they will have to cut depends on how ticket sales for ‘10 go! Ok…good….this will mean at the end of next season, somewhere in late May or early July, in stead of them having 9000 in the stands for a late September game, they might be lucky to have 6000! What the hell ever happened to the idea that “YOU GOTTA SPEND SOME MONEY TO MAKE SOME MONEY”!!!! Come on Bob and Walt! If your going to open that kind of “SALAD BAR” in the GABP…you at least should put some higher quality veggies in there! Or Bob, have you for gotten all that your dad and grandfather taught you on how to make money selling produce!? Jees..give us something to spend OUR money on here! Having Dusty try to turn “chicken crap into chicken salad” is asking even him to go above and beyond…especially in Goodyear, Arizona!
By Don Carpenter
November 11, 2009 7:30 PM | Link to this
Hal, is it just possible that Mr. Joketty wants his own people in those positions? Of course, it looks harsh and mean in regards to Mrs. Mann. I also wonder if you could expand on her legacy a little bit and why you think she got pushed out.
By Clint
November 11, 2009 5:43 PM | Link to this
Is the spirit of Marge Schott running the Reds? If the Reds go on a fire sale like the Pirates did this past summer, I am done with MLB forever!
By Reds Authority
November 11, 2009 5:35 PM | Link to this
This was no coincidence.