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Cincinnati Reds

Press Clippings

July 23, 2016

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 2000-Tony Perez, Sparky Anderson and Bid McPhee are inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,

while Marty Brennaman receives the Ford C. Frick Award in Cooperstown, New York. This is the first time the Hall of

Fame honors four men representing the same baseball club, in the same year

MLB.COM Straily settles in, finds quality-start groove

By Kevin Goheen / Special to MLB.com | 12:48 AM ET + 3 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- The fourth pitch Dan Straily threw on Friday night landed on the grassy knoll just above the center-field wall at

Great American Ball Park. The next batter he faced doubled to left field. Five batters into the game, he and the Reds were trailing

the D-backs by 2.

Over the next five innings, Straily gave Arizona a couple of opportunities, but no more runs, as the Reds opened the three-game

series with a 6-2 victory. Straily allowed just two runs on five hits, walking three while striking out eight as he improved his record

to 5-6. He has now tossed four straight quality starts and leads the team with 11 quality starts in 18 tries.

The right-hander, who was claimed on waivers at the end of Spring Training, is now giving the Reds an opportunity to win more

often than not when he takes the mound.

"He's been one of our best, most consistent starting pitchers," said manager Bryan Price. "He had a little bit of a [bad] run there

leading up to the half, but he's come out of the half throwing the ball really well. I think he has a very good understanding of how to

pitch."

Straily followed up his rough first inning, in which D-backs leadoff hitter Jean Segura homered off of him and then Michael Bourn

doubled and eventually scored, by striking out the side in the second. He hit Segura with a pitch to lead off the third but then struck

out Bourn and got All-Star Paul Goldschmidt to hit into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Straily worked his way out of a two-out, bases-loaded situation in the fourth inning, then did perhaps his best pitching of the night in

the fifth with the Reds holding a 3-2 lead.

Segura singled and moved to second base on a balk. Straily stranded him there by striking out Bourn looking, getting Goldschmidt

to pop out to third baseman Eugenio Suarez and then striking out Jake Lamb looking.

"I know I got away with a pitch to Goldschmidt when he popped up to third base. I feel fortunate for that. You leave a good hitter

that kind of pitch, so I feel good," said Straily. "I had a good battle with Lamb. Tuck (catcher Tucker Barnhart) came out and said,

'We're going with the changeup. However long the at-bat goes, we're going with the changeup.' It lasted one more pitch."

The Nos. 2-6 hitters for Arizona were a combined 1-for-12 against Straily.

"He just uses his slider. He's tough to pick up. His velocity's not overwhelming, but he's tough to pick up," said Arizona manager

Chip Hale. "You can tell that guys have a hard time differentiating fastballs, slider in. He uses his changeup, even to right-handers,

very well. He did a nice job settling down and just did a great job with us."

Hamilton gets his wish, batting leadoff

By Kevin Goheen / Special to MLB.com | 12:14 AM ET + 13 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- Billy Hamilton walked into the Reds' clubhouse Friday afternoon and had to do a double-take.

Hamilton saw his name at the top of the Reds' batting order for the first time since June 29, and for just the 11th time all season. It

was the first time Hamilton had been in the leadoff position in a game in which Zack Cozart has also been in the starting lineup.

This time, manager Bryan Price has the full intention of keeping Hamilton's name in that No. 1 spot.

"That's where I want to be. Leadoff is always where I've been, but Bryan told me that if I don't earn the spot, then I'm not going to

be there," Hamilton said. "When I walked into the clubhouse today and saw the lineup, I thought, 'Is that a misprint?' I'm sure my

face lit up. It's my time to show that I deserve to be there."

Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a walk, three stolen bases and two runs scored as he put his best foot forward during the Reds' 6-2 win.

Hamilton drove the first pitch he saw from Arizona starter Archie Bradley back up the middle for a single. He and Cozart were on

board in the first inning when Joey Votto put the Reds in front for good with a three-run home run. Cozart's two-out double into the

left field corner scored Hamilton all the way from first base in the eighth inning for the final run of the game.

Cozart had hit leadoff in the previous 80 games he's started this season. He leads the Reds in doubles (23) and multi-hit games (23),

while his 15 home runs equal a career high. Cozart slid into the No. 2 spot.

"There's a lot of good things that will happen from it if it plays out like I anticipate," Price said. "[Hamilton's] certainly a guy that

can steal a base and who can maybe force the situation where Zack gets some better pitches, and puts Zack in an RBI situation as

opposed to a guy that's hitting after the pitcher the second time through."

Price said he wasn't going to make the switch until Hamilton showed he was worthy of hitting in the spot.

Hamilton has hit .289/.333/.311 with a BABIP of .342 in his last 11 games entering Friday night's contest against Arizona. All of

those appearances have been with him batting No. 2 in the order behind Cozart. Hamilton has stolen eight of nine bases in that span

and scored nine runs.

"Billy's been so much better and consistent with his approach, even when he wasn't getting hits. He was doing it the right way," said

Cozart. "You can tell he's growing as a player. It was only a matter of time. I'm not a leadoff hitter. We came into this knowing that.

I've done well, but that's not my gig. When he gets on out of the leadoff spot, it's a game-changer."

Hamilton has hit leadoff in 199 career games, including 193 starts, with a slash line of .245/.294/.352. He's batted leadoff 10

previous times this season -- with nine starts -- hitting .222/.323/.370. Hamilton has hit in the No. 2 spot in 30 games, while also

seeing time in the seventh and ninth positions.

"I think I did a little bit to deserve another chance up there at the top again," quipped Hamilton. "Let's see how it goes tomorrow.

The main thing is having the confidence to come in each and every day and working and getting better."

Reds' Votto, Barnhart stay hot in opener win

By Cody Pace and Kevin Goheen / MLB.com | 12:58 AM ET + 27 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- The first inning wasn't kind to either starter in Friday's series opener between the Reds and D-backs.

Reds starter Dan Straily allowed two first-inning runs, but his counterpart, Archie Bradley, allowed three, giving up the only

Arizona lead of the game as the Reds went on to win, 6-2. The Reds now have won four of their last five games.

Straily went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out eight but struggled in the opening inning.

He began the game by giving up a leadoff homer to Jean Segura and then a double to Michael Bourn, who came around to score. He

settled down after that to pitch his final five innings without allowing a run.

"The leadoff home run, it is what it is. The guy got a pitch and then hit it out. Then we lose the ball in the sun, and I don't make [an

out] on the next couple of guys," said Straily about his first inning.

"I came out with the lead in the second inning. I believe I struck out the side in that inning. That gets things rolling. This game just

builds on itself for me tonight. It got better and better as I went."

Bradley's runs came after he put his first two batters on base and then allowed a three-run homer to Joey Votto. Bradley didn't allow

another run, pitching five innings, allowing five hits and walking a season-high five batters. Taking the loss, Bradley extended his

winless start streak to six as the D-backs dropped their third straight.

"I walked Zack Cozart and missed a spot for Votto, and that was basically the game right there," Bradley said.

The Reds added three more insurance runs -- one in the sixth on a Tucker Barnhart homer, one in the seventh on an RBI single from

Brandon Phillips and one in the eighth on an RBI double from Cozart.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Wipe out: The D-backs took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but it was short-lived. Votto hit his 17th home run of the season

after Billy Hamilton singled and stole second base and Cozart walked to open the bottom of the inning. Votto has hit safely in all

seven games since the All-Star break, including three home runs in his last four games. Cozart had batted leadoff in his previous 80

starts but was moved to the No. 2 spot, flip-flopping with Hamilton. Manager Bryan Price's move paid dividends immediately, as

Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a walk, three stolen bases and two runs scored.

"I told you what I had hoped would happen, and tonight it did," said Price. "It's a great first day for that switch, but this is something

that we had envisioned ever since Billy came to the big leagues, him hitting at the top and then wreaking some havoc."

Missed tag: After Hamilton's leadoff single, he managed to steal second base. The throw from catcher Welington Castillo actually

beat Hamilton to the bag, but Hamilton managed to avoid the tag from Segura. While he was initially ruled out on the field, the

Reds challenged it, and it was determined that Hamilton avoided the tag, overturning the call. Hamilton came around to score on the

Votto homer, costing Bradley an extra run early.

"Welington threw a great throw in there," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "Hamilton did a really good job with his hands, but that

should've been an out."

Buckling down: With the Reds leading, 3-2, Straily stamped out rally attempts by the D-backs in the fourth and fifth innings,

striking out four in the process. The first two began the fourth inning, but a walk to Brandon Drury and a double by Yasmany

Tomas forced Straily to intentionally walk Nick Ahmed. He got Bradley to hit into a force play to end that inning.

Segura then led off the fifth with a walk. Straily balked him to second base, but that's as far as Segura would get. Straily struck out

Bourn looking, got Paul Goldschmidt to pop out to third base and then struck out Jake Lamb looking.

