And that’s how he ended up being ejected while exchanging lineup cards before Saturday’s game against the Indians.
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“I may be an inexperienced manager,” Price said Sunday, seeking to clear the air. “But I’m not an inexperienced coach. This is my 16th year at this level. I would not use an ejection to motivate a club. That’s just something I would not do. To think a manager is going inspire a club through an ejection is ludicrous.
“There was no preconceived – I knew I was going to discuss the topic from the previous night. I did not anticipate that it would go the direction that it would go in.”
Even if it was a motivational move, it wasn’t a winner as the Reds’ losing streak grew to seven, a tailspin that Price was, well, at a loss to explain—though he looked to the other dugout for inspiration.
“We always want to have a feeling like we know why a team is struggling, that they’re not doing a certain thing right, that they’re not motivated or driven,” Price said. “Winning creates optimism. Losing can create pessimism, and you can lose the expectation of winning. … Look at Cleveland now. They were nine or 10 games under .500. Now, they’re on a beautiful roll, expecting to win every day. It’s incredible what a couple of wins will do for club and their temperament.”
