Friday, March 05, 1999

Vaughn goes deep - into infielder

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Big slide makes big impression on teammates

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Greg Vaughn breaks up a potential double play with a hard slide into second. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        SARASOTA, Fla. — It took only one exhibition game for Greg Vaughn to impose his will upon the Reds.

        The left fielder acquired from San Diego in last month's celebrated trade proved Thursday that his baserunning skills aren't limited to his home-run trot.

        Vaughn delivered a simple message with his clean but hard slide into Minnesota second baseman Cleatus Davidson that disrupted a potential double play: Play hard. All the time.

        “It's spring training. I took it easy on him,” said the 6-foot, 202-pound Vaughn, who had a two-inch, 32-pound size advantage on Davidson. “If it was the (regular) season, I could have really gotten him.”

        A meaningless Grapefruit League game? Not to Vaughn. Although his fourth-inning play didn't influence the scoring in the Reds' 4-2 victory, he left an impression on his mostly younger teammates.

        They have heard Vaughn preach his gospel of diligence since he joined the Reds. They have spent extra hours with him in the batting cages after almost every workout this spring. Now they have seen his intensity.

        “I'm flat-out pumped he's on our team,” third baseman Aaron Boone said.

Mike Cameron is greeted by Jon Nunnally after a home run. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        The 2,549 fans also showed their excitement, reacting to Vaughn's hustle with a noticeable ovation.

        “It sets a standard for us as a team to try to emulate his work ethic and hustle,” catcher Eddie Taubensee said. “I think it's been contagious already, with how long he stays to hit after practice.”

        “Everybody should play like that,” said center fielder Mike Cameron.

        The chances have increased that everybody will, which pleases manager Jack McKeon.

        “Guys like that set the tone,” McKeon said of Vaughn. “He's a perfect example for our other guys ... Here's a big, high-priced guy ($5.75 million) going in there. When that happened, we said, "Isn't that nice to see?'

        “And you know what'll happen? Some guys will see him do it and they're afraid not to do it.”

        The least impressed Red was Vaughn himself, who repeated the only thing we can control is effort.

        “I'm always going to do that. That's the only way to do it, and I would think everybody in here would do the same thing,” he said. “You do whatever you can to keep it going for your team. He could have thrown (the ball) away, (the runner) gets to second, base hit, we score a run.”

        Vaughn helped Davidson up from the infield dirt after the play, which went down as a force play on a fielder's-choice grounder to third base by Dmitri Young. “You're not going out there to hurt anybody,” Vaughn said.

        Also helped by Vaughn was Cameron, who homered to left-center field leading off the fifth inning. Cameron is among the Reds who have taken plenty of additional batting practice with Vaughn, who advised him to slow down his swing.

        “I've brought that to the field with me and I have a lot more confidence,” said Cameron, who hit .210 last year.

        Cameron thanked Vaughn, his mentor. “For me, he's outstanding,” Cameron said. “He has been working with me since Day One. He's setting a great example for the younger guys.”

       

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