Thursday, September 30, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Manager of Year? Dierker likes McKeon
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HOUSTON — Often, the recipient of each league's Manager of the Year award is somebody who guided the most surprising team, not necessarily the best.
Using that standard, Houston Astros manager Larry Dierker, the National League's reigning Manager of the Year, threw his support Wednesday behind the Reds' Jack McKeon.
“If you were going to use the criterion of which team exceeded expectations by the greatest amount, then he would be the leading candidate,” Dierker said, aware of the Reds' relatively low $35 million payroll and their also-ran status in preseason forecasts.
McKeon's approach, said Dierker, mirrors his.
“At least from what I read, I feel that he's created an atmosphere that's a lot like we have here,” Dierker said. “I think that's something players respond to ... allowing them to try for an extra base, allowing them to explore their own talent, knowing they might make some mistakes ... instead of trying to control every move, every defensive alignment, every pitch. We don't do that and I don't think he does either. It shows you have more respect for their physical and mental ability.”
Bill McKechnie (1940) and Birdie Tebbetts (1956), the only Reds to win manager of the year awards, were honored by The Sporting News. No Reds manager has won the award given by the Baseball Writers Association of America, which conducts the voting for the major postseason honors.
Big, big hits
The Reds have a club-record 51 homers this month, and their 204 homers this season is the second-highest total in franchise history.
“They can get you back in a game in a hurry or put you ahead in a hurry,” hitting coach Denis Menke said of the homers. “That's the difference of having guys who can hit the ball out of the ballpark.”
The Reds have 45 come-from-behind victories, nearly half of their season total. They also had outscored opponents by 161 runs entering Wednesday, the NL'S third-highest total behind Arizona (229) and Atlanta (165).
Back in groove
Scott Williamson felt confident that he had regained his All-Star form after earning the save in Tuesday's 4-1 victory over the Astros.
Williamson, who had recorded a 6.23 ERA while making just six September appearances due to shoulder tendinitis and a cut finger, said that he simply tried to concentrate harder. “Barry Larkin talked to me a lot about it,” he said.
He also heeded the counseling of pitching coach Don Gullett and bullpen coach Tom Hume, who told him that throwing first-pitch strikes would help him dramatically. “I think I got away from that in the last month,” Williamson said.
McKeon explained that he chose Williamson, who hadn't recorded a save since Aug.26, instead of Danny Graves because of the former's success against the Astros. Including Tuesday, Williamson has allowed the Astros only one run in 10ô innings.
Moreover, said McKeon, “We want to get him back on track for the playoffs.”
Get your tickets
The Reds are urging fans who have purchased postseason tickets that are to be picked up at Cinergy Field's will-call windows to obtain them before game day.
Due to the recent surge in ticket sales, the Reds expect long will-call lines for playoff games. Tickets will be available for pickup at Cinergy Field two days after any telephone or Internet purchase.
Hours of operation for Cinergy Field's box office will be extended for the rest of the season: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Also, the Reds have a limited number of private party areas available for the playoffs. Call the team's group sales office at (513) 421-4510, ext. 4350, for more information.
Playoff 2:05 p.m.
If a playoff game is needed to determine the National League's final postseason team, it would be played Monday at 2:05 p.m., NL officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
There are only two ways this could affect the Reds: 1.) If they are tied with the Mets in the wild-card race after 162 games. 2.) If they have the same record as the Mets and the Astros after 162 games. In either of those scenarios, the playoff game would be played at Cinergy Field.
The Enquirer incorrectly reported in Wednesday's editions there would be a playoff if the Reds and Astros tie for the NL Central title, and the Mets are out of the wild-card hunt. That is not true. Under that scenario, the Reds would automatically be declared the division winner by virtue of having a winning record against the Astros in head-to-head competition; the Astros would go in as the wild-card team.
Etc.
Pitching matchups for the season-ending series at Milwaukee: Friday, Denny Neagle (9-5) vs. Scott Karl (11-11); Saturday, Juan Guzman (6-2) vs. Kyle Peterson (3-7); Sunday, Pete Harnisch (15-10) vs. Steve Woodard (11-7) or Bill Pulsipher (5-6).
Astros 4, Reds 1
Three games to chew your nails Paul Daugherty column
Astros: 'It was a big win'
Box, runs
Pokey second to none?
Mets 9, Braves 2
Playoff seats still for sale
Postseason possibilities abound
How Reds, Astros, Mets finish
Reds page
