Monday, July 6, 1998 BY JOHN FAY
When Jim Bowden called Jeff Shaw into office during Saturday's game, the first thing Shaw said was:
"You didn't, did you?"
"I had to," Bowden said.
With that, Shaw found out he had been traded. Shaw's office went from 60 miles from his home to 3,000 miles. That more than anything is why Shaw wanted to remain a Red.
He loved that he could drive up I-71 after each game and spend the night in his Washington Court House home with his wife and two children.
Even with the trade talk swirling through the Reds clubhouse the last week, a lot of specifically involving Shaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shaw was stunned by the trade that sent him to LA for Paul Konerko and Dennis Reyes.
"Shocked," he said. "Very shocked."
Shaw will go to the All-Star Game as a Dodger, though some mention of the Reds will be made in introductions. Shaw didn't want it this way. He loved playing in Cincinnati so much that he tried to get a no-trade clause in the contract extension he signed April 3.
But he leaves with no bitterness. He was grateful that a guy who made the team as a non-roster free agent was allowed to develop into a premier closer.
"It's a good deal for both teams," he said. "The Reds got two good young players and the Dodgers need a closer. I can't blame the Reds. I know why they did it."
Shaw also OK with the fact that he signed the extension for $2.8 million per year when he could have gotten considerably more on the open market.
"Like I said when I signed: How much money do you need?" he said. "I signed a contract that was middle of the road for closers. I signed it. I'll play it out."
Bowden had wanted Shaw to be a big part of the Reds' rebuilding effort. But the availability of Konerko changed that.
"It's a youth movement," Shaw said. "I've been on clubs that have gone through this."
Shaw will go to Denver for the All-Star Game, then go straight to Los Angeles. "I hope they have a Dodger jersey with No. 41 on it," he said.
His family -- wife Julie, son Travis and daughter Molli -- will accompany him to L.A. But Washington Court House will remain their home.
"Travis starts school in August," he said. "That's the hardest part. But you suck it up and do it." |