Segur-ing an early lead: Segura's leadoff homer traveled 420 feet and came off the bat at 104 mph, according to Statcast™. It was

Segura's eighth homer of the season out of the leadoff spot, ranking him fifth among NL leadoff hitters. Later in the game, he nearly

caused the benches to clear after taking exception to being hit by a Straily pitch in the third. Segura finished the game 2-for-3.

QUOTABLE

"You look at my last two outings, and even though I avoided the big situations, it's kind of the saying, 'You play with fire,

eventually you're going to get burned.' Tonight I did." -- Bradley, on his walk issues

"To me, it seemed like it was more just caught-up-in-the-moment type of reaction by him. It happens. I get it. When I hit him, the

last thing on my mind was I wanted to do that with a get-me-over fastball." -- Straily, on the reaction by Segura after Straily hit him

WHAT'S NEXT

D-backs: Lefty Robbie Ray takes the mound for the D-backs in the 4:10 p.m. MST game against the Reds. Ray is coming off of one

of his better starts of the season, a seven-inning shutout performance against the Dodgers.

Reds: Keyvius Sampson makes his first start of the season after seven relief appearances for the Reds. He threw four scoreless

innings of relief in his last appearance on July 16. Sampson earned his first career victory last August 8, beating the D-backs and

Ray, 4-1, at Chase Field.

Bailey could return to Reds' rotation soon

By Kevin Goheen / Special to MLB.com | July 22nd, 2016 + 4 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- An off-day in San Diego next week could end up being beneficial to the Reds in more than one way.

Besides the locale, if things go the way Reds manager Bryan Price hopes they go, next Thursday's off-day could allow him to keep

his starting pitching rotation intact without need of a replacement before Homer Bailey possibly rejoins the team.

Bailey, who hasn't pitched in the Major Leagues in 15 months as he makes a comeback from Tommy John surgery, is due to make

his sixth rehabilitation start with Triple-A Louisville on Monday. The Reds will make a decision on whether Bailey needs more time

in the Minors or is ready to regain his turn in the rotation.

Bailey pitched 5 1/3 innings this past Wednesday against Columbus, allowing five runs on six hits. Three of those hits were home

runs. He reached 83 pitches but pulled himself out of the game when he began feeling tired.

"Very good for five innings, and got tired in the sixth," was how Price described that outing. "He was smart enough to not force

himself through something … I think it's realistic to see him get beyond 90 pitches in this next outing, and then sit down with him

and figure out if he's ready to go."

Keyvius Sampson will make his first start of the season on Saturday against Arizona, filling in the rotation spot left open when the

Reds optioned John Lamb to Louisville last Sunday.

The Reds begin a six-game trip to the West Coast on Monday when the play at San Francisco. They'll get that off-day on Thursday

before beginning a three-game weekend series on Friday against the Padres in San Diego.

Sampson began the season in Cincinnati but has twice been sent down to Louisville. This will be his eighth appearance for the Reds,

the last three of which have gone at least 2 2/3 innings. He has made nine starts for Louisville this season, going 2-3 with a 1.29

ERA. Sampson made 12 starts for the Reds last season.

"I love starting. I'm just going to go out there and give them as much as I've got as far as innings and pitches," said Sampson.

Sampson, Ray to square off at Great American Ball Park

By Kevin Goheen / Special to MLB.com | July 22nd, 2016 + 1 COMMENT

Keyvius Sampson makes his first start of the 2016 season against the team he beat for his first Major League win when the Reds

host the D-backs Saturday night at Great American Ball Park. The D-backs will start left-hander Robbie Ray, who is coming off a

seven-inning shutout performance against the Dodgers in his last start.

Sampson earned the win in a 4-1 Cincinnati victory in Phoenix on Aug. 8, 2015, by allowing one run on four hits in six innings in

what was just the second start of this career. It was the only victory of the season for the Reds against the D-backs. Sampson made

12 starts last season. This will be his eighth appearance for the team in 2016.

Ray happened to be the starter opposite of Sampson that game at Chase Field. He allowed three runs in six innings as he took the

loss. Against the Dodgers, Ray retired 11 of the last 13 batters he faced as he had his first quality start since June 17.

Three things to know about this game

• Ray has struck out at least five batters in 18 consecutive starts. That is tied with Miami's Jose Fernandez for the longest such active

streak in the Major Leagues.

• The Reds are one of just two teams (Baltimore) to have at least five players hit at least 15 home runs this season.

• Jean Segura entered this series hitting .351/.407/.458 over his last 33 games dating back to June 10. He added to that hot streak by

leading off Friday's game with his eighth home run of the season.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Notes: Billy Hamilton returns to leadoff spot

Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com 7:49 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

When Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton first entered the clubhouse Friday, he would have sworn there was a misprint in the

lineup. He was hitting leadoff.

Hamilton has wanted to hit atop the lineup all year, but was told in spring training he’d have to earn it. For most of the season, he’d

yo-yo’d between seventh and second.

“My job was to get back to the top of the lineup,” Hamilton said. “I’m coming here every single day, working hard and trying to get

there.”

Hamilton’s offensive numbers this year closely resemble those from his rookie campaign in 2014, which aren’t all that impressive at

first glance. He has a .247 average and a .294 on-base percentage. But Hamilton has had stretches of strong performance, and has hit

.289/.333/.311 since July 5.

Hamilton has also hit the ball slightly harder and also slightly lowered his average launch angle, indicating that he’s hitting fewer fly

balls and more grounders like the team wants.

“I’m really happy with the way that Billy’s playing,” manager Bryan Price said. “If things are to continue, this may seem like a

minor switch it I think it can definitely prove to spark our offense.”

Hamilton displaces shortstop Zack Cozart in the leadoff spot, with Cozart moving into the second spot in the lineup. Price hopes the

change helps take advantage of both players’ strengths.

The speedy Hamilton is already a terror on the bases, but couldn’t run as much hitting lower in the lineup. If he got aboard and stole

second while hitting seventh, opposing pitchers could just walk whomever was hitting eighth to get to the pitcher’s spot.

Batting lower was more freeing for Hamilton since he didn’t have to worry about taking pitches or changing his approach, and he

hopes to bring that mentality to the top of the order.

“You don’t want to go up there and feel like you have to take pitches and stuff like that,” he said. “I’ve learned that my game is

being aggressive.”

Hitting Cozart second should put the 30-year-old in a better position to drive in runs. Cozart is not a prototypical leadoff hitter

anyway, using a contact-heavy approach at the plate and sporting just a .314 on-base percentage. But he has slugged .470, has 15

home runs and leads the team with 22 doubles.

Price hopes having Hamilton on base ahead of him makes pitchers antsier and causes more mistakes over the plate. Hitting Cozart in

front of Joey Votto shouldn’t hurt either.

“It’s something that I wanted to try once we saw more production from Billy,” Price said. “I think he’s there, so we’ll see how it

goes.”

Homer’s rehab continues

Veteran right-hander Homer Bailey will receive at least one more rehab start on his way back from Tommy John surgery. Bailey

threw 83 pitches in his fifth rehab start with Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday and will pitch again July 25.

Bailey exited his last start in the middle of an at-bat after reaching his pitch count, although Price said the righty also experienced

some fatigue.

“That’s how these things go from a real good outing to a bad outing, when you try to force yourself through an inning when you’re

fatigued,” Price said. “He was smart enough to acknowledge he was tired and it was time to come out.”

Price said Bailey should throw beyond 90 pitches his next time out, although a return to the big-league rotation isn’t a foregone

conclusion after that. The Reds hope to have him back at the tail end of their upcoming road trip to San Francisco and San Diego,

but aren’t taking Bailey’s return for granted.

For now, the Reds only have their rotation figured out leading into the team’s off day Thursday in San Diego.

“A lot of it will hinge on if we’re going to be slotting Homer in the next time through or if we aren’t,” Price said.

Rosecrans: A different kind of Ken Griffey Jr. story

C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 3:27 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

We all have memories of Ken Griffey Jr. — the swing (oh, that swing), the over-the-wall-catches, the back-to-back home runs with

his father and the dogpile at the Kingdome.

Mine is different. Much different.

When I think of Ken Griffey Jr., I think of a nearly empty clubhouse in Sarasota, Fla., in the spring of 2008. It was just two people,

one of whom happened to be headed to the Hall of Fame and the other was me.

Related: Griffey gets 99.3 percent of vote, sets new record

I was covering Reds spring training and on the way back from Ft. Myers the day before, I got a call from my father and the news

wasn’t good. My mom had cancer, specifically colon cancer.

Many things ran through my head, just as millions of others have heard similar news. And one of the first things I wanted to do was

find someone I could talk to, someone who had been through all this. I remembered someone who had — Griffey.

I knew Griffey’s mother, Birdie, had battled colon cancer, and she was the only person I knew of in my circles who had dealt with

this, so I went to get advice.

“Ken, you got a second?” I said as I approached Griffey like I had many times before, with the same words, but a different tone.

Griffey understood the tone.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Your mom had colon cancer, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Yesterday my mom was diagnosed…”

He stopped me right there.

“Sit down,” he said. “Write this down — 513…”

And it was his mom’s phone number.

“Have your mom call my mom,” he said.

