SULLIVAN: Camp Boone a busy place

map
SARASOTA, Fla. — When asked what to make of the new manager, Aaron Boone was a source of shrugs. The Cincinnati Reds' third baseman is his father's son, but he has never been his father's employee. When Bob Boone addressed his players for the first time Thursday morning, Aaron's only expectation was that it would be weird.

“Guys would say, "Give me some scoop,'” he said, “and I was like, "I have no idea.' I haven't played for him, either. I would imagine that he is going to be very prepared and very orga
nized each day. And he'll be hands-on.”

Hands-on doesn't tell the half of it. In the first hour of the first day of his first spring training workout in charge of the Reds, Bob Boone expended more energy than Jack McKeon did during his entire tenure.

Manager Bob Boone, a former All-Star catcher, works with Bill Seitz, a non-roster player.
(AP photo)
| ZOOM |

He tugged the batting cage into place for pitchers fielding practice. He went down on his knees to show the catchers how to contend with pitches in the dirt. He led both by example and by exertion.

“He was trying to change the way I block pitches to make it feel more comfortable,” said rookie catcher Dane Sardinha. “He's been a catcher, so he knows more than anyone.”

One of the knocks on Bob Boone is that he sometimes

acts as if he knows it all. This is, to some extent, a knee-jerk knock. The baseball industry is not terribly tolerant of intellect and innovation, and Boone is a bright guy attentive to small details.

Around the Reds, these are characteristics often associated with the regrettable reign of Ray Knight. This is not to say Bob Boone is doomed to incite mutiny through micro-management, only that his hands-on style carries the potential for conflict.

“My message in there was that we're going to have fun at this,” Boone said after addressing his players Thursday morning. “That doesn't mean you (change) how you work. When you know you're thoroughly prepared, that's how life becomes fun.”

Boone's approach to spring training will not be profoundly different than that of his predecessors. The drills performed Thursday were virtually identical to those that have begun baseball seasons since John McGraw.

Inevitably, the first order of business is to reinforce the idea that the pitcher should cover first base on ground balls to the right side of the infield. Invariably, the top priority is to prepare the starting pitchers to throw six or seven innings by Opening Day.

Where Boone's camp may differ from McKeon's is in its quicker pace and lengthier syllabus. Opposed to idleness and aware of the brevity of attention spans, Boone plans to impart his wisdom in many small, daily doses. Thursday's ball-blocking drill lasted less than five minutes, for example, but it is likely to become a regular (dreaded) part of the catchers' routine.

“I believe in doing a little bit a lot rather than a lot a little bit,” Boone said. “We want to develop the muscle memory so the brain doesn't get in the way.” Boone studied psychology at Stanford, and he learned his craft catching 2,225 major-league games. (Only Carlton Fisk caught more). That he was fired in Kansas City proves only that he was unable to work miracles with a subsistence budget. That he is sufficiently qualified to manage the Reds is beyond question. What remains to be seen is how the Reds will respond to such an authoritative authority figure.

“One of the things I admire about him is his passion for teaching,” Aaron Boone said of his father. “He wants to bring out the best about people. And if someone wants to work, he's up to it.”

Work hard enough, Bob Boone believes, and the work becomes fun.

E-mail tsullivan@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/sullivan.

Reds Stories