Something just didn't look right. Standing near his former spot on the Cinergy Field infield Monday was Chris Stynes.

        Utility player Chris Stynes. Blue-collar Chris Stynes. Do-everything Chris Stynes.

Chris Stynes tags out Todd Walker in a rundown. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        After leaving the Reds following the 2000 season, one of area fans' favorite part-time players of the late 1990s returned to Cincinnati.

        But this time, he wasn't dressed in Cincinnati red — he was wearing Cubs blue.

        “It's sort of nice to see a lot of my old friends I hadn't seen because I played in the American League last year,” said Stynes, who was traded by the Reds to Boston in November 2000 for utility player Donnie Sadler and outfielder Michael Coleman. “It was good to see them.”

        They also enjoyed seeing Stynes, who spent last season with the Red Sox.

        When Stynes first arrived on the field Monday, Barry Larkin and Ken Griffey Jr. ran up to him and took turns playfully jumping on his back. He shook hands with Sean Casey while fans, who remembered his days in Cincinnati, yelled his name.

        Larkin said “Sty-man,” as he called him, was one of the best players he's ever seen at coming into a game at any point and finding a way to help his team win.

        “He's one of the best at what he does,” Larkin said. “He can hit. Good defense. Great in the clubhouse, funny. Good dude, man.”

        Fans loved his attitude when he played for the 1997-2000 Reds.

        “One thing I learned professionally from him was that he was always ready when they called him,” Larkin said. “It's tough being a utility guy because you don't know when you're going to play. But I think he gave managers a lot of flexibility because he was able to do that.”

        Stynes, who started at third base Monday, went 0-for-4.

        Construction has changed Cinergy Field since Stynes last played there, but he remembered his way around. The field felt great, he said, and despite the Cubs' 5-4 loss, it was a great afternoon.

        “I feel comfortable here,” Stynes said. “I felt like this was sort of my home for awhile.”

        It sounds as if it still is.

        “It's a nice feeling,” he said. “Like going home.”

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