I wrote it down and later relayed it to my mother. And then we sat and talked. We talked for an hour, not a superstar and a lowly

reporter, but two sons who love their mothers.

Griffey went through what to expect, from the different options, to how I’d feel, to the hopelessness and ultimately the hope.

Every day that spring, he’d ask me if I’d talked to my mom, what the next step was, when chemo would start, when her surgery was.

He asked if she liked where she was being treated, he was on the board of a hospital in Orlando, anything I needed — anything she

needed — was at our disposal.

My mom didn’t take him up on that, but she did call Birdie Griffey.

Birdie was the only person my mom talked to who had actually been through the treatment, who had survived and beat it. Who told

her the good, the bad and the ugly. Who told her exactly how she would feel, what exactly could go wrong and what exactly could

go right.

More than that, they talked about their families, their sons, both of whom loved baseball and knew each other professionally. They

bragged in the way only mothers can brag, and told stories that only mothers could appreciate — with the comfort of hindsight.

I can’t tell you how much it meant to our family to have someone my mother could talk to about her treatment, someone to

encourage her, but also be frank with the realities of the situation. Birdie Griffey was that to my family and I am eternally grateful.

That same year, Ken Griffey Jr. was traded from the Reds to the White Sox. In August of that year, the Rays were in town to play

the White Sox, and Marc Lancaster, who is one of my best friends and preceded me on the Reds beat at the Cincinnati Post, went to

the White Sox clubhouse to say hello to Griffey, who he knew from his time covering the Reds.

According to Marc, Griffey’s first words to him were, “How’s Trent’s mom?”

Ken has asked me that question many, many times since, and almost every time I’m able to give him the same answer — she’s

doing well, the cancer is gone and has (for the most part) stayed gone. But he keeps asking.

That’s the Ken Griffey Jr. I know.

Griffey Jr. baseball’s last transcendent icon

C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 4:06 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

Kevin Falls is a Giants fan, so when he was writing the movie “Summer Catch” and (spoiler alert) it came to the end when his main

character, Ryan Dunne, makes the big leagues and is facing his first big test, Falls wanted that player to be Barry Bonds.

He got Ken Griffey Jr. instead.

In the story, the big league star homers off of Dunne, showing just how far the protagonist of the story still has to go despite making

the big leagues. In the moment, the viewer is supposed to be rooting for Dunne, but OK with him giving up a home run. It’s a tricky

part, something that requires a positive view of the player who takes Dunne deep. Director Mike Tollin knew Bonds was the wrong

player. It had to be Griffey.

In the final film, we see Dunne pitching for the Phillies with Griffey at the plate in Cinergy Field. On his first pitch, Dunne shakes

off his catcher before throwing the pitch. Instead of the hero ending for Dunne, we see Griffey’s sweet swing and a home run to

right-center field. As Griffey rounds the bases, he’s smiling and laughing at the rookie. And as hard as it is imagining Bonds smiling

on the field, it’s even tougher to imagine the reaction of Dunne on the mound and his friends and family in a far-away sports bar, as

all shake it off and laugh.

“It was showing he had a long way to go and there’s no shame in giving up a home run to Ken Griffey,” Falls said recently while

promoting his new baseball-centric TV show, “Pitch.”

“Summer Catch” was released in 2001 and it would have come out during Bonds’ pursuit of the single-season home run record, but

still Falls has to admit that not only did Tollin have the perfect choice in casting, Griffey was really the only choice.

Griffey, who will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum this weekend, was the most famous baseball

player in the world, and to this day, he may still be.

Walk into a sporting goods store and there may be bats and gloves with other players’ names on them, or jerseys of current players,

but there’s only one set of baseball cleats or bag or pants that have a specific player’s logo on them – and it’s the Swingman logo of

Griffey.

Swingman is Nike’s baseball version of Michael Jordan’s Jumpman logo, a pose so iconic that it doesn’t need words to convey the

meaning, it shows the end of Griffey’s iconic swing, the vapor trail of the bat through the hitting zone and most importantly, the

backwards cap.

Griffey, with the backwards cap, was baseball’s last pop culture icon, the last player that even non-baseball fans knew by sight. He

dominated commercials, video games, baseball shoes and was the most popular player in the game and the only choice when

baseball was trying to match the star power of basketball’s Jordan. In the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore, it was Jordan who was

seen chasing down Griffey for an autograph.

Griffey was the next in the line of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle – the bigger-than-life, all-American baseball player

for which fans of every team in baseball rooted.

Walking through the Grand Hall of the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego at the All-Star Game availability earlier this month,

Griffey’s name came up often, even without prompting – whether it was Toronto’s Josh Donaldson talking about playing “Major

League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr.” on the Nintendo 64 or Bryce Harper breaking down Griffey’s perfect swing – it was as if

he was still one of the game’s biggest stars, even six years after his last game.

“I don’t think there will ever be another Ken Griffey Jr., somebody that comes into the game and just changes it,” said Harper,

perhaps the most visible player in the game today. “He changed it for the better. Every single day he played, he was smiling,

laughing, enjoying the game – the hat backwards, going onto the field and doing everything possible to have fun and be one of the

best players out there.”

Griffey was “The Kid,” and that joyful presence, the backwards hat and the incomparable talent was what made him the game’s

biggest star.

Any child of the ’90s interested in the game played his series of video games for Nintendo, or wore his shoes, or wanted the 1989

Upper Deck rookie card or at least imitated his swing in games of Wiffle Ball.

Even those who didn’t follow baseball knew of his candy bar, commercials or appearances in movies and TV. Not only was he in

“Summer Catch,” he was also in “Little Big League.” Griffey was on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and was a bigger star than Will

Smith. He was on “The Simpsons,” the TV version of “Harry and the Hendersons,” “Arli$$” and even at MTV’s spring break. He

even rapped (“The Way I Swing”).

Then there were the commercials – Nike, Foot Locker, Pepsi, Nintendo. Even for a hitter, he was a heck of a pitcher when it came to

selling products. One of the more memorable campaigns for Nike was a run for president in 1996 – an idea that doesn’t seem too

bad 20 years later.

“He was the only guy I looked up to, he was the guy I wanted to be like, model my game after,” said Pirates center fielder Andrew

McCutchen. “I was right-handed trying to hit like him. He was left-handed. He was just that guy I just marveled at. Every time I’d

see him on TV and making a crazy catch or a long homer, I’d just be glued to the TV. He was definitely somebody I grew up

watching and definitely I still, to this day, look up to and respect.”

Ken Griffey Jr.’s top 5 moments as a Red

C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 4:10 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

The Kid comes home

Feb. 10, 2000

Ken Griffey Jr., then the most famous and best player in baseball, arrived in Cincinnati on Carl Lindner’s private jet and was then

chauffeured to Cinergy Field in the front seat of Lindner’s white Rolls Royce. It was the biggest day in Cincinnati baseball since the

parade for the 1990 team, and at the time, it was supposed to be a prelude to another World Series title. “Well, I’m finally home,”

Griffey said.

Walk-off inside-the-park homer

Aug. 20, 2001

In a largely forgettable season for the Reds, Griffey made one memorable moment late in the season. With the Cardinals riding an

11-game winning streak, the Reds tied the game in the ninth with an RBI single (and an obstruction call), lost the lead in the 10th,

and then hit two homers in the bottom of the inning to send the game to the 11th. Andy Benes, the Cardinals’ eighth pitcher, gave

up two homers in the 10th and then had two outs in the 11th when Griffey hit a ball to the wall in left-center field. It got by a

leap­ing Jim Edmonds and took a strange bounce into left field. By the time Kerry Robinson caught up to it, Griffey was sliding

home for a walk-off inside-the-park homer.

Homer for a hero

Sept. 25, 2001

Just two weeks after the terrorist attacks in New York, Katrina Marino wrote Reds public relations director Rob Butcher with a

request. The email read: “My husband, Kenny Marino, a Rescue 1 firefighter, is missing. Ken Griffey Jr. was his favorite player. . . .

If Ken Griffey Jr. could hit an extra home run for Kenny, I know he will be looking down with a big smile.” That night, Griffey

homered off Phillies starter Dave Coggin to lead off the fourth inning of a 8-1 Reds win. Griffey later met with Katrina Marino and

their two children.

No. 500

June 20, 2004

Ken Griffey Jr. sat on 499 home runs for a week waiting to get to 500. At the time it seemed like a long wait, especially since he’d

homered in three straight games for Nos. 496-498. But it set up one of the most endearing memories of The Kid – it was The Kid

and his dad on Father’s Day. Griffey, who said repeatedly his only goal was to be as good as his dad, gave his father a special gift,

his 500th home run. With Ken Griffey Sr. in the Busch Stadium stands, Griffey hit Matt Morris’ 2-2 offering in the sixth inning into

the stands in right field. Griffey went into the stands to hug his father and two oldest kids.

