Sunday, March 07, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Bere moves from rehab to refine
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SARASOTA, Fla. — Now that Jason Bere can concentrate on refining his deliveries instead of rehabilitating his arm, he and the Reds are a lot better off.
Bere, the leading candidate to claim the fourth spot in the starting rotation, yielded just one hit in three scoreless innings Saturday as the Reds defeated Boston, 6-4.
The righthander, who underwent major elbow surgery in September 1996, relished his new mindset.
“It's been almost three years since it's not so much a concern of "how does it feel,'” said Bere, who threw 46 pitches. “Now it's whether I made my pitches and doing the things I need to do.”
Bere worked mainly on his curveball, which has remained a priority of his this spring.
“It hasn't exactly been in the repertoire since the surgery,” he said.
NEAGLE'S PROGRESS: Denny Neagle arrived at the Reds' clubhouse with his hair dyed platinum blonde, but he made a bigger impression with his arm.
Neagle threw effectively for 15 minutes off a mound, setting himself up to pitch either a “B” game against Minnesota or some live batting practice on Monday. Pitching coach Don Gullett will select Neagle's assignment today based on how the lefthander's arm feels.
“He was much better today,” Gullett said of Neagle, whose progress was delayed by a strained left quadriceps (thigh) muscle.
As for the hair.
“I was prepared for it,” Gullett said. “I told him there was entirely too much chlorine in the swimming pool.”
TOMMY GUN: Mark Thompson surprised even himself by lasting three shutout innings in Friday's 5-4 victory over Texas.
“It's probably the first time in any of my spring trainings where I threw three innings in my very first outing,” said Thompson, a former University of Kentucky Wildcat. “Usually it was just two. But my arm felt strong, so why not?”
Feeling good probably meant more to Thompson than the zeroes he recorded. Shoulder injuries in the last two years derailed his once-promising career with the Colorado Rockies.
“I think the biggest sur prise right now is my command. Being able to throw strikes is usually one of the last things that comes after having surgery,” he said.
Since McKeon offers praise sparingly in spring training, his remarks about Thompson were significant.
“I liked what I saw of him because he has an idea of how to pitch and he has a pretty good arm,” McKeon said.
Thompson, who rated himself pretty close to full strength, doesn't care if he starts or relieves or where he opens the season.
BIG RED REVIVAL: Cincinnati's Big Red Machine of the 1970s is the only team besides the 1951 New York Yankees to place three position players on the two full rosters that Street & Smith calls its “baseball teams of the century.”
The Reds players are: Johnny Bench, first-team starter; Pete Rose, first-team bench, and Joe Morgan, second-team bench. They were all in their primes in the 1970s. The '51 Yankees had rookie Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio in his final season and Yogi Berra in his prime.
The magazine is available now. There are two all-stars teams totaling 30 position players and 20 pitchers.
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ILLINOIS 79, OHIO STATE 77
OHIO STATE NOTEBOOK
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BASEBALL INSIDER
Ohio boys basketball scores
Ohio girls basketball scores
Ohio girls regional tournament pairings
Indiana girls basketball scores
Indiana girls state basketball championships
Kentucky boys basketball scores
Kentucky girls basketball scores
Elder summons that old Panther magic
Moeller finds some revenge, sectional title
Withrow wins second straight sectional
CINCINNATI BOYS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Mason girls live up to No. 1 ranking
CINCINNATI GIRLS BASKETBALL ROUNDUP
Regional title sweetest for Highlands seniors
Scruggs wins state wrestling title
Ohio state wrestling results
ADIRONDACK 3, MIGHTY DUCKS 2
Cyclones 2, CLEVELAND 0
HOCKEY TONIGHT
Mack's a risk worth taking
Bengals land ex-Steeler note tackle
Reds page
