Williams: Go ahead, give Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini a little credit

Hundreds of Cincinnati Reds fans gathered and chanted on the concourse at Great American Ball Park after the club’s 11th straight win on Wednesday afternoon.

Let’s go Reds! Let’s go Reds! Let’s go Reds!

It was the kind of scene that’d give any long-suffering Reds fan goosebumps – an organic celebration signaling that winning baseball is back in Cincinnati.

Unbeknownst to most fans, team president Phil Castellini stood on an elevated walkway taking it all in. He smiled as he leaned quietly on the railing.

I was there, captured the celebration on video and later noticed Castellini. It made me wonder:

Do Reds fans still want owner Bob Castellini to sell the team after he gutted the payroll last year?

Have they forgiven his son for arrogantly proclaiming “where you gonna go” on Opening Day 2022?

Depending on how you answered those questions, are you ready to give Bob Castellini a little credit for the Reds’ improbable surge to the top of the NL Central standings?

For some Reds fans, it’ll take a playoff appearance to forgive the Castellinis. For others, it’ll take winning the World Series. Still, for some it’s TBD. They’re waiting to see what ownership does at the trade deadline. It’d be a public-relations win if the Reds could pull off landing a veteran starting pitcher at the trade deadline without giving up much.

There will always be a faction of fans who won’t forgive Phil Castellini, simply because they see him as the slick-haired, silver-spoon kid of the team owner.

Generally, it seems like the healing process has at least begun between the fans and Castellinis. If Cincinnati sports fans can forgive Bengals owner Mike Brown after decades of on-field ineptitude and off-the-field embarrassments, then surely they’ll come back around to the Castellinis.

The Castellinis deserve a little credit. Bring on the hate mail and mean tweets. Don’t care.

Bob Castellini finally bought into a plan to build from within and stop getting locked into big contracts with aging players. He may not have had a choice financially, but he nonetheless started listening more to the baseball people.

For his part, Phil Castellini has shut up. It’s not easy for him to stay behind the curtain. He’s an outgoing guy who likes talking to the media and fans.

Reds ownership has taken a cue from Bengals ownership. Years ago, the Bengals decided to make their head coach their public-facing figure instead of Brown. Reds general manager Nick Krall and manager David Bell do the talking for the Reds now.

Everything is working just fine. Baseball’s oldest franchise is riding its fifth-longest winning streak ever. The town is falling in love with the Reds again.

The more ownership stays quiet and doesn’t meddle in baseball operations, the better things will be. Just stand quietly off to the side and enjoy the party.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Go ahead, give Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini a little credit