No. 600

June 9, 2008

By 2008, Griffey’s career with the Reds was winding down, but the milestone was waiting. He entered 2008 with 593 home runs

and it was only a matter of time before he’d become the sixth member of the 600 club. He hit No. 599 on May 31, and was 6 for 14

over his next seven games (with nine walks), but there were no home runs. In the first inning June 9 at the Marlins’ Dolphin

Stadium, Griffey crushed a 3-1 pitch from Florida starter Mark Hendrickson into the right-field stands for No. 600. He’d hit just

eight more home runs for the Reds before accepting a trade to the White Sox on July 31, 2008.

Votto, Bruce remember Griffey Jr. the teammate

Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com 4:08 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

When Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jay Bruce was 9, he called directory assistance from his home in Texas and asked for the

Kingdome in Seattle, Washington. He wanted to talk to Seattle Mariners star Ken Griffey Jr.

“I had all his shoes, I hit just like him,” said Bruce, whose request was denied by whomever answered in Seattle. “He was

unbelievable. For me, he was baseball.”

If it’s at all possible, Bruce might be a bigger Griffey fan now than he was as a child. He still wears nothing but Griffey gear –

specifically Griffey’s Swingman brand, produced by Nike – but now he bases his fandom off more than just Griffey’s cool factor in

the mid-’90s. He got to be Griffey’s teammate.

The two overlapped for only a couple of months in Bruce’s rookie season of 2008. Midway through the year, the Reds traded

Griffey to the Chicago White Sox. But even in that short time, the pair formed a bond that has persisted as Griffey prepares to enter

the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday.

“The fact that I still get to keep in touch with him now, it’s on a different level now,” Bruce said. “It’s not about baseball anymore.

It’s not about anything. It’s about his family and his kids and being a friend with me.”

Bruce, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips are the only current Reds who overlapped with Griffey during the latter’s nine seasons with

the franchise. None of them really got to see Griffey at his peak. The outfielder was 30 when he joined the franchise in 2000 and 36

by the time Phillips joined the organization in 2006.

Votto experienced a 37-year-old Griffey during the first baseman’s rookie season in 2007. Bruce got the 38-year-old version in

2008, and even played Griffey’s usual position of center while the veteran manned right field.

“Which felt super wrong,” Bruce added.

Griffey hit .270 as a Red, compared to .292 with the Mariners. Before he was traded at the deadline in 2008, he was hitting .245. But

still, flashes of his natural greatness would appear to his teammates.

Votto talked about how beautiful Griffey’s swing was, even that late in his career. To Bruce, it was clear that Griffey was not a

technician at the plate but an artist. He was a hitting savant.

“He just went out there and kind of freestyled it,” Bruce said. “That’s not to say he didn’t work extremely hard on his craft, but how

he worked on it was so fluid and natural. I don’t think it was really calculated. He knew what he needed to do and he did it with

what looked like a lot of ease.”

But Griffey’s teammates knew to expect greatness from a player who was included on the All-Century Team as an active player.

What they were surprised to realize was how down-to-earth Griffey was despite his superstardom.

His advice to teammates could have easily doubled as guidance in life. Griffey always told Bruce to relax and slow down. His

counsel for the business-like Votto was similar.

“He always told me to have fun, and I can’t relate to that at all,” Votto said. “ ‘Have fun! Smile, man!’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is

a bad start. I can’t even take advice from a clear Hall-of-Famer.’ ”

Both Votto and Bruce learned more from Griffey by watching him, even off the field. Bruce would watch as Griffey balanced 10-15

media requests a day along with his pre-game preparation. Ironically, the most incredible thing about him was how normal he was

despite his super­stardom.

Griffey earned a record 99.3 percent of the vote based off how amazing he was on the field. What will stick with his former Reds

teammates was how normal and likeable he was off it.

“When I look back on my failings in terms of interacting with other players, coaches, front office, umpires especially, I think about

him and I think about (Derek) Jeter and I think about the guys that have good relationships with nearly everyone in baseball and

how they just kind of chug along and do their job,” Votto said. “I admire those people.”

At Moeller, Griffey Jr. was main attraction

Tom Groeschen, tgroeschen@enquirer.com 3:57 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

Whenever Ken Griffey Jr. came to bat for Moeller High School, players and coaches from both teams would step to the front of

their dugouts in anticipation.

“Everything kind of stopped, and there was silence,” said Mike Cameron, who was Griffey’s head baseball coach at Moeller. “They

were waiting to see what Kenny would do, especially with opponents that hadn’t really seen Kenny.”

Griffey’s reputation as a prodigious longball hitter had everyone knowing that they were seeing something special. Griffey played at

Moeller in his junior and senior years (1986 and ’87), with scouts from every major league team visiting.

Griffey would become the No. 1 overall draftee by Seattle in 1987. By 1989, Griffey was in the major leagues with the Mariners at

age 19.

Today, Griffey is about to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. One of the

greatest careers in baseball history began at Moeller, where Griffey frequently hit baseballs out of sight. As a center fielder, Griffey

played with seemingly effortless grace and made difficult plays look routine.

Griffey did not play baseball in his first two years at Moeller. At the time Griffey’s father, Ken Sr., was still a major league player

and Griffey Jr. preferred to spend some spring trainings with his dad. Griffey Jr. also played summer baseball back then, before

joining the Moeller team in his junior year.

Griffey was so dangerous that he rarely saw many good pitches to hit, yet he remains atop the Moeller career batting average list

with a .478 lifetime mark.

“He saw more garbage than Rumpke,” Cameron said. “They wouldn’t pitch to him. Then you would see a high school pitcher say,

you know what, I’m going to challenge him so I could say I struck out Ken Griffey.”

Of course, that usually did not happen. Griffey would total 17 home runs in his two seasons at Moeller, a prodigious amount for the

relatively short Ohio prep seasons.

“He would hit balls so high, so majestic,” Cameron said. “We were playing Norwood down on their field, it was called Millcrest.

He hit one over the fence, over the trees and then it went over this building. I mean, it just kept going.”

Griffey’s Moeller homer total could have been much higher, for most high school fields did not have outfield fences in those days.

Cameron remembered that Purcell Marian used to play at Schmidt Field near the Ohio River, and that the Cavaliers would station

their outfielders out beyond the light poles when Griffey batted.

“Lee May Jr. tracked down three balls that Kenny hit that, nowadays, would have been out of most parks,” Cameron said.

May Jr. also became a first-round draftee (New York Mets) and played eight years in the minors.

Naturally, the major league scouts were out in force for Griffey.

“The average game, at times there would be 20 or 30 of them,” Cameron said. “Bobby Cox was general manager of the Atlanta

Braves then, and he came out. You just don’t see general managers at high school games. As it became more and more clear that

maybe only the first five teams in order of the draft would have a shot at him, they dropped off a little bit.”

Griffey joins another Moeller great, former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, as Cooperstown inductees who were coached by Cameron.

Larkin also was a football star at Moeller and Michigan coach Bo Schembechler badly wanted Larkin as a safety, but Larkin chose

baseball. Griffey, for his part, also played a little football at Moeller.

“Barry Larkin was the best athlete that I coached on a baseball field, but without question, Kenny Griffey was the best baseball

player that I coached,” Cameron said. “There’s a good argument that as a high school player, he might be the best to come out of

Cincinnati.”

Cameron is also pleased that Griffey did it without controversy. Griffey’s career coincided with the steroid era in MLB, but there

were never any accusations about Griffey as he accumulated 630 career homers.

“The thing I’m really proud of, there were no performance enhancing drugs,” Cameron said. “There’s not a single question about

that with him, and he’s a strong family person.”

Cameron said he will always remember the fun-loving young Griffey, who simply loved baseball and just wanted to blend in with

his teammates.

“He never tried to big-time anybody,” Cameron said. “He was never belligerent with us, or stubborn. He would listen, but at same

time he knew he had his swing down. How much was he paying attention? Probably not a lot.

“I can remember throwing batting practice to him. You could just see his hands, how quick they were. And once he got his bat

going, the bat speed. I just kind of marveled at it. I found myself looking and saying, oh my gosh. You knew he was was so much

different than the other players. He was a player that could have played in any era and been a star.”

ABOUT CAMERON: Cameron retired as Moeller coach after the 2007 season, after 39 seasons and four state championships.

Cameron compiled 767 wins, at the time an Ohio state record and now No. 3 on the list.

The 71-year-old Cameron still helps at Moeller as a junior varsity assistant coach. Cameron also has served for several years as an

official scorer at Cincinnati Reds home games.

Cameron said that he and one of his longtime former Moeller assistants, Paul Smith, and several family members will be among the

entourage for Griffey Jr. at the Cooperstown ceremonies.

GRIFFEY ON CAMERON: Griffey Jr., in a national Baseball Hall of Fame conference call this past week, was asked about coach

Mike Cameron’s influence on him during his time at Moeller.

“I know when I went in the cage for the first time, I swung 10 times and I missed like eight of them,” Griffey said. “He said, ‘This is

the All-Star we’re supposed to get?’ I kept telling him that I don’t like batting cages. I like to see the ball fly.

