Davis Should Avoid Appraising Talent, Especially His Own

As a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan, I had to laugh out loud at Eric Davis’ pompous appraisal of his own level of play at Cincinnati. So he was tired of having to be “the man” there? And he feels his tenure in Cincinnati “took a lot of the pressure off” the likes of Chris Sabo, Barry Larkin and Paul O’Neill?

Eric, baby, wake up and smell the strikeouts.

First off, you haven’t been “the man” there for at least three seasons. The Reds won it all in 1990 despite you, not because of you (your brief World Series rebirth notwithstanding). During that time, the only person you took pressure off was the opposing pitcher. I used to literally groan when I realized you were coming to the plate with men in scoring position.

Secondly, I’m sure that Sabo and the rest are used to playing without you, since you were hardly ever in the lineup last year, even when you weren’t formally on the disabled list.

You may yet have one revitalized season here, but overall, the Reds will be a far bigger machine without your slow bat and whining attitude.

STEVE SALERNO, San Diego