Switching Captains In Cincinnati

Yesterday, the Cincinnati Reds announced that owner Carl Lindner is selling controlling interest in the team to local businessman Robert Castellini, who was part of the St. Louis Cardinals ownership group. We don't usually get into the business of owners too much here, mainly because we find it much more interesting to talk about people who can run and jump and things rather than old bald white men who sign checks.

But as The Red Reporter — which is all over this story — points out, it's a unique case in Cincinnati. Lindner had the taxpayers built a stadium for him, and he rewarded the community by ... signing Ramon Ortiz? Cincinnati is one of the great baseball cities in the country and is passionate about its team, but Lindner had turned the whole metropolitan area against the team, to the point that the biggest hero in the town is probably still Pete Rose.

The new ownership could make Cincinnati relevant in the baseball world again, which is great, unless of course you're black, in which case, nothing in Cincinnati is all that great for you.

Meet The New Owner [The Red Reporter]