“We go outside, and I hit the first pitch over fence. He was like, ‘OK, never mind.’ ”

Griffey Jr. said Cameron did not give him any special treatment.

“He treated everyone the same,” Griffey said. “There were no favorites. You missed practice, you don’t play. Everything you

wanted in a coach, he did. There was no getting by.

“He’d check on you, check on your classes, make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to do. If he had something to say, he’d

pull you aside and talk to you. He never embarrassed you.”

Junior and the Little Red Machine

C. Trent Rosecrans, crosecrans@enquirer.com 3:46 p.m. EDT July 22, 2016

In the clubhouse at Great American Ball Park, there are action pictures of Reds players by their lockers. Players like Brandon

Phillips, Jay Bruce and Joey Votto have their pictures on the walls of the home clubhouse.

Those pictures have been there for years, rotating with the players, each showing that player on the field in a Reds uniform.

One was different, though. It was a young Ken Griffey Jr. playing in the father-son game in the ’70s, his trademark smile before it

was registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on full display.

Griffey would love to joke that the only team that could beat the Big Red Machine was the “Little Red Machine,” sons of the Reds

legends. Once a year, the fathers and sons would play at Riverfront Stadium.

“Back in those days, that was our hardest game, the father-son game, we couldn’t win that game,” Pete Rose said recently.

There was certainly big league talent on display. Among the future pro baseball players descended from the Big Red Machine were

Griffey (son of Ken Griffey), Eduardo Perez (son of Tony Perez), Brian McRae (son of Hal McRae), Pete Rose Jr. (son of Rose),

Pedro Bourbon Jr. (son of Pedro Bourbon), Ed Sprague Jr. (son of Ed Sprague), Stan Javier (son of Julian Javier), Bobby Crosby

(son of Ed Crosby), Lee May Jr. (son of Lee May), Tommy Helms Jr. and Ryan Helms (sons of Tommy Helms).

While not all of those players were in Cincinnati at once, it was that type of environment that Griffey grew up around, kids who

were around the game at the highest level and would try to emulate their famous fathers.

“They were all athletes, they loved the game of baseball. There’s something to being raised around the game of baseball, something

about going to the clubhouse with your dad,” Rose said.

“Every time I got ready to go to the ballpark, Pete was waiting in the car to go to the ballpark, whether it was hot or not, we were

ready to go. I’m sure McRae’s kid was the same. Perez’s kid was the same, not Victor, but Eduardo. A lot of them made the big

leagues. It’s called exposure. We exposed them to it.”

They were also exposed to winning. Not only did the Big Red Machine win a lot, but there was incentive for the kids to root for

their fathers to win. One of manager Sparky Anderson’s rules was that kids were allowed in the clubhouse only after victories – if

the Reds won, the kids got their coveted prize.

“So what did that create? The kids sitting up there rooting for their dads to win, ’cause they loved to be in the clubhouse, after the

game, we’d win, and we won a lot of games,” Rose said.

And when they won, Rose said, the kids would storm in, throwing balls around the clubhouse ready to revel in victory.

Johnny Bench said he remembers a mischievous young Griffey taking gum and more from his locker.

“He stole stuff out of my locker, gloves, hats, everything,” Bench said. “I told him, either give me the stuff back or I’m going to get

your (Hall of Fame) plaque.”

As great as the players on the Big Red Machine were, they also recognized greatness and saw it in a young Griffey early.

“I remember seeing him at his house when he was diving on a diving board, it was ridiculous. You could see the pure athlete,”

Bench said. “How good is he? The reports were unbelievable. He could do anything in any athletics – basketball, football – he could

do anything he wanted to do. Everything came so naturally. He was the perfect blend of an athlete, the five-tool (baseball player).”

Tony Perez, like everyone else in Cincinnati, had heard the tales of his former teammate’s son when he was the hitting coach for the

Reds in the late 1980s.

“Senior brought him in and asked me, ‘Doggie, I want you to see him hitting,’ because he was in high school,” Perez remembered

recently. “I said OK, bring him to the cage. I threw to him. I saw the swing and it was so perfect. I think I only threw about 10

pitches and he was whacking them and whacking them and whacking them.

“I said, ‘Hey, that’s enough. I see him.’ I told Griff, ‘Don’t let nobody work with him or tell him anything. Just let him play, he’s a

natural hitter.’ Seeing him go to the Hall of Fame is like seeing one of my kids go to the Hall of Fame.”

Straily helps Reds to 6-2 win

Zach Buchanan, zbuchanan@enquirer.com 12:04 a.m. EDT July 23, 2016

Dan Straily just likes the red jerseys. He didn’t know how good the Cincinnati Reds have played in them.

When the Reds took the field before their 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, they looked a little out of place. They

were wearing their red jersey tops, usually reserved for day games.

Reds fans – staunch traditionalists even when on newfangled social media services like Twitter – searched for meaning. Could it be

because the Reds were 18-17 in day games and 18-42 at night? Or that Straily was 4-1 with 3.35 ERA in daylight and 0-5 with a

4.60 mark under the lights?

None of the above, apparently. Clubhouse manager Rick Stowe just knows Straily likes the look.

“They know I’m partial to it,” Straily said. “They just asked me if I wanted to wear it and I said, ‘Yes, please.’ That was pretty

much the end of that.”

Whether the jerseys carry any mojo or Straily subscribes to the look-good-play-good theory of game-day appearance, the switch-up

worked. The right-hander gave up two runs and struck out eight in six innings, lowering his ERA to 4.01 after it spiked to 4.38 at

the All-Star break.

Straily gave up two runs in the first – including on a leadoff home run by Jean Segura – but found a groove thereafter. He left at 94

pitches in the sixth, although his spot coming up in the order could have had something to do with the relatively early hook.

“He’s been one of our best, most consistent starting pitchers,” manager Bryan Price said. “He had a little bit of a run there leading

up to the half. He’s come out of the half throwing the ball really well.”

Straily’s acquisition continues to be one of Cincinnati’s more obvious victories in 2016. The 27-year-old had trouble sticking in the

majors after a breakout rookie campaign with the Oakland Athletics in 2013, bouncing around in trades to the Chicago Cubs and

Houston Astros the last two years.

The Reds picked him up off the waiver wire before the season, costing them virtually nothing. Straily had already been traded from

the Astros to the San Diego Padres late in spring training before being waived.

“We’re reaping the dividends from a kid that had to kind of find a place,” Price said. “It looked like he had a place in Oakland and

then kind of got a little erratic. Then Chicago and Houston and bounced around and needed to find a place where someone would

give him the ball regularly and – I hate to admit it – with slightly less expectations than some of these other teams he’s pitched for.”

If Straily is a good example of diminishing expectations leading to opportunity leading to raised expectations, he has company with

center fielder Billy Hamilton. The switch-hitting Hamilton hit atop the order for the first time in nearly a month, going 2 for 4 with a

walk and two runs scored.

The Reds tried to force Hamilton into a leadoff role his first two years in the big leagues only to watch him flounder. But Price

began spring training in 2016 by telling Hamilton he’d hit lower in the order and have to earn his way back up.

“This is something we’ve kind of envisioned ever since Billy came to the big leagues, him hitting at the top and wreaking some

havoc,” Price said. “I’d like to see a lot more of that.”

By Friday, he’d done that, and provided exactly the catalyst the Reds hoped. He singled to start the game and was seemingly caught

stealing second, but a replay review showed he avoided the tag. He later scored on a three-run homer by Joey Votto.

Hamilton singled again in the second and stole two more bags, but was stranded. But he helped the Reds add on in the eighth,

drawing a walk and scoring from first on a Zack Cozart double to make it 6-2.

“It’s my spot to get,” Hamilton said. “I’m glad I had that chance. I think I did a little bit to deserve another chance up top again.”

WCPO - Channel 9 Getting to Cooperstown is hard for visitors as well as players

'You have to really want to get here'

John Popovich

2:26 PM, Jul 22, 2016

EDITOR'S NOTE: WCPO is looking back on Ken Griffey Jr.'s life growing up in Cincinnati, stunning success and Hall of Fame

career. See all of our coverage at WCPO.com/griffey.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - It's hard to get to Cooperstown if you're playing, and it's just as hard to get here if you're driving.

A T-shirt hanging in a shop window boasts of that.

"Cooperstown," it says, "conveniently located in the middle of nowhere."

Cooperstown and Otsego Lake.

"We're centrally isolated," deadpans Paul Kuhn, tourism advisor for the chamber of commerce, "and you know, we like it that way.

You have to really want to get here."

Kuhn meets people every day who really want to get here, especially this week especially with the Baseball Hall of Fame inducting

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza.

Take Lance Craig, a Reds fan from Findlay, Ohio. He and his family got here Thursday.

"All the guys in our family have come here for the last 16 years. We love baseball," Craig said.

The tiny village with a population of 1,834 (as of 2013) swells by 27,000 visitors on an average Hall of Fame Weekend, officials

say. Some 82,000 came when Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were inducted in 2007.

With Mets fans driving up to honor Piazza, nobody seems to know how big a crowd to expect on Sunday.

