Sunday, March 03, 2002
Don't worry, we're happy, Reds assert
Players say outside jabs no distraction
By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SARASOTA, Fla. — The Reds say the triple blast from other spring training camps was off base. They say there is no problem in their clubhouse. They say there is no lack of leadership.
While they say comments by Pokey Reese, Dmitri Young and Ron Oester were merely the frustration of departed members of the organization, they admit what was said had an effect.
“We talked about it as players,” team captain Barry Larkin said. “We talked about not letting things go, not letting them fester. If anyone has a problem, bring it up. I think the things that were said brought us more together. We're more determined.”
The issue was handled in a typical Larkin manner. He didn't call a team meeting or scream. He spoke to the group he works out with, the infielders — Sean Casey, Aaron Boone and Todd Walker. Those players also happen to be veterans on this young club.
“We talked in little groups,” Larkin said. “If anyone has a problem, vocalize it. That's really the only thing that's come to light through the whole thing.”
Among the comments made by Reese and Young, both traded players, and Oester, a fired coach:
• The Reds had two sets of rules, one for Larkin and Griffey, one for everyone else;
• Larkin and Griffey weren't team players; and
• There was a leadership void after Greg Vaughn left following the 1999 season.
The chemistry question is a chicken-and-egg deal. Do teams win because they have good chemistry? Or do teams have good chemistry because they win?
“Winning teams always seem to have good chemistry,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said. “Losing teams usually don't. We certainly had a special thing in '99 (when the Reds won 96 games), and we certainly had some problems last year (when the Reds lost 96 games). And we feel some of them have been corrected.”
Bowden wouldn't go into specifics.
But in the wake of Reese's comments, Reds manager Bob Boone went on record with something he had hinted at last year: “All I know is that I only had a problem with one player last year, and it was Pokey Reese, who I couldn't get to play the last 40 (actually the last 23) games even though the medical people said he could play (despite a sore shoulder).”
Bowden hasn't mentioned Oester and another fired coach, Billy Doran, but the general manager has gone out of his way to say how positive this year's coaching staff is.
“This has been the most positive clubhouse, the most positive coaching staff, that I've seen since '95,” Bowden said. “I'm not going to let what players who have been traded and employees who have been fired say affect this team at all.”
Ultimately, this clubhouse will be judged on how the team does on the field.
“If you win or do well, you're going to have good chemistry,” Larkin said. “We have good chemistry this year. But there'll be a problem if we don't win.”
There were problems in the clubhouse in 1999, closer Danny Graves said.
“It was nothing major,” Graves said. “But they didn't come out, because we were winning.”
Chemistry is widely credited for the Reds' success in 1999. But was it chemistry or the starting pitching? Consider:
• The four pitchers with the most starts in 1999 — Pete Harnisch (16-10), Steve Parris (11-4), Denny Neagle (9-5) and Ron Villone (9-7) — had a combined record of 45-26. That's a .634 winning percentage.
• The four pitchers with the most starts in 2001 — Elmer Dessens (10-14), Chris Reitsma (7-15), Lance Davis (8-4) and Jose Acevedo (5-7) — had a combined record of 30-40. That's a .429 winning percentage.
Give the 2001 Reds the 1999 Reds' rotation, and you can make the argument that the team's record and clubhouse would brighten.
“Look at the Miracle Mets of '69,” Boone said. “They were the Miracle Mets because they could pitch.”
He pointed to another club — one he was part of — as an example: the 1980 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.
“We got Pete Rose in '79 and won it in '80,” Boone said. “People said Pete was the leader. Who did he lead? He sat at his locker shaving his bat and talking to (Mike Schmidt). He helped Schmitty tremendously. But Pete was the most selfish player ever. All he wanted was to get a hit.
“You need guys like that. Because when they get the big hit, it helps you.”
One of the major charges Reese and Young leveled was that there were two sets of rules. That is not uncommon in sports.
“When I was with the Reds, Sparky (Anderson) had two sets of rules — one set of rules for the big boys, one set for the guys like myself,” said Reds bench coach and former player Ray Knight.
Boone admits to treating people differently.
“What you want is for everybody in the clubhouse to be comfortable in their own skins,” he said. “A lot of managers have gotten in trouble by saying: "I don't have a leader. I need a leader.' Some stars are quiet. This is such an individual game played as a team.”
While Larkin and Griffey are two of the best players on this team, neither is a Vaughn-type, outspoken leader. So the leadership duties — particularly the vocal part — will fall to others. The young players from '99 are now the veterans in this clubhouse.
Casey, who just signed a long-term contract, is an emotional guy. He's also respected and liked by his teammates — important characteristics of a leader.
“This is my fifth year in the league, fifth year with the Reds,” Casey said. “I can step into that role more.”
Pitcher Scott Williamsondoesn't deal much with Larkin away from the field. But on the field, Williamson said, Larkin is invaluable to him.
“When I'm trying to decide what kind of pitches to throw, I'll look back at him at shortstop, and he'll shake his head: Don't throw that,” Williamson said. “He gives me a lot of confidence. That's a leader.”
You need different leaders for different personalities.
The leader of the pitching staff was Harnisch. He's gone this year, but Graves says there are players ready to step into that role.
“The younger players have the experience now,” Graves said. “I feel like I'm in a position where I can say something.”
Knight, who is back in the clubhouse after being fired as manager during the 1997 season, says the remarks by Reese, Young and Oester surprised him.
“This is probably my 25th, 30th spring training, something like that,” Knight said. “I've never — this isn't hyperbole, it's fact — I've never had a more positive feeling amongst a group. You read negative things and then say, "Where'd this come from?' I really believe there's joy in this clubhouse. There's a mesh here you have to have.”
Boone agreed.
“It might be the best I've ever been around,” he said. “It's been tremendous. It's really together.”
One thing is likely. If the Reds win, team chemistry will be wildly credited. If they lose, it will be wildly blamed.
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Don't worry, we're happy, Reds assert
