Thursday, July 29, 1999REDS NOTEBOOK
Pitching dominates day of trade talks
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati EnquirerLOS ANGELES — General Manager Jim Bowden huddled with several of his top advisers, assistants and scouts Wednesday without trading for a starting pitcher — though there was no shortage of clubs offering to help the Reds.
Trade talks have intensified as Saturday's non-waiver trading deadline approaches. Bowden probably could execute a trade immediately, but he probably would have to give up one of the Reds' top young pitchers, since virtually every team that calls him asks for Danny Graves, Brett Tomko or Scott Williamson.
Teams also want the Reds to include prospects such as left-hander B.J. Ryan, recently promoted to the majors, or right-hander Dave Therneau, who is 12-3 at Single-A Rockford.
Since most of the pitchers being offered to Cincinnati make a lot of money and have played inconsistently, strong sentiment exists within the organization to avoid trading and simply stick with the current team.
For example: A National League source said the Chicago White Sox offered right-hander James Baldwin, who has a 4-11 record, a 6.38 ERA and a $1.9 million salary, but wanted Jason LaRue in return. The Reds have no desire to part with LaRue, their top catching prospect.
One baseball source said Tampa Bay's Rolando Arrojo tops the Reds' wish list. Arrojo's salary is only $240,000, which wouldn't stretch Cincinnati's budget. But Tampa Bay almost certainly would want a pitcher in return.
Tomko OK
Tomko expects to make his next start despite the bruise he suffered on his pitching hand when he was hit Tuesday night by a line drive off the bat of Los Angeles' Mark Grudzielanek.“It feels really good. I could pitch today,” said Tomko, who predicted he would have no problem engaging in his between-starts throwing session today.
The liner struck the knuckle of Tomko's right index finger, smashed down the finger, then hit his left wrist. “That (the wrist) is actually more sore than my finger,” said Tomko, displaying swelling in both places.
Tomko's finger still bore the imprint of the baseball's seam near the knuckle. At the time of the mishap, he said he noticed a dime-sized mark near his knuckle that already was swelling quickly. “I thought a bone was sticking out,” he said.
Star-struck
Graves, Williamson and first baseman Sean Casey toured the NBC television studios in Burbank with broadcaster Chris Welsh and producer Jesse Jackson.Welsh played college baseball at the University of South Florida with Days of Our Lives star Drake Hogestyn, who plays John Black in the soap opera. Thanks to Welsh, the players were able to meet not only Hogestyn but also actress Christie Clark, who plays the role of Carrie.
The experience particularly thrilled Williamson, who said he scheduled his college classes around Days of Our Lives so he could watch each episode. “For a kid like me to meet all these Hollywood stars, that was unbelievable,” he said.
The event also deepened Williamson's empathy with fans.
“It really made me think about the fans a lot more,” he said, “how much it means to them when they meet their favorite player and how crushed they can be if the guy's a jerk.”
Etc.
Jason Bere made his fourth injury rehabilitation start for Triple-A Indianapolis at Richmond, allowing two runs and three hits in three innings. He also walked one and struck out one before a one-hour rain delay prevented him from pitching further.• Pitching coach Don Gullett was encouraged after right-hander Scott Winchester, recovering from shoulder surgery, threw approximately 50 pitches of batting practice. Gullett estimated that Winchester should be able to begin an injury rehab assignment in two weeks or less.
Up next
Pete Harnisch (9-6) confronts Los Angeles' Darren Dreifort (8-9) in the series and road trip finale. Despite — or because of — his considerable talent, Dreifort has been mentioned in trade rumors.
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