National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Cooperstown is a disputed home of baseball, but it's not changing its story anytime soon. It's way too popular. We should ad,

though, that you don't have to be a baseball fanatic to like it here.

"People from France and Great Britain come to see where the great author wrote all his works of literature," Kuhn said. That would

be James Fenimore Cooper, who wrote "The Last of the Mohicans."

"They're very interested to see the actual place, the lake (Otsego Lake) that he wrote about, all the hills that he wrote about in his

novels," Kuhn said.

Erardi: After Griffey Jr., Reds fans face long drought before next Hall induction

Chapman, Cueto, Votto still far from sure things

John Erardi, WCPO contributor

10:01 AM, Jul 22, 2016

CINCINNATI — If you think the hunt for Reds October is dormant, how about the hunt for future Reds in Cooperstown?

Unless Joey Votto has a second-half career in his 30s to rival Frank Robinson’s, or Johnny Cueto can channel Tom Glavine’s ages

31-41 seasons, it’s going to be at least another quarter century — and perhaps more like three decades — before a longtime Reds

player is enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Even that long a drought could become longer if the Reds can’t find the next Mike Trout or Bryce Harper pretty soon. Because

there’s not exactly a young Johnny Bench in the Reds farm system, you know what I’m sayin’?

This coming weekend is Ken Griffey Jr.’s moment in Cooperstown. The induction ceremony will have a heavy Cincinnati flavor

given that Griffey was raised here and starred at Moeller High School, played nine seasons with the Reds (2000-2008) and will be

feted by his father and Senior’s famous Big Red Machine teammates.

Junior’s greatest years were in Seattle (1989-1999). He went on the ballot late last year and was elected to Cooperstown by 99.32

percentage of the vote, a Hall of Fame record that eclipsed the 98.84 percent of another “second-career” Red, Tom Seaver. Griffey

will be enshrined with Mike Piazza, the former Los Angeles Dodger and New York Met, in Cooperstown on Sunday. Griffey will

go in “wearing” a Seattle Mariners’ cap. So it’s more of a Seattle than a Cincinnati affair.

Not since the 20 seasons between Eppa Rixey in 1963 and Frank Robinson in 1982 (Robinson went into Cooperstown “wearing” a

Baltimore Orioles cap on his plaque, but he played more games as a Red) have Cincinnati fans had to wait as many as 10 years for a

Baseball Hall of Fame induction.

The decade from 1990 to 2000 didn’t feel all that long of a respite, because in nine of those 10 years — the years between Joe

Morgan in 1990 and Tony Perez, Sparky Anderson and Bid McPhee in 2000 — Perez was on the ballot (1991-1999).

Waiting 30 years for a Hall of Famer may not seem inordinately long considering that only 1 percent of the players who have put on

a major league uniform ever reach Valhalla. But consider this: In the 31 years covering 1982 through 2012, the Reds have put eight

players or managers into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, more than any other club in baseball.

That’s a different type of Great Eight — the monicker of the Big Red Machine’s starting lineup — but it’s just as special. And Pete

Rose would have made nine.

If it seems like we in Reds Country have been busy in Cooperstown the past three decades, it’s because we have been.

Tied for second for Hall of Fame inductees from 1982 through 2012 are the Giants and Orioles. (Yes, I gave them Frank Robinson;

how could I not, with four World Series, two of them World Championships and a Triple Crown, not to mention that O’s cap on his

head?).

Tied for fourth at six are the Yankees and Cardinals.

The only other clubs with a full handful of inductees from 1982 through 2012 are the Dodgers, Red Sox, A’s and Cubs.

(Granted, the Braves had a heck of a run in 2014 and 2015 with Bobby Cox, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz. So, if

you make it around 35 years — 1982 through this year — the Reds and Braves are tied at eight.)

Yes, we’ve been spoiled here in Reds Country. But we’re about to find out how other fans live when it comes to Cooperstown.

As electric as is Aroldis Chapman, if he’s going to make it to the promised land, the six-year Red (2010-2015) is probably going to

have to find a way at least to play in a World Series if not win a ring or two. That’s because, of the last four relievers to make it to

Cooperstown — Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage — only Sutter doesn’t have a ring (but did play

in a World Series). And the biggest reliever of all — Mariano Riviera, first eligible in 2019 — is gold-laden.

True, Scott Rolen has a shot — 70 career WAR (wins above replacement) puts him clearly in the Cooperstown conversation — but

he played only 3 1/2 seasons here (2009-2012) at the end of his 17-year career, and only the first half of his first full season as a Red

(2010) was anything to write home about.

Reds in Cooperstown

Reds players since 1876 that have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. All played more games for Cincinnati than any

other team

Player

Inducted

Edd Roush

1962

Eppa Rixey

1963

Frank Robinson

1982

Ernie Lombardi

1986

Johnny Bench

1989

Joe Morgan

1990

Bid McPhee

2000

Tony Perez

2000

Sparky Anderson

2000

Barry Larkin

2012

Fay: Are Reds doing enough to honor Griffey Jr.'s induction into Hall?

Mariners stage 'Junior Weekend' of events

John Fay

6:01 AM, Jul 23, 2016

EDITOR'S NOTE: WCPO is looking back on Ken Griffey Jr.'s life growing up in Cincinnati, stunning success and Hall of Fame

career. See all of our coverage at WCPO.com/griffey.

COOPERSTOWN, NY — A couple of weeks after entering the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ken Griifey Jr. will be honored in

Seattle. The Mariners are putting on a Junior Weekend. There’s a charity event on Friday, and his number will retired on Saturday.

The Reds don’t have anything scheduled to honor Griffey. Griffey played eight and a half seasons with his hometown team.

The Reds aren’t ignoring Griffey’s induction. They gave away a dual Griffey bobblehead, which featured him in a Reds and a

Mariners uniform, May 21. They played in uniforms from the Griffey era on Wednesday. A contingent from Reds ownership and

the organization also will be in Cooperstown for his induction.

Griffey was invited to be in Cincinnati for the bobblehead night, and he considered coming for Pete Rose’s weekend. He didn’t

make either because of scheduling conflicts.

“He is not scheduled to come in at this point,” said Karen Forgus, the Reds senior vice president of business operations.

“There’s not anything formal scheduled,” said Brian Goldberg, Griffey’s agent.

Something still could happen. “I’m sure he’s open-minded to whatever they want to do,” Goldberg said.

Griffey’s only public appearance at Great American Ball Park since he was traded in 2008 was for his induction in the Reds Hall of

Fame in 2014.

Only nine of the Reds in the national Hall of Fame played the majority of their careers in Cincinnati. Of them, Frank Robinson,

Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Barry Larkin have had their numbers retired. That’s unlikely to happen in Griffey’s case. His

number in Seattle is what got him to the Hall, and he wore two different numbers — 30 from 2000 to 2005 and 3 from 2006 to 2008

— with the Reds.

“You only have so many numbers,” Goldberg said. “I know he switched ... but the combination of him and Senior wearing 30. I

don’t get mad. When I see a new player wearing that number, I kind of laugh.”

Kyle Waldrop is currently wearing 30. It wasn’t lost on him, especially in the throwbacks.

“I thought about it,” he said. “I thought, ‘I’m wearing Ken Griffey Jr.’s number.’”

Again, something still could happen to honor Griffey. “The Reds kind of deferred and let the Mariners do their thing first,”

Goldberg said.

The thing about Griffey is, he stays away from the game. His children are his priority. If Trey, Taryn or Tevin has a game, Griffey

doesn’t missed it. Trey plays football at Arizona State (and the Mariners drafted him last month, in case he wants to go into the

family business). Taryn plays basketball there.

“Anything people think of Junior, true or not true, he’s a huge family man, a mama’s boy,” Goldberg said.

DAYTON DAILY NEWS Hal McCoy: Hall of Fame is Griffey’s just reward

SPORTS By Hal McCoy - Contributing Writer

Posted: 12:00 a.m. Saturday, July 23, 2016

Ken Griffey Jr. takes his rightful place in baseball’s Hall of Fame on Sunday and the three guys who didn’t vote for him should

have their voting privileges revoked. Permanently.

If Griffey isn’t a Hall of Famer then they should dismantle the Cooperstown shrine brick by brick.

It is true Griffey did not perform as well as a member of the Cincinnati Reds as he did with the Seattle Mariners, but there were

mitigating circumstances. He spent as much time in the athletic trainer’s room as he did on the field. Injuries sapped him.

And there were countless times that he was on the field when he shouldn’t have been, when he was playing on one leg and still

playing better than most outfielders.

When general manager Jim Bowden made the trade in 2000 to acquire Griffey from Seattle, Bowden said, “Baseball is back in

Cincinnati. There will be parades in downtown Cincinnati with Griffey leading it.”

Those of us in the room scratched our heads. Baseball is back in Cincinnati? Where had it been? The 1999 Reds lost a game to the

New York Mets that would have put them in the playoffs.

And it was done with a good offensive team that lacked pitching. Manager Jack McKeon was livid. While he appreciated the

addition of Griffey, he said, “We don’t need more hitting. We need pitching. If we had pitching we’d be in the playoffs.”

