Wednesday, April 07, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Bitter pill for Johnson
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Initially, Tuesday night's story appeared to be a tale of revenge, starring Reds catcher Brian Johnson.
Instead Johnson was upstaged by another round of frustration as the Reds fell to the San Francisco Giants 7-6.
Johnson victimized his former team by blasting a three-run homer off Kirk Rueter in Cincinnati's five-run first inning. Johnson spent a year and a half in San Francisco, helping the Giants win the 1997 NL West crown before hitting a career-high 13 homers in only 306 at-bats last year.
His homer could have been interpreted as a vengeful act, since Giants management asked him this offseason to take a cut from his 1998 base salary of $1.025 million. Instead Johnson spurned the Giants, became a free agent and signed a one-year deal with the Reds for $750,000. His contract includes incentives which would allow him to exceed last year's income.
In the end, however, Johnson's home run gave him scant satisfaction.
“At the time, it felt good. I won't lie,” he said. “But it's a much worse feeling to lose.”
Johnson later threw out Marvin Benard, who tried to advance to second base on a pitch in the dirt in the fifth inning. But he also was charged with a passed ball on a surprisingly high pitch from reliever Danny Graves in the eighth inning, which moved Brent Mayne to second base en route to scoring San Francisco's tying run.
“I don't know which (loss) was harder. They're both very hard to lose,” he said. “All in all, it's a very bitter taste.”
On the mound
Left-hander Ron Villone, the former major-league reliever who signed with Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday, displayed impressive velocity but erratic control while throwing for pitching coach Don Gullett in the Cinergy Field bullpen.
“He's always had a good arm, but he's been inconsistent throwing strikes,” Gullett said of Villone, who has 156 strikeouts and 117 walks in 167ö career big-league innings. “He knows what he needs to do. I pointed out a couple of things that might be able to help him get the ball down.”
The Reds signed yet another former major-leaguer, right-hander A.J. Sager, to a Triple-A deal. The Columbus native spent all or part of the last five seasons in the majors with San Diego, Colorado and Detroit, posting a 12-15 record with a 5.36 ERA in 123 appearances (16 starts).
Friendly feedback
Reds Manager Jack McKeon said he received plenty of encouragement from fellow diners when he ate his postgame meal Monday at a noted establishment on the outskirts of downtown.
“I didn't hear a negative comment,” he said. “All I heard was positive (from) about 10 of them. "Oh, great game. You guys will be all right. We had a great time out there.' And they were relatively young people.”
Akili the athlete
Reds assistant trainer Mark Mann recalled spending the 1994 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Single-A affiliate in Welland, Ontario, when a first-base prospect named Akili Smith played for that team.
Now, of course, Smith's success at the University of Oregon has made him among the top college quarterbacks eligible for the upcoming NFL draft. He's expected to visit the Bengals' headquarters Friday.
“They thought he was going to be a big power hitter of the future,” said Mann, who joined the Reds' organization in 1995 and lost track of Smith.
One day last year, Mann was watching an Oregon game on television when he heard Smith's name mentioned.
“I didn't think it was the same guy,” Mann said. “But I saw him on the sidelines, and it was.”
Boone ailing
Third baseman Aaron Boone left Tuesday's game before the top of the second inning with stomach pains. Boone was taken to Good Samaritan hospital for further tests.
Boone was listed in stable condition and was to remain hospitalized overnight, the club said.
Grandpa Marty
Reds announcer Marty Brennaman now has two grandchildren. His daughter, Dawn Venerus, gave birth to her second son, Calisto Martin, on Tuesday afternoon in Chicago. “Cal,” as the new arrival will be nicknamed, weighs 8 pounds and is 21 inches long.
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