By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Reds didn't bring Chris Chambliss in to be Adam Dunn's personal hitting coach - it just sounds that way.

From the day Chambliss was hired, Reds manager Dave Miley told anyone who would listen that Chambliss was going to be the hitting coach.

One voice.

One philosophy.

One set of instructions.

Dunn, more than any Red, needs that. He has clicked with Chambliss so far.

Reds slugger Adam Dunn is getting help from hitting coach Chris Chambliss. (Michael E. Keating photo)

"I think things are going good so far," Dunn said. "I came in without knowing much about Chris. This past week, week and a half, we're definitely on the same page."

In Dunn's short career with the Reds, the page has kept changing. In his 2 1/2 seasons with the Reds, Dunn has had four official hitting coaches - Ken Griffey Sr., Jim Lefebvre, Tom Robson and Ray Knight. He also got a lot of advice from Bob Boone when Boone was manager.

The mixed message left Dunn mixed up at times.

"I'm not going to say that's the main reason," Dunn said. "They're not out there playing. But it's tough trying to please everyone. You forget how you hit."

Dunn's average has gone from .262 to .249 to .215 the last three years.

His power numbers have remained good. He hit 27 home runs in 381 at-bats last year. In 2002, he hit 26 in 535 at-bats.

Chambliss has worked with Dunn on hitting to all fields.

"Using the whole field is important for him," Chambliss said. "Hitting the ball all over in the practice helps him."

Dunn, who turned 24 in November, got away from going to left and up the middle.

"Chris is big on using all fields," Dunn said. "I got away from that. Somewhere down the line, I got pull happy, trying to pull the ball."

Dunn, at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds, doesn't need to pull the ball to hit it out.

"The power is there," Chambliss said. "There's no reason to force him to be powerful. He is powerful."

Chambliss re-enforces his principles in the batting cage. He's gotten Dunn to buy into that so far.

"He's someone I want on a regular routine with his workouts," Chambliss said. "He's been doing that. He's been great in the cages. ... If he keeps good work habits, all his ability to is going to show up."

Dunn is a happy-go-luck type of guy. But the last season and a half has been very hard on him. Since making the All-Star team in 2002, Dunn's hit .205 over 633 at-bats.

"It's as bad as anyone can play," he said. "It was frustrating last year because I felt so good."

Dunn started fairly well last year. He hit .253 with nine home runs and 17 RBI in April. But he hit .193 in May and .183 in June.

His power numbers dipped as the season went on. He only hit two home runs in 94 at-bats after the All-Star break.

Dunn set a Reds' club record by striking out 170 times in 2002. Chambliss thinks that number will drop as Dunn gets back to hitting the ball to all fields. But he isn't trying to turn Dunn into contact hitter.

"Striking out 100 times isn't a bad thing," Chambliss said. "A lot guys strike out 100 times and put up big numbers. Look at (Ken Griffey Jr.'s) records. He struck out 100 times and put up big numbers with a high average."

In 1997, Griffey struck out 121 times and hit .304 with 56 homers and 147 RBI.

Dunn's season ended last year on Aug.15 when he injured his left thumb making a catch.

Dunn didn't swing a bat until he started working out in preparation for the season. Dunn started early to test the thumb.

"When I started hitting in the beginning of December it swelled up a bunch," he said. "I iced it down. It still looks swollen. But it doesn't hurt anymore."

Dunn was concerned about the thumb because a similar injury proved to be a nagging problem for Austin Kearns. That's why he cut his season short.

"That's the reason I got it fixed early," Dunn said. "I saw what (Kearns) he went through. I didn't want that."

Dunn took it slow once the thumb felt good enough to hit.

"I went back to basics," he said. "I hit off the tee, soft toss, trying to get back to how it was."

Dunn's deal

Here are Adam Dunn's stats as a Red:

Year	G	AB	R	H	BB	HR	RBI	Avg.
2001	66	244	54	64	38	19	43	.262
2002	158	535	84	133	128	26	71	.249
2003	116	381	70	82	74	27	57	.215
Total	340	1160	208	279	240	72	171	.240