There is no doubt that Griffey, in his prime in Seattle, was baseball’s best player — the best hitter and best center fielder.

And he did it honestly. His name never was associated with steroids or HGH or any other enhancements. He didn’t need it and he

didn’t want it.

It was a shame in 1998 when both Mark McGwire (70) and Sammy Sosa (66) broke the Roger Maris/Babe Ruth (61/60) home run

records, allegedly using needles and suspect supplements to bloat up their bodies.

That same year Griffey hit 56 home runs, as he had done the year before. But despite doing it the right way he was practically

ignored. Fifty-six home runs? So what? Look what McGwire and Sosa did.

I’ll never forget sitting with a Chicago Cubs official in Great American Ball Park when the Cubs played the Reds. Sosa swung and

missed a pitch to strike out and the guy said, “You might have hit that pitch if you didn’t have a needle in your butt.”

McGwire and Sosa will never enter the Hall of Fame without a ticket, but Griffey, a guy who always did it right, is getting his

rightful due.

And he was a delight to work with. He loved to sit on a large black steamer trunk in front of his locker, his hat on backwards, and

talk to the media.

But he was discerning. He had no time for fools, especially those he thought had wronged him somewhere along the line.

On the day of his press conference upon his arrival in Cincinnati, I asked a question. I’d never met him. He looked at me and said, “I

checked about you with my dad (Ken Griffey Sr., one of Cincinnati’s Great Eight) and he said you’re all right. So you are all right

with me.”

And we always had a great relationship. What I liked most about Griffey, other than he was a greater person than he was a player

(and that’s saying a ton), is that he didn’t like talking about himself. But if you asked about his wife and family he would talk

forever, especially about his kids and their athletic prowess.

There should be a Hall of Fame for outstanding human beings. Even the three guys who didn’t vote for him for baseball’s Hall of

Fame would have to vote for him for that.

Posted: 4:57 pm Friday, July 22nd, 2016

Jay Bruce: One of Griffey’s biggest backers

By Hal McCoy

CINCINNATI — There is a circular red, white and blue plaque next to Jay Bruce’s locker with ‘Griffey’ on it and the ‘Swingman’

logo.

‘Swingman’ is the Nike trademark for Ken Griffey Jr. gear and for there last three years Bruce has worn that gear — shoes, shirts,

batting gloves.

There is probably no bigger fan of Griffey than Bruce and he is probably more excited about Junior’s Hall of Fame induction

Sunday than Griffey himself. Of the gear, Bruce said Griffey asked him if he’d like to wear it and he said “It was a no-brainer, a

great honor, actually.

“The first time I ever walked into this clubhouse when I was 18 Griffey was sitting right here on his big black trunk and a couple of

years later I was playing center field and he was playing right,” said Bruce. “Now I’m standing right here where he stood and I’m

using the locker he used. I’ve been through a lot here. I’ve had the best moments of my life.”

BRUCE ONLY PLAYED with Griffey at the tail of Griffey’s career when age and injuries caught up with him.

“But it was unbelievable,” said Bruce. “You still saw flashes of his brilliance even when he was 36 or 37 and not 100 per cent of

what he used to be. He still had some of the most crazy ability and natural instincts that I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even a dream come

true to play with him because I couldn’t even have dreamed about that.

“There are so many things about him that I remember and above all else he is a friend,” Bruce added. “He is a very, very good

person and I enjoyed hanging out and staying in touch. And these days it isn’t even about baseball. It is life stuff and family we talk

about.

“Unfortunately, he left here with a bad taste in his mouth. He was not treated very well by some of the fans. They should have

considered how fortunate they were to have Ken Griffey Jr. wear a Cincinnati Reds uniform,” said Bruce.

GRIFFEY, OF COURSE, LEFT the Reds via trade before he retired and now it looks as if Bruce will go the same route before next

week’s trade deadline.

“This has been 365 days straight, or more than that, that I’m getting traded,” he said. “It hasn’t happened yet, even though there has

been plenty written, said and typed about it. I am standing here, waiting to see.”

Bruce has handled the tumult and the torture and the trauma with typical dignity, even though he admits there are times it is

challenging.

“I try my best to manage it and do a fairly solid job of it,” he said. “But at the end of the day, man, it starts to creep in. It is a tough

situation, a tough situation for the Reds. They have to do what they can to better the organization, but I’m a human being. Over the

next 10 days I may be here and I may be somewhere else. At this point, it has gone on a long, long, long time. Whatever happens I’ll

just go play here or elsewhere. I know this could be my last series in a Reds uniform and that’s something I can’t even believe.”

THERE ARE MANY THINGS Griffey and Bruce have in common, but the No. 1 trait is that both are solid personalities, great

human beings and anybody who gets to know them realizes they are straight shooters and first class people.

Bruce said Griffey told him he has never been to the Hall of Fame and Bruce said he hasn’t been there, either. But he plans to tape

Sunday’s ceremony and, “It will be so cool to watch.”

Hamilton regains leadoff spot for Cincinnati Reds

SPORTS By Mark Schmetzer - Contributing Writer

Posted: 6:32 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2016

CINCINNATI — Billy Hamilton didn’t have a mirror handy when he walked into the clubhouse before Friday’s game, but he’s

pretty sure he knows what he looked like when he saw that he was batting leadoff in manager Bryan Price’s batting order.

“I thought, ‘Is that a misprint?’ ” the center fielder said. “I’m sure my face lit up.”

Hamilton batted leadoff against the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time since June 29 and 11th time this season. . He earned

the promotion from the No. 2 slot, trading places with shortstop Zack Cozart, while hitting .389 during a four-game hitting streak

and .333 over his last seven games.

“It’s a move I wanted to make when he started getting on base more,” Price said. “Zack’s not a base stealer. Billy is, but I had to

warrant putting Billy ahead of Zack. Now, Billy getting on base could put the infield in motion and open some holes for Zack to

work with. There could be a lot of good things happen if it works out the way we want it to. I’m really happy with the way Billy has

played. It may seem like a minor switch, but we think it can help the offense. It’s something we wanted to try once we started seeing

more production from Billy.”

Even batting second, Hamilton has been particularly destructive lately. He’s stolen five bases and scored six runs in his last seven

games, and he’s scored from second on a passed ball and on a fielder’s-choice grounder to third that Adam Duvall beat out to

prevent a double play. He also scored from third on a walkoff passed ball to beat Milwaukee on Sunday.

He hopes to keep the pressure on at leadoff.

“That’s where I want to be,” he said. “Leadoff is always where I’ve been, but Bryan told me that if I don’t earn the spot, then I’m

not going to be there. It’s tough playing my game at the bottom of the order. My game is being aggressive. I’m going to take what I

was doing down lower to the ‘1’ hole.”

One more: Right-hander Homer Bailey will make at least one more start for Triple-A Louisville before the Reds decide he’s ready

to the return to the majors.

Bailey, who hasn’t pitched since May 2015 and is trying to come back from Tommy John surgery, is due to start Monday, and Price

said they’d like to see him reach 90 pitches. He threw 83 in his last start on Wednesday.

“He felt very good for five innings, but then he tired in the sixth,” Price said. “He wasn’t going to force it. That’s where you get into

trouble. He was smart enough to acknowledge it.”

Even if Bailey reaches 90 pitches, that doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed he’ll rejoin the Reds rotation. The upcoming schedule includes

enough days off that the Reds won’t need a fifth starter until at least August 6 in Pittsburgh.

“Homer will get one more on the 25th, then we’ll see where he is,” Price said. “We’ll assess whether he’ll continue in the minors or

come up.”

Spot start: Right-hander Keyvius Sampson, who stretched himself out with four innings of relief July 16, gets the spot start on

Saturday for Cincinnati in the second game of the three-game series against the National League West Division cellar-dwelling

Diamondbacks. Sampson (0-1) will be opposed by left-hander Robbie Ray (5-8) in the 7:10 p.m. game.

Posted: 10:33 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2016

Back in leadoff spot, Hamilton sparks Cincinnati Reds

By Mark Schmetzer

Contributing Writer

CINCINNATI — Bryan Price couldn’t ask for dividends any more immediate than what he enjoyed Friday night.

The Reds manager’s move of Billy Hamilton back into the leadoff slot sparked a three-run first inning, all on Joey Votto’s home

run, and Tucker Barnhart added a solo shot as the Reds opened their three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 6-

2 win.

Hamilton went 2-for-4 with a walk, scored two runs – one from first base on a double by former leadoff hitter Zack Cozart – and

stole three bases. The production was eerily similar to what Price described before the game.

“I told you what I hoped would happen,” he said. “Tonight, it did. It was a great first day for that switch.”

The Reds, the National League Central Division’s last-place team, improved to 5-2 on their nine-game homestand against

Milwaukee, the Central’s fourth-place team, and Atlanta and Arizona, which occupy the bottom rungs in their respective divisions.

