''Rural, Southern Baptist from Alabama,'' Sullivan says in his slight but noticeable drawl.
Of course, the accent sticks out even on a team with players from Australia and the Dominican Republic. But the voice is not what identifies Sullivan, one of the Reds' solid setup men for closer Jeff Shaw. It's the way he acts, the way he was reared, that defines his Southern-fried charm.
Sullivan is polite, even to reporters. No interview questions, however mundane, irksome or stupid, are ever greeted with anything but a thoughtful answer. He says things like ''Yes, sir,'' and when he's talking to you, he repeatedly uses your name to draw you in - a Southern specialty.
He believes in God, goes to church and tries to put his best example forward in the clubhouse, understanding the best way to live his faith is to show it. It is a part of his life without being an overbearing part. He fits in like one of the guys and he doesn't go around preaching, but his faith is something he tries to exhibit subtly but noticeably.
''I've been extremely blessed, and I try to take it out on the field with me,'' he said. ''It's tough when you have outings like I did in Colorado (six hits and four runs in 1ö innings last August), but I try to. It keeps everything in perspective. It's easy to think you're good when you up here and you're getting all this money and getting treated well, but it helps me realize I really haven't done that much.''
''He's a good kid,'' said manager Jack McKeon, himself a native of the South. ''And an honorable young man.''
That may mean as much to Sullivan, 27, as any baseball compliment McKeon could pay him. McKeon, however, also has a few good words to put in for him on the field.
''He did a good job for us last year, and he's done a good job for us this spring,'' McKeon said. ''The longer he stayed in the majors, he got more confidence and had more success.''
The Reds will count heavily on Sullivan this year as a setup man for Shaw, and they expect nothing less than what they saw last year, when he emerged from a promising minor league career to become one of the aces of a strong Reds bullpen.
In 59 appearances last season, Sullivan was 5-3 with a 3.24 ERA. In 97ô innings, he struck out 96 hitters, tops among National League rookie relievers and fifth of all rookie pitchers in the league.
Much of his success can be attributed to a change in one of his favorite pitches, a cut fastball that gives the allusion that it's rising. As a side-armed right-hander, he was getting killed by left-handed hitters taking his sinker to the opposite field. But the Reds' coaches helped him hone the cutter, and he started getting lefties out. The sinker, by the way, still works great against righties.
Those nice numbers of 1997 could mean little if Sullivan doesn't produce this season. As McKeon often says, one year doesn't make someone a quality major league player, but he believes Sullivan will be fine because he won't let success go to his head.
''He's got his head screwed on straight, and he's not going to take anything for granted,'' McKeon said.
Sullivan has a precedent in his own life from which to draw. He walked on at Auburn University and was planning to throw batting practice when the Tigers' coach, Hal Baird, noticed he could be a good pitcher if he dropped down and threw side-armed. It worked, and he got a scholarship. But he knew he had to work even harder to prove Baird right.
It was especially important to Sullivan because the only way he could pay for his education was by taking an ROTC scholarship, which would have required him to be on active duty for two years and reserve duty for eight years in the Army. Getting the scholarship basically launched his baseball career.
''When I made the team, that was one of the happiest days of my life,'' he said.
Sullivan's rise has been strong and surprising, but he says he tries not to look back for fear of something lurking over his shoulder. ''It's a little overwhelming,'' he said. ''If I think about it, it might catch up with me. Nothing I did last year will mean anything if I can't get anybody out this year.''
Reds short on runs
Royals 3, Reds 2
Notebook: Tomko coming around
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