Thursday, March 25, 1999REDS NOTEBOOK
Branson out of job
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati EnquirerSARASOTA, Fla. — Jeff Branson's good enough to make the Reds' Opening Day roster. But he won't.
General Manager Jim Bowden said he has given Branson permission to seek a job with another major-league team. Bowden explained that with Chris Stynes and Mark Lewis, the Reds had no room for Branson as a utility infielder, and with Michael Tucker, Hal Morris and Mark Sweeney also on the bench, Cincinnati had a full complement of left-handed batting reserves.
“Although we'd like to have him, at this point we haven't found a way,” Bowden said.
So Branson, who's hitting .296, must scramble for a job elsewhere.
“It (ticks) you off,” Branson said. “You come down here and put up numbers good enough to make any team, and this happens.”
With barely more than a week left before teams break camp, Branson knows he could have trouble finding a taker for his services.
“That's also what (ticks) you off,” Branson said. “If you didn't have a chance to make the team out of the get-go, why not tell you early?”
Branson signed a minor-league contract, and Bowden said the Reds would welcome him on the Triple-A Indianapolis roster. But Branson, a veteran of seven major-league seasons, ruled out Indy as an option.
“I don't belong in Triple-A,” he said.
YOUNG MENDING: Dmitri Young, who took batting practice and tried some light jogging, expects to resume playing in a couple of days.
Once he returns, the switch-hitter said he'll have enough time to sharpen his stroke. Young has missed the last seven games with a sore left knee.
“If I come back Saturday, I'll still have seven games left,” he said.
Young never imagined he would be sidelined this long: “I thought it would be a couple of days. But every day I still felt that soreness,” he said.
TRADE TALK: Maybe Jon Nunnally will get traded after all. Maybe.
A Reds source said the outfielder, who has been the subject of trade speculation all spring, is close to being dealt to the Boston Red Sox.
Bowden did not complete the trade he hoped to make with the Chicago White Sox involving catcher Brook Fordyce but said he was waiting to receive a counterproposal from Chicago's Ron Schueler.
ETC.: Recording star Kenny Rogers will sing his new single, The Greatest, before the Reds' Opening Day game April 5 against San Francisco. Rogers said in a statement that the song has a baseball theme. After his performance, Rogers will catch the ceremonial first pitch from Loretta Lynn, who will sing the National Anthem.
• Former outfielder Dave Collins will abandon his minor-league instructor's duties and continue the extensive baserunning and outfielding work he did with the Reds this spring by serving as a major-league coach. Since the Reds already have their full complement of seven uniformed coaches, Collins will change into street clothes and chart the action from the grandstand once the game starts. Bowden said many teams employ personnel in a similar capacity.
• Right-hander Todd Williams, who refused an outright assignment to Indianapolis and became a free agent March 16, has rejoined the organization.
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