Cincinnati also snapped a five-game losing streak against the Diamondbacks. The Reds had lost eight of their last 10 overall against

Arizona and also had lost five straight, six of seven and seven of their last against the Diamondbacks at Great American Ball Park.

Hamilton lined Archie Bradley’s (3-6) first pitch of the game to center field for a single, giving him a five-game hitting streak (9-

for-22, .409). He stole second base, though he was called out, a decision overturned after a replay review. Former leadoff hitter

Zack Cozart walked and Votto drove a 0-1 pitch the opposite way into the left field seats for his 17th home run.

Votto has at least one hit in each of Cincinnati’s first seven games since the All-Star break and is hitting .522 (12-for-23). The

homer was his third in that stretch.

The rally snuffed out the 2-0 lead Arizona grabbed in the top of the first on Jean Segura’s leadoff home run and Welington

Castillo’s sacrifice fly as Dan Straily got off to a shaky start. Straily (5-6) bounced back to strike out the side in the second and

escaped without further damage while lasting six innings, allowing five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts, his second-

highest total of the season.

“They get the leadoff homer,” he said. “It is what it is. The second inning was big for me. I went out there with a lead. It helped me

settle in.”

Straily, making his first career appearance against the Diamondbacks, limited Arizona’s No. 3 and 4 hitters, Paul Goldschmidt and

Jake Lamb, to 0-for-5 with one walk. Lamb went into the game leading the majors with a .714 slugging percentage since May 15

while Goldschmidt had hit .340 with six homers and 29 RBIs over his previous 36 games.

The pair finished a combined 0-for-6, including Lamb’s three strikeouts.

Barnhart greeted relief pitcher Randall Delgado with a home run to lead off the sixth. Barnhart’s fifth homer and second in two

games landed in the netting over the visitors’ bullpen down the right-field line. Barnhart had four career major-league home runs

going into the season.

Brandon Phillips chipped in with a two-out, seventh-inning RBI single to right, extending his hitting streak to 10 games (13-for-37,

.351), Cincinnati’s longest active streak, and Cozart followed Hamilton’s two-out eighth-inning walk with an RBI double into the

left-field corner.

“To finally got another chance up there is good,” Hamilton said. “I think I did a little bit to deserve another chance. The main thing

is I want to get there and stay there. I don’t mind hitting one or two. Zack doesn’t mind hitting one or two, but we’re different

players. He’s a doubles machine.”

Right-hander Raisel Iglesias turned in his seventh consecutive scoreless appearance, all lasting at least two innings. Cincinnati’s

Opening Day starter finished with three strikeouts and a walk in two innings while dropping his ERA to 0.50 in nine relief

appearances since coming off the disabled list June 21.

He capped his appearance with a strikeout of Brandon Drury, the 11th of the game by Reds’ pitchers, which sparked roars from the

crowd of 24,252 relishing free LaRosa’s pizza. Iglesias doffed his cap to the fans as he walked off the field.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Posted: 11:17 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2016

Votto hits 3-run HR, Reds beat slumping Diamondbacks 6-2

By JOE KAY

The Associated Press

CINCINNATI — Reds manager Bryan Price made one tweak to his lineup and then watched his most reliable player come through

again.

Joey Votto extended his post-All Star break surge with a three-run homer, and Dan Straily pitched six innings on Friday night,

leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-2 victory over the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks.

Price moved Billy Hamilton back to the leadoff spot — he had batted lower in the lineup most of the season while he struggled at

the plate. Hamilton led off the first inning with a single and scored when Votto connected off Archie Bradley (3-6).

"To finally get another chance up there is good," said Hamilton, who had two hits, a walk, and three steals off Bradley. "I think I did

a little bit to deserve another chance. The main thing is I want to get there and stay there."

Votto has hit safely in all seven games since the All-Star break, going 12 for 23 with a double, three homers, eight RBIs and seven

walks.

Tucker Barnhart added a solo homer in the sixth off Randall Delgado. Brandon Phillips later singled home a run, extending his

hitting streak to 10 games. Zack Cozart had an RBI double in the eighth.

Straily (5-6) made his fourth straight quality start, settling down after a rough first inning. Jean Segura opened the game with a

homer, and Michael Bourn doubled and scored on Welington Castillo's sacrifice fly. Straily gave up five hits in six innings.

"The second inning was big for me," said Straily, who gave up only three more hits during his six innings. "I went out there with a

lead. It helped me settle in."

Bradley gave the lead right back with an even worse opening inning. Hamilton singled, Cozart walked, and Votto followed with his

17th homer before the Reds made an out. Cincinnati had three hits, two walks and a hit batter during the inning.

"It's the walks," Bradley said. "They say if you're going to play with fire, you're eventually going to get burned. Tonight I did. Time

after time, I keep putting myself in bad situations."

The game got heated in the third inning. In his next at-bat following his homer, Segura was plunked in the lower back by Straily's

first pitch. Segura motioned toward the mound with his left hand and said something to the pitcher. Plate umpire Carlos Torres got

between Segura and catcher Barnhart and restored calm.

The Reds got the better in a matchup of last-place clubs. The Diamondbacks began the day with second-year manager Chip Hale

hearing reports that the team had considered changing managers. Arizona has dropped 16 of 20.

Hale's only comment: "I would just say you're never surprised in this game about anything."

BIG CHANGE

Hamilton opened the Reds' first with a single and was called out at second base on a steal attempt. A video review showed he got

his hand on the base before Segura's tag, and the call was overturned. Hamilton scored on Votto's homer.

STATS

The Diamondbacks have won eight of their last 11 against the Reds. They had won five straight at Great American Ball Park before

the loss on Friday. ... Bradley had a 1.57 ERA in his four previous road starts. ... It was Segura's fourth career leadoff homer, his

third this season. ... Hamilton is 9 for 22 during a five-game hitting streak. His three steals gave him 30 for the season. His career

high is 57 last season.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks: RHP Zach Greinke will have a full bullpen session on Saturday and the Diamondbacks will decide whether he's

ready to pitch in a simulated game. Greinke has been on the DL since July 3 with a strained left oblique.

Reds: RHP Homer Bailey will make another minor league rehab start on Monday and the club will decide if he's ready to be

activated. Bailey had Tommy John surgery a year ago.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (5-8) pitched seven shutout innings in a win over the Dodgers in his last game. He's faced the

Reds one other time, taking the loss last year while giving up three runs in six innings.

Reds: RHP Keyvius Sampson (0-1) makes his first start of the season after seven relief appearances. He's 2-6 career as a starter with

a 6.66 ERA.

TRANSACTIONS 07/22/16

Washington Nationals signed free agent RHP Justin DeFratus to a minor league contract.

Los Angeles Dodgers sent LF Enrique Hernandez on a rehab assignment to AZL Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers recalled C Austin Barnes from Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Philadelphia Phillies designated LHP Daniel Stumpf for assignment.

Philadelphia Phillies recalled Severino Gonzalez from Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Chicago Cubs optioned Spencer Patton to Iowa Cubs.

Chicago Cubs optioned Albert Almora Jr. to Iowa Cubs.

Chicago Cubs activated CF Dexter Fowler from the 15-day disabled list.

Chicago Cubs activated LHP Mike Montgomery.

Baltimore Orioles sent RHP Darren O'Day on a rehab assignment to Bowie Baysox.

Baltimore Orioles recalled Dariel Alvarez from Norfolk Tides.

Baltimore Orioles placed LF Joey Rickard on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 21, 2016. Right thumb ligament injury.

Chicago Cubs sent LF Chris Coghlan on a rehab assignment to Tennessee Smokies.

Texas Rangers designated LHP Cesar Ramos for assignment.

Texas Rangers activated LHP Jake Diekman from the 15-day disabled list.

Washington Nationals sent LHP Sammy Solis on a rehab assignment to Potomac Nationals.

Cleveland Indians recalled Cody Anderson from Columbus Clippers.

Cleveland Indians placed RHP Joseph Colon on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 19, 2016. Right shoulder inflammation.

Toronto Blue Jays designated RHP Dustin Antolin for assignment.

Toronto Blue Jays optioned Aaron Loup to Buffalo Bisons.

Toronto Blue Jays optioned Andy Burns to Buffalo Bisons.

Toronto Blue Jays activated LHP Franklin Morales from the 60-day disabled list.

Toronto Blue Jays activated RHP Marco Estrada from the 15-day disabled list.

Houston Astros recalled Preston Tucker from Fresno Grizzlies.

San Francisco Giants sent SS Ehire Adrianza on a rehab assignment to Sacramento River Cats.

Toronto Blue Jays sent RF Jose Bautista on a rehab assignment to Buffalo Bisons.

Los Angeles Dodgers optioned Julio Urias to Oklahoma City Dodgers.

Seattle Mariners recalled Luis Sardinas from Tacoma Rainiers.

Boston Red Sox optioned Noe Ramirez to Pawtucket Red Sox.

Boston Red Sox activated RHP Junichi Tazawa from the 15-day disabled list.

Pittsburgh Pirates sent Erik Kratz outright to Indianapolis Indians.