[More Cowbell]

First off, I can't say that this move completely surprises me, although the timing is a little odd. From the moment Jocketty was hired on as a "special assistant", you had to figure this day was coming.

That said, I still think Krivsky was vastly underappreciated by Reds fans in general. To hear a good majority of them, you'd think he had run this franchise into the ground the past 2 years on the job. On the contrary, I feel he has left behind a team in much better shape overall than it was when he took the job. He made a few bad decisions (nobody's perfect), but to me the good ones outweighed the bad. In summary:

Good Moves:

1) traded Wily Mo Pena for Bronson Arroyo - while Arroyo has started out poorly this year, he did pitch very well for the Reds his first two years, making the All-Star team in 2006
2) acquiring Brandon Phillips for a nobody - again, while BP has started slowly this year, he hit very well for the Reds his first two years
3) picked up Jared Burton in the Rule 5 draft - for the small price of $50,000, the Reds got a fixture in their bullpen for the next several years
4) picked up Josh Hamilton as a Rule 5 pick - once again, the Reds acquire a potential superstar for next to nothing, then ...
5) traded Josh Hamilton for Ed Volquez - one year after acquiring Hamilton, the Reds turn around and swap him for a pitcher who so far, looks like a future staff ace

Bad Moves:

1) signed Mike Stanton to a 2-year free agent contract - probably his worst move as GM
2) traded Justin Germano for Rheal Cormier - gave up a player who has turned out to be a servicable pitcher, for a guy who didn't help the team much at all, then...
3) gave Cormier a contract extension after the trade - no return on this investment
4) signed Juan Castro to a 2-year extension - same as above
5) signed Ryan Freel to a 2-year, $7 million extension - this one looks worse with Freel now relegated to a pitch-hitting role

And of course, The Big Move: traded Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez, and Ryan Wagner for Gary Majewski, Bill, Bray, etc.

This is perhaps the move Krivsky will always be remembered for. This trade looked terrible when it first happened, especially when Majewski turned out be damaged goods. Time has since changed my perception of this deal, though, as Kearns, Lopez and Wagner have all flopped in D.C., while Bill Bray and another young pitcher acquired in the deal by the Reds (Daryl Thompson) seem to have good potential. Still, the deal short-circuited a Reds team that was in a pennant chase at the time, and the lost offense prevented them from being able to lock up a playoff spot that year.

All in all, while the Reds continued their losing ways while he was in charge, the team was headed in the right direction. Two years is simply not enough time to turn a perennial loser into an instant winner, which I believe the Reds were close to becoming. Hopefully, the Reds can keep Krivsky with the organization in some capacity.

Anyway, good luck to Walt Jocketty, and Let's Go Reds!