After the way Deion Sanders' last stint with the Reds ended, the team's brain trust needed some convincing to give him another shot.Sanders did that, flying here for a face-to-face meeting at the Reds offices last week.

        “Last year we were trying to groom him to get back to the major leagues,” director of player development Tim Naehring said. “So he had to put in the extra work, but he wasn't healthy. A lot of us took that for lack interest.

        “He explained to us first-hand (on his visit) that he just wasn't healthy.”

        Sanders, 33 years old and just off a season with the NFL's Washington Redskins, says he is healthy. He signed a non-guaranteed, minor-league contract with the Reds' Triple-A Louisville club Wednesday.

        Sanders tried to make the Reds last year out of spring training. But after suffering knee and ankle injuries, he ended up at Louisville on a rehab assignment. He was sent home to Dallas in May to finish rehab. When the Reds asked him to come up to the major-league club in June, he refused, saying he wanted to concentrate on football. That had the Reds wary of giving him another chance.

        “There's no downside for us,” Naehring said. “This is something he wants to do. He wants to conquer baseball. I wouldn't bet against him.”

        Sanders, a .266 career hitter, has not played in the majors since he was with the Reds in 1997.

        “He feels like he has some unfinished business,” said Reds assistant general manager Doc Rodgers. “It's no risk to us, and he's obviously a special talent.”

        Sanders will make $10,000 a month once the season starts.

        The Reds didn't offer Sanders arbitration, and he filed for free agency after last season. Since the new contract was agreed to after the Dec.7 free agent deadline, the other clubs must sign off on it.

        “We're fine,” Rodgers said. “He won't play for anyone else. It's just a formality.”

        Things may not be fine with the Redskins, who signed Sanders to a seven-year, $56 million contract before last season. A Redskins spokesman said the club knew nothing about Sanders' deal with the Reds until it was announced.

        The Washington Post, citing unnamed Redskins sources, said the club was not happy with the news. But Sanders' football contract does not prevent him from playing baseball.

Boone at home as skipper Reds ticket sales delayed RedsFest today and Saturday Deion 'wants to conquer baseball'

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