''The kid has got to play,'' said Concepcion, who visited with the Reds before their game with the Toronto Blue Jays Sunday. ''His problem is the big man, Larkin, is there.
''But Larkin could play somewhere else when he comes back.'' Reese is a lot like Concepcion when he came up: Great glove, light bat.
''He'll come around,'' Concepcion said. ''He's got good hands. If you got bad hands, you'll never have good hands. But a bad hitter can become a good hitter.''
Concepcion, who is a lot grayer and thicker in the middle than he was in his playing days, lives in Maracay, Venezuela. He has a farm and a trucking business there.
Concepcion keeps up on the Reds via television when they play Atlanta, New York and Chicago on the superstations.
Concepcion said he'll come back when Joe Morgan's number is retired in June if it can be worked out.
And added:
''I'll be back when they retire mine.''
Boone's blast
Aaron Boone, the man waiting to be sent to the minors, hit a grand slam off Toronto closer Randy Myers to lift the Reds to a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays Sunday.
''I'm just trying to stay sharp,'' Boone said. ''You never know what's going to happen.''
Boone said he has not been told he'll be sent to Indy, but he expects as much.
''I'm disappointed because I feel I'm capable,'' he said. ''But guys have earned a spot.''
Boone is hitting .212 this spring, but he leads the Reds with three home runs and is second with nine RBI.
Not this time
The Reds didn't quite have the same luck against Toronto's Roger Clemens the second time around. Clemens allowed only one hit and struck out seven in seven innings Sunday. He did not a allow a runner to reach second.
The Reds beat Clemens 7-0 (two innings pitched, seven hits, five earned runs) March 3.
Clemens wasn't the only ace having a good day. David Cone of the New York Yankees, Tom Glavine of the Atlanta Braves, Jaret Wright of the Cleveland Indians, Bob Tewksbury of the Minnesota Twins and Francisco Cordova of the Pittsburgh Pirates all had shutout stints Sunday.
Remlinger good again
Left-hander Mike Remlinger had another strong outing. He went six innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Remlinger has a 2.89 ERA in his five starts this spring.
''He pitched out of jams, which is what you like to see,'' McKeon said.
Larkin's back
Larkin arrived back in Sarasota late Saturday and began his rehabilitation at the Reds complex Sunday morning.
Larkin had surgery March 13 to repair a protruding disc in his neck. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
''He seems to be doing well,'' said Reds trainer Greg Lynn. ''He'll work on range-of-motion things to facilitate reaching and things he would do playing.''
Larkin may be able to begin baseball activities by Opening Day. ''That's possible,'' Lynn said. ''It depends on the pace of his progress.''
Willie's working
Willie Greene stayed behind in Sarasota Sunday.
''He's taking specialized batting practice with Ken Griffey,'' McKeon said.
Greene is hitting .135 with 20 strikeouts in 52 at-bats.
Make that 'rooters'
McKeon spoke to a group of Reds Rooters at the Hyatt in Sarasota Saturday night.
''I opened up with, 'I'm glad to speaking to the Reds Roster,' '' he said. ''They all said, 'Rooters, rooters.' I was just having fun with them.''
Reds 4, Blue Jays 3
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