Changing the culture

New Dayton manager has an idea. Beat writer points out the height of the hill to climb. Did I say hill?

Todd Benzinger was born in Dayton, Ky., just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, a few miles east of Newport.

He grew up in New Richmond, Ohio, just a few miles farther south and east on the river. He considers himself a diehard Reds fan.

"I've been a Reds fan all my life," Benzinger said over lunch last week near his home in West Chester Twp. "I want to make sure all the (players) know this is a winning culture, a winning organization."

Whoa. Benzinger's got a mountain to climb there.

Next month he goes to spring training as the new manager of the Dayton Dragons, a franchise the Reds operate as a place to develop players, and not necessarily in a winning environment.

In four of their nine seasons, the Dragons didn't make the Class A Midwest League playoffs, a tough accomplishment since four of the six teams in their division make the playoffs every year. In five seasons — including last summer — the Dragons finished with a losing record.

In the years the team did make the playoffs, the Reds so crippled it with call-ups that the team has never advanced past the second round.

It goes on from there.