If niceness were considered along with home runs and RBI, Eddie Taubensee would rank among the Reds' all-time leaders.

        Taubensee's a decent player. He's more than a decent person, which was how he distinguished himself with Cincinnati until Thursday's trade sent him to the Cleveland Indians.

        Good deeds filled Taubensee's seven years with the Reds, a tenure exceeded only by shortstop Barry Larkin. Taubensee fulfilled every autograph request. He stopped to help a woman change a flat tire in the summer of 1997. He conducted baseball camps in Cincinnati and overseas, led the Reds' Sunday chapel services and did charity work with his wife, Rene, for the Boys and Girls Clubs and Child Help USA.

        Taubensee was the same in private as he was in public. He didn't maintain a holier-than-thou attitude. He was just ... nice. Pure and simple.

        “In the Bible, David was a man after God's own heart,” said Ken Moyer, the former Bengals offensive lineman who works with Athletes in Action and associated closely with Taubensee. “In some ways, I felt Eddie was a man after God's heart as well. A man who wanted to please God.”

        Taubensee knew he had to please Reds management, but his refreshing sense of perspective helped him balance his faith with his obligations. He once joked the “W.W.J.D.” stitched into his glove — What Would Jesus Do? — actually stood for “What Would Jack Do?”, referring to then-manager Jack McKeon.

        “Everybody has strengths and weaknesses, and Eddie's strength is that he's very friendly,” Moyer said. “He never considers himself better than anybody else. From the way he carries himself you can tell he genuinely cares about other people.”

        Taubensee's departure didn't weaken the Reds dramatically. He was a more productive hitter than most catchers when he was healthy. His likely replacement, Jason LaRue, is superior defensively and has shown the potential to be effective offensively.

        The years will dim the memory of Eddie Taubensee the ballplayer. They'll only enhance the quality of Eddie Taubensee the man.

Blue Jays want Williamson Cinergy adds grass, view Taubensee will be missed by community Harnisch rehab encouraging

Bearcats 'bowl' over So. Miss
UC's defense takes over
UC 73, Boise State 61
Injured Jones counting on early return
Xavier 68, Miami 54
DAUGHERTY: XU's Sato provides peek into potential
New XU arena draws raves
Xavier-Miami notebook
Xavier reaches A-10 volleyball final
Brown backs QB call
Who's got the edge?
Bengals-Patriots by the numbers
Players to watch
SULLIVAN: Henson looks more like QB than 3B
Michigan 38, Ohio State 26
Miami 17, Buffalo 16
Miami can point to trouble
Tennessee 59, Kentucky 20
Complete prep football coverage at Enquirer.com/prepfootball
Reading 26, Brookville 23
St. Ignatius loses in Division I
Cleveland 2, Cyclones 0
Hershey 5, Mighty Ducks 2
NKU soccer returning to Final Four
NKU 77, California (Pa.) 65
NKU women 84, Gannon 69
Mount ousted from volleyball tournament
Auto Racing Insider
NFL Insider
Sports on TV-Radio

• Return to Reds front page...