Baseball legend Pete Rose defends Reds manager David Bell by asking a simple question

Whether he's in the Baseball Hall of Fame or not, I think it's universally recognized that Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose knows what he's talking about when it comes to America's past time.

The former Reds great came to the defense of current Cincinnati manager David Bell last night during a media session alongside Marty Brennaman, George Foster, and Ken Griffey.

Joe Danneman of FOX 19 provided video of Pete Rose's response when he was asked what he would do if he were the Reds manager.

Baseball legend Pete Rose defends Reds manager David Bell.

Pete Rose managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1984-1989. During his six-year tenure as Cincinnati's skipper, Rose went 412-373 (.525). His teams never made it to the postseason. But the team finished with a winning record on several different occasions.

Rose had a very simple question in response to the criticism of current Reds' manager David Bell's performance. Rose asked, "What makes a good manager?" Rose answered his question with a two-word response, "Good players."

Pete Rose is not wrong. In fact, he's 100% correct. Last season, with All-Star outfielders Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker hitting alongside Joey Votto, and former All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suárez, the Cincinnati Reds went 83-79. It was their first winning season over a 162-game campaign since 2013.

David Bell's starting rotation also consisted of former All-Stars Sonny Gray, Wade Miley, and Luis Castillo. But the Achilles heel of the 2021 Reds ball club was the bullpen. Unfortunately, the same issues exist for the 2022 version of the Cincinnati Reds.

The easiest thing for the fanbase to do when things are not going right is to blame the manager. And while David Bell fills out the lineup card and decides which reliever to call upon and when to do it, it's not as if the Reds' skipper has the likes of John Franco and Tom Hume in the bullpen.

The Cincinnati Reds are in the middle of a rebuild; plain and simple. There will be growing pains for this year's team. While Reds Country has grown tired of the losing, the reality of the situation is that Cincinnati just doesn't have the players who can turn this thing around. Not yet, anyway.