Reds CEO Bob Castellini, whose team currently has an MLB-worst 5-18 record, vehemently said that he "does not interfere with the baseball operation." Asked if he felt he has been too involved in baseball operations, Castellini interrupted the question and said, "No. It's bull. We make decisions collectively. When we meet, we all give our opinions. I will come in and say, this is what I think we ought to do. If I don't get a lot of opposition, we make the decision based on what I say. I do not get overly involved in our operations" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 4/25).
HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES: In Salt Lake City, Christopher Kamrani writes the scenes prior to the Jazz' win over the Thunder on Monday night "served as a snapshot of how basketball-crazed Utah has become once more." It is "further proof that this team ... has made it easy for Utah fans to fall head over heels." Marketing "home runs like the Jazz's Nike City jersey have built new hype in an area otherwise untapped by the franchise for several years." During the Jazz's Game 3 win Saturday, Vivint Smart Home Arena was "speckled red, orange and yellow to mimic the uniforms." It "hasn't hurt" either that the newly renovated arena, estimated to have cost $125M last offseason, is being "christened by a team that fills seats" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 4/25).
SHOULDERING SOME RESPONSIBILITY: In Portland, John Canzano wrote nobody expects Trail Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey "to be perfect." He is "working in a speculative business" and he will "make mistakes." But in "constructing the narrative on the season, we should be honest about how it came to be" that Blazers coach Terry Stotts was "left working with a half-baked roster." Canzano: "Olshey did that. He's the GM. That's how it works." For him to "spend his Sunday morning barking like the franchise shouldn't be concerned about how the season ended was laughable" in the wake of their four-game sweep by the 6th-seeded Pelicans (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/24).
