Saturday, January 29, 2000
Reese uses head to keep Reds in 'golden' hands
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pokey Reese has added 13 pounds of muscle (from 178 to 191) and now wants to add a better on-base percentage, more stolen bases and a new sliding style to his repertoire: feet-first, instead of head-first.
“These are golden — I want to protect them,” said Reese, holding up his two hands.
Reese is a South Carolinian who, except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, has spent the entire offseason in Cincinnati, working out with Dmitri Young and Jeffrey Hammonds.
Reese will be one of the most sought-after autographs at RedsFest today at the Convention Center downtown.
When Reese referred this week to his hands being “golden,” he did so with a smile. The converted shortstop still can't get over the fact he won the Gold Glove award for defensive excellence among National League second baseman.
It was his first full season of playing second.
After Reese missed several games with a hand injury this past season, he wasn't as aggressive on the basepaths, he said. That's because his head-first slides would have meant putting his hands and fingers at risk.
He stole 38 bases but felt he could have stolen more if he hadn't loss his aggressiveness.
The entire season was a dizzying ascent for Reese.
He began the season with question marks (“Can he hit enough?” “Can he make the conversion to second base?”) and ended it with exclamation points (.285, 10 homers, 37 doubles and a Gold Glove).
But last month, during and after baseball's Winter Meetings, various writers and some team officials said the Reds were crazy not to give in to the Seattle Mariners' desire for Reese in a trade for Ken Griffey Jr.
• Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post: “After three years in the majors, Pokey Reese is about the 20th-best second baseman in baseball.”
• Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune: “Pokey Reese is the same guy who made four errors on Opening Day in 1998. He's the same guy who initially inspired so little confidence about the transition to second base that the Reds tried to trade for the likes of Pat Meares, Fernando Vina and Tony Womack last spring. ... From now on, the likable kid from South Carolina is going to be known as The Guy Who Kept Ken Griffey Jr. From Coming Home.”
• Mariners General Manager Pat Gillick: “How can they (the Reds) not (make the trade)? We're talking about the player of the decade, an all-century player and a future Hall of Famer, and they're going to let this one player (Reese) hold up the deal?”
Despite the national incredulity, there has been little demand locally for the Reds to loosen up on their love affair with Reese.
That probably is because Reds fans: 1.) have never seen a Reds second baseman as good defensively as Reese, 2.) admire his catalytic effect in the Reds' offense (the team was 46-30 when Reese hit leadoff) and 3.) perceive of him as having been an integral part of the magical 96-victory season.
Reese attributes his increased size to weightlifting and the culinary skills of his brother, Angelo, 27, who is staying with him in Cincinnati.
“He makes pork chops, ribs, rice and gravy, and cornbread,” Reese said. “One of the things I miss most about home, though, is my grandmother's collard greens, and potato pie with coconut in it.”
Whatever Reese is eating, he's converting it to muscle.
“But it's not the kind of weightlifting that bulks me up,” he said. “It gets me stronger, without losing flexibility. I'm very conscious of that. I know what got me here.”
What got him here was his defense. That said, Reese's offensive breakout last season was still impressive. It was the best, by far, of his nine professional seasons (six of them in the minors). He attributes it to a lot of extra hitting in spring training and the tutelage of coaches Denis Menke and Ken Griffey Sr. and players Greg Vaughn, Barry Larkin, Mark Sweeney and Hammonds.
“All that, plus turning 26,“ Reese said. “I'm a late bloomer, just like my father. He was slender like me, but then he grew, too.”
His dad, Calvin Sr., was a slick-fielding shortstop for the semipro Columbia Bulls in South Carolina.
Reese said his increased strength already has manifested itself.
“I picked up a bat over at Jeffrey Hammonds' house, and I asked, "What's this, about 31 ounces?'” Reese said. “When they told me it was 35 ounces, I couldn't believe it. Then, I picked up a 31-ouncer, and I couldn't believe how light it felt. It was like a feather.”
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