The final scene of the film Cast Away has Tom Hanks’ stoic and heroic Chuck Noland in the middle of a dusty Texas road, the camera barefaced and unapologetically revealing a man standing not just figuratively, but literally at the crossroads, as if we hadn’t already gotten the message at the end of reel three. When the news came over the transom that Dick Williams was stepping down as President of Baseball Operations and Chief Bottle Washer, I thought of Chuck, looking in one direction, then another, as he contemplates the future and what it might portend. While I’m pretty sure of our protagonist’s next move, the hint of a smile creeping across his face as the screen fades to black, I’ve got nothing when contemplating the road Williams—and the Cincinnati Reds—will head down now.
What Next? What the Reds Do Now Will Shape Cincinnati Baseball for a Decade
