By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - It would be hard to find two more different hitting coaches than Jim Lefebvre and Tom Robson.

Lefebvre was all bells and whistles and energy. He had players hit 120 mph tennis balls in one drill and big orange softballs in the next. Then they would hit against a pitching machine that threw two balls at a time.

Robson stands quietly and observes, gives a little one-on-one advice and uses no gimmicks.

"It's definitely a lot different," third baseman Brandon Larson said. "Robson keeps it a lot simpler. He sees what you're doing and works with that. He doesn't break down the swing."

Robson is the man brought in to cure the Reds' offensive woes. Lefebvre was the only member of the coaching staff not brought back.

Lefebvre was a victim of the numbers game - the Reds' hitting numbers from last year:

• They hit .231 with runners in scoring position, last in the National League.

• Their on-base percentage was .330, 10th in the NL.

• They struck out 1,188 times, a team record.

Reds general manager Jim Bowden has put the pressure on the offense.

"We have enough pitching to win," Bowden said. "Everyone talks about the pitching. But we have to get better offensively."

Just as he didn't blame Lefebvre for last year's problems, Reds manager Bob Boone doesn't expect Robson to cure them all by himself.

"Players have to fix themselves," Boone said. "I never believed that one guy could be responsible for 14, 15 players hitting. But that's the nature of the position. Look around the majors - 11 (hitting coaches) were fired. That's crazy."

The Reds are as crazy as anyone on that front. Robson is the fourth hitting coach in four years. He followed Denis Menke, Ken Griffey Sr. and Lefebvre.

"A hitting coach is a tough spot," Boone said. "I don't think there's any magic way. You can't teach players to hit at this level."

Robson won't try. He's spent the first part of camp as much an observer as an instructor.

"You get to know people and what they're about and they get to know you," he said. "There's a period of time it takes to do that. That's where we are right now."

Boone says he didn't set out to hire the anti-Lefebvre, but it sort of worked out that way.

Robson's low-key early approach stands in sharp contrast to Lefebvre's. Lefebvre hit the ground sprinting last year as hitting coach. The cages in the early days of camp looked like the Reds were staging carnival games: "Step right up and try to hit a Whiffle ball that breaks 7 feet! "

Robson used the cages the other day to spend 30 minutes talking to Adam Dunn. No drills, not one swing, just talk.

"We'll do that with everyone," Robson said. "So they know where I'm coming from, and I get an idea of what they're trying to do. Then we'll go from there."

Robson, 57, was the New York Mets bench coach last year. He was the hitting coach for the Mets from 1997-2000. He spent 2001 as a special assistant to the Mets general manager. He spent 1986-1992 as a Texas Rangers coach, including 1989-92 as their hitting coach.

Robson's major league career consisted of 23 games with the Rangers, in which he hit .208. He did hit .295 in 956 minor league games.

Robson's dark glasses and close-cropped hair earns the nickname "Sarge" from Aaron Boone.

But Robson is no drill sergeant. He doesn't yell.

"Tommy is more laid-back," Aaron Boone said. "He'll pick his spots. If you want to talk, he'll talk."

Lefebvre talked a lot.

"I didn't think Lefebvre was a bad hitting coach," Larson said. "But sometimes he'd have you working on one thing in one drill and another in another drill. Robson keeps it simple. He's down-to-earth."

Robson doesn't have one set of hitting principles he tries to push on every hitter.

"I deal with what the good hitters do," he said. "I know what they do and I have to fit it to each individual hitter. Everybody has their own little things they do. That's fine. If there was one way to hit, everybody would be doing it."

Robson is particularly careful about tinkering too much with established players.

"The veterans are locked into their ways and they're good players," he said. "But there may be one or two little things that you can help them do a little better. That's all we try to do."

Robson's Rules

Tom Robson is the Reds' fourth hitting coach in four seasons. Here's a look at some of his philosophies as a coach:

• Learn the hitters: "Each individual has their own little things they do. If there was one way to hit, everybody would be doing it."

• Keep the hitters informed: "If you can understand how your body works, how you create bat speed, that's how you get better."

• Block distractions: "Deal with this pitch, this moment."

• Don't tinker too much: "The veterans are locked into their ways and they're good players. But there may be one or two little things that you can help them do a little better."