Friday, July 20, 2001
Don't turn Rijo into a sideshow
LOUISVILLE — Please, Reds, do not make Jose Rijo's comeback a carnival act. Do not use his lesson-filled return as a way to sell a few thousand extra tickets to fans seeking nostalgia on a Sunday afternoon.
Spare us from looking back at this and wincing, the way we did with Pete Rose Jr. Rijo is better than that.
The Reds are talking about starting Rijo July 29, in a Sunday afternoon game at Cinergy Field against the Florida Marlins. He didn't do anything Thursday night here to discourage that: three innings, two hits, a run, 40 pitches.
Rijo threw a lot of junk. You can do that when you're pitching to kids. Rijo called his forkball “awesome.” He pronounced his once-lethal
slider “still no good.” Reds manager Bob Boone said the velocity of Rijo's pitches was underwhelming.
But Rijo threw his pitches where he wanted. He declared his arm sound. “It's getting too easy in the minor leagues,” he said.
Muddled miracle
The comeback sounded sweet until Thursday, when Reds general manager Jim Bowden said Rijo would pitch three innings July 29, if all went as planned. Nine outs of feelgood. That's not much. Even for a Reds starter. “If this miracle works, we would let the fans of Cincinnati enjoy it,” was how Bowden put it.
After that, the miracle is somewhat less glamorous.
Middle relief.
“A sixth- or seventh-inning guy,” was how Bowden described Rijo.
This is cynicism taken to high art.
Maybe the Reds should dial up Joe Morgan, coax him from the TV booth and send him to Chattanooga for a few weeks to get his timing back. Come September, the Reds could announce Morgan will start at second base. That oughta pack 'em in.
Why would you start a man and pitch him three innings? This is not March. It is not an All-Star Game. This is Jose Rijo, hero of the '90 World Series and Hall-of-Fame great guy. Do not wheel him out there in the name of commerce.
Rijo wasn't aware of Bowden's three-inning notion, or that he might be ticketed for middle relief. “I question whether he can be a starting pitcher,” Bowden said.
“When (Bowden) sees me pitch, he'll change his mind,” Rijo said.
Bowden is right to question Rijo's stamina and his elbow's durability. The GM also says he doesn't want to take starts away from the Reds' young pitchers. Fair enough.
And Rijo says he doesn't care what his role will be. “Just let me show them what I've got.”
Doesn't fit the plan
; But if the idea is to make the Reds better, this doesn't much fit. If the idea is to honor Rijo, then call him up when he can pitch with some semblance of the authority he had when he had to quit six years ago. If you don't want to do that, have him throw out the first pitch sometime.
But don't use him to sell tickets.
The best part of his story has been written. Rijo has chased the what-ifs from his head. He has banned them permanently. He has proven to himself that, after six years away, he could return to pitch at a high level. Rijo sleeps easily.
“That means everything,” he said before Thursday's game. “I got up here without making ridiculous of myself. I have no more questions.”
Maybe it should end there. Sweetly.
E-mail: pdaugherty@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/daugherty.
Recent Rijo coverage:
• 14 photos from Rijo's previous start
• For Rijo, “It's already a miracle'
• Rijo allows 2 runs in Triple-A start
• Rijo pitches 3 scoreless innings at AA
• Rijo starts with good outing at Dayton
• Fans support Rijo
• SULLIVAN: Rijo can't give up
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DAUGHERTY: Don't turn Rijo into a sideshow