Reds Tidbits (2006 Season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

Reds bank on OF's redemption
Former No. 1 pick 'good kid from a good family,' Narron says
BY JOHN FAY | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - When Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky mentioned to manager Jerry Narron that the club had a plan to obtain Josh Hamilton, Narron had one thought:
"Wow."
Narron has known Hamilton since Hamilton was a 15-year-old. He knows Hamilton's story - the decline from a can't-miss prospect to a skid-row drug addict.
I felt all along if anyone could help the kid, it was me because of the relationship I've had with him. I know his past. I know his family. He's a good kid from a good family.
"He got caught up in something no one can explain. But I'm telling you, he's not a bad kid."
Narron will get a chance to help with Hamilton's redemption. The Reds gave Hamilton a fresh start Thursday by trading for him after the Chicago Cubs selected him in the Rule 5 Draft from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
It is a $50,000 gamble - that's what the Reds paid to get Hamilton. They have to keep him on their big-league roster all year or offer him back to the Devil Rays for $25,000.
"There are risks with anything," Krivsky said. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Getting Hamilton for $50,000 is like buying a baseball lottery ticket: It could pay off big, but the odds aren't in your favor.
Hamilton realizes that himself. He thinks that's why the Devil Rays didn't protect him, even though they had paid him a then-record $3.95 million bonus after they selected him with the first pick in the 1999 draft.
"I don't think they thought anyone would take a chance on me," Hamilton said.
The Reds realized the risk but didn't go into it blindly.
"You do as much background work as you can and you make a decision," Krivsky said. "There's risk in everything you do. I'm not sure there's ever been a one-one pick taken in the Rule 5. We feel it's worth the gamble.
"We like his upside still. He's still relatively young at 25."
"One-one" is a reference to Hamilton going with the first pick overall in the 1999 draft.
He was the first high school position player taken first since Alex Rodriguez. That speaks to his talent. Hamilton threw 95 mph as a pitcher. And he had power and speed to go with that remarkable arm. He was a perfect 6-foot-4, 205-pound package of skills.
But all that talent is tempered by the fact that Hamilton missed 31/2 seasons while on the restricted list because of a drug suspension.
Narron's willingness to take on the challenge was a big factor in the Reds taking the risk and getting Hamilton.
"We know he's going to need a lot of support," Narron said. "I talked to him (Thursday). We're having lunch tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it."
Narron first saw Hamilton when he was 15 and playing for Narron's brother Johnny's fall league team.
"He stood out," Narron said. "He was a tremendous pitcher and outfielder."
Hamilton's pro career started well. He hit .347 with 10 home runs and 48 RBI in 56 games in Rookie Ball in '99. In 2000, he was named the low-A player of the year by Baseball America after hitting .302 with 13 home runs and 61 RBI in 96 games.
Injuries slowed him in 2001. He said he began using drugs after a serious automobile accident in 2001. The drugs led to a suspension by Major League Baseball on July 10, 2002.
He was allowed to return and work out with minor-leaguers this spring. He was finally cleared to play June 30 this year.
He told USA Today in March that he had been in and out of eight drug rehab centers since 2003 but has been clean since Oct. 6, 2005.
"I'm a drug addict," Hamilton told USA Today. "It's not terminal, but there is no cure. It's hell on earth. It's a constant struggle. And it's going to be like that for the rest of my life."
Crack was his drug of choice, he said, although he used others as well. "It got so bad at the end that I just started smoking (crack)," he told USA Today. "I did it so much it was like smoking cigarettes."
Hamilton played only 15 games at Single-A Hudson Valley before a knee injury ended his season. The injury was minor. He says he's 100 percent and happy for a fresh start.
"You can't describe it. It's a dream come true," Hamilton said. "From where I've been the last three or four years, for this to happen and that people have confidence in me for where I'm going now and how I'm living my life ...
"Baseball is something I do and have been good at in the past. I'm fortunate somebody still has faith in me."
If he can stay clean - he's drug-tested three times a week - Hamilton thinks he can regain his skills.
"Baseball has never been the problem," he said. "I've always known I had the ability to do it, and it's something I love doing. I've been practicing and working hard while I've been at home. I'm feeling good. I guarantee I'll come in the best shape I've been in since I've been playing. I'm just excited about it. I'll just go out there and play the best I can."
"He hasn't played in awhile," Narron said. "It's going to take time. But if he gets back to where he was, we'll have something special."

E-mail [email protected]

Hamilton on his struggles with drug addiction"I'm a drug addict. It's not terminal, but there is no cure. It's hell on earth. It's a constant struggle. And it's going to be that way for the rest of my life."

