Former Houston Astros manager Brad Mills, a former college and big-league teammate of Terry Francona, rejoins his close pal ...

This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon’s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Yes, the Manchester United legend's take was spicy, but it nevertheless shared a sentiment almost all pundits and fans accepted as fact as the Reds prepared to embark on a campaign without Jurgen ...