Sunday, March 10, 2002
Reds Q&A with John Fay
Fans respond to fun-loving pitcher Rijo
E-mailers have moved beyond the he-said/he-said stuff from last week to other issues. Read on:
From Kathi: I so enjoyed your column this morning on Jose Rijo. He has been my all-time favorite Reds player for years. I had the privilege many years ago of going on a cruise with my mother and four other women. This was a Reds cruise with some players attending, as well as Marty and Joe and some other team personnel. We had a fabulous time, and it was mostly due to Jose Rijo. He was charming and fun and treated all the “gals” like newly found friends.
Response: Rijo is probably my favorite Red of all time. He treats everyone the same — whether you're Ken Griffey Jr. or a lowly scribe. Q, from Steven in Tucson: For years now, we've been told that the Reds would be competitive when the new stadium opened. We've seen estimates of roughly $20 million in extra cash possibly available for player salaries from this new ballpark. A new ballpark sure isn't going to help the team with the personnel it has now. So when are the Reds going to upgrade? When does the new stadium money actually come available for pitcher salaries? If the answer is “next year,” then I'm discouraged.
A: Start being discouraged. It has become clear in the last few years that the Reds aren't the kind of team that spends money before they have it. They should be more active on the free agent market next offseason.
Q, from Jay: What do you mean nobody ripped Cal Ripken for playing for the record? Many people ripped him for playing with a poor average when resting may have helped him get his average back up. In response to the critics, Ripken would always say, “If there is somebody better behind me, I'll sit down.” He felt the team was better with him in there. Get your facts right, Fay. It's up to Barry Larkin to talk to Junior and get him to be more of a team player.
R: By the Ripken measure, Griffey clearly should have kept playing despite his injury last season, because the Reds had no one better. Griffey was not exactly dragging the team down. He had 11 homers and 29 RBI in August. As for Barry Larkin trying to get Griffey to be more of a team player, Larkin — or anyone else, for that matter — has little influence on Griffey. And Griffey's role on the team is to hit home runs, drive in runs and play center field. He does all three exceptionally well.
Q, from Don: Regarding the article you wrote last Sunday, (general manager Jim) Bowden says “this has been the most positive clubhouse, the most positive coaching staff, that I've seen since '95,” and my question to Jim is: “Then why'd you fire the manager at the end of the '95 season?”
A: In Bowden's defense, Marge Schott had a lot to with firing Davey Johnson.
Q, from Alan in Great Mills, Md.: When are you going to wake up and do a story on Anthony Sanders? Who is this guy, and where did he come from? He is tearing up spring training and looks like a legitimate shot to make the (team) and start in right field.
A: Big Al, I did write a note about Sanders. His hot start in the spring has put him on the Reds' radar. But he remains a long shot to make the club. Griffey, Adam Dunn and Juan Encarnacion are in. Robin Jennings is out of options, so he's likely to be on the roster. Sanders would have to beat out Brady Clark, who is more versatile. Sanders made the Seattle Mariners' Opening Day roster. He played only nine games before getting sent to the minors. He opted for free agency instead and ended up playing in Japan.
John Fay covers the Reds for the Enquirer. He can be reached at jfay@enquirer.com Please include neighborhood or hometown.
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Reds Q&A with John Fay