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Seeing Reds Minus Griffey Mania, Cincy camp is fun again
Updated: Monday February 19, 2001 11:58 AM
Throughout spring training, CNNSI.com will feature regular dispatches from Sports Illustrated staffers assigned to scout camps in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues. By Jeff Pearlman, Sports Illustrated TEAM: Cincinnati Reds SITE: Sarasota, Fla. WEATHER: Sunny, breezy, mid 60s. PLAYER I SAW WHOM I REALLY LIKED: Dmitri Young, the burly outfielder from Vicksburg, Miss., always sports one of baseball's coolest haircuts. This spring is no different. Young arrived with a killer 'fro -- not quite Oscar Gamble-ish in size, but well past the Kobe Bryant stage. Plus, Young is always flashing his high-wattage smile. AROUND THE HORN Last year at this time, being a Cincinnati Red meant sharing your locker space with some fat, smelly, sweat-encrusted TV cameraman with pointy elbows. That, alas, was one of the consequences of Griffey Mania. This year, Reds camp is quiet as quiet gets -- besides the players and team personnel, there are just three beat writers, one camera crew and a sprinkling of autograph hounds. This has resulted in a kinder, gentler Junior, who has spoken at length on everything from his son's motorbike to A-Rod to the state of the Reds. Simply put, Cincy has become a fun team to be around. Sunday morning, as I entered the clubhouse, ace Pete Harnisch was patrolling the room, trying to convince teammates to fork over $20 for the Daytona 500 pool. When someone mentioned that first baseman Sean (The Mayor) Casey might be interested, third baseman Aaron Boone yelled -- jokingly -- "Who's gonna take the lock off Casey's wallet?" Ribbing -- learning how to take it and dish it out -- is key to survival around here. After forking over his money to Harnisch, baby-faced closer Danny Graves said, "I hear 'Danny' and 'winning' in the same sentence." Countered reliever Mark Wohlers: "Clearly we're not talking arbitration." Later, Graves spent 40 minutes arguing with Wild Man, a Cincinnati radio personality who said last year that Casey should have been sent to Class AAA. Graves, surrounded by four or five people, asked the Wild Man: "Have you ever worn a uniform?" "A long time ago," he replied. "Yeah, whatever," countered Graves. "[In] Little League." Sports Illustrated senior writer Jeff Pearlman will check in periodically with reports from his tour of spring camps. |