About Josh Hamilton
Height: 6 feet 4

Weight: 235 pounds

Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.

Bats/throws: Left

Drafted: Was the first selection taken in 1999 by Tampa Bay. Other notable first-rounders that year included Josh Beckett (2), Barry Zito (9) and Ben Sheets (10). He was the first high school position player taken first overall since Alex Rodriguez.

Since reinstatement: Hit .260 (13-for-50) with Hudson Valley in 15 games last summer before undergoing season-ending knee surgery.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Druggie?

Point being he has a chance to shed the label. Not trying to harp on his past.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

I sit here and watch all the inactivty out of the Reds camp and I can't help but think - it is the right move.

I realize they can't improve by stitting in their hands, but you can't tell me throwing 9 mill a year at a RH SP with a record 10 games under .500 (Bautista) is going to help them either. You also can't tell me the Cubs aren't going to regret at least half of what they spent by the end of next season and that it won't drag them down even more in the long run.

This is without a doubt the most ignorant offseason in MLB history and sitting and watching the world go by is, without a doubt, the right move. Like any market, it will correct itself, and when it does, we will have the flexibility to swoop in and make the smarter choices. It sucks to watch Huston throw $100 mill at Carlos Lee, but ther is no way he shouldn't be moving to a DH before his contract is over. I just don't get it.

 

[jlb1705]

I sit here and watch all the inactivty out of the Reds camp and I can't help but think - it is the right move.

I realize they can't improve by stitting in their hands, but you can't tell me throwing 9 mill a year at a RH SP with a record 10 games under .500 (Bautista) is going to help them either. You also can't tell me the Cubs aren't going to regret at least half of what they spent by the end of next season and that it won't drag them down even more in the long run.

This is without a doubt the most ignorant offseason in MLB history and sitting and watching the world go by is, without a doubt, the right move. Like any market, it will correct itself, and when it does, we will have the flexibility to swoop in and make the smarter choices. It sucks to watch Huston throw $100 mill at Carlos Lee, but ther is no way he shouldn't be moving to a DH before his contract is over. I just don't get it.

I agree, Gil Meche is getting over $10 million a year now. Gil Freakin' Meche. Some franchises have the resources to recover from irrational decisions like that. The Reds don't. There are certainly free agents out there that could help the Reds, even if you don't consider the Barry Zitos of the world. However, with the way the market is right now, it would hurt them more to spend that kind of money on the kind of player the Reds could normally expect to be able to afford. The Reds best chance at improving the roster this year will be to scour for players like Brandon Phillips, and if they are still in contention mid-season, maybe they can trade for somebody with the other team willing to eat a large portion of their contract.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

if they are still in contention mid-season, maybe they can trade for somebody with the other team willing to eat a large portion of their contract.

100% agree, let's not take the hit till we see where we are at.

maybe we can trade away another extra OF to Boston since they have 7 SP going into the season again and watch him turn into the next Arroyo. Theo, what do you think of Ryan Freel? We could take that Papelbon fellow off your hands?

 

[CookyPuss]

100% agree, let's not take the hit till we see where we are at.

maybe we can trade away another extra OF to Boston since they have 7 SP going into the season again and watch him turn into the next Arroyo. Theo, what do you think of Ryan Freel? We could take that Papelbon fellow off your hands?

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

The Reds claimed left-hander Bobby Livingston off waivers from the Seattle Mariners Thursday, two days after Tampa Bay attempted to claim and trade him.
The Devil Rays claimed him from Seattle off waivers Tuesday and sent him to Philadelphia for cash, but Major League Baseball nullified those moves, awarding Livingston to the Reds.
"It wasn't following the order of teams on the list," MLB spokesman Patrick Courtney told Reds.com.



I love how nothing gets past Wayne K.

I would guess it means Schoenweis is gone, but we tendered him and should get a high pick in return.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I don't like losing SS. I thought he would be a main cog in our bullpen next year.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Cincy

Krivsky squarely in charge
Recent departures suggest friction
ANALYSIS BY JOHN FAY | [email protected]
"I want to work for one club my entire career. That may sound stupid, but that's what my mentor, Tony Robello, taught."
--Johnny Almaraz, Oct. 11, 2001
Two general managers and five years later, Johnny Almaraz, the Reds' director of player development/international operations, walked away from the team last week without another job, despite urging from chief executive officer Bob Castellini to stay.

Continued.....

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

I don't like losing SS. I thought he would be a main cog in our bullpen next year.

I agree 100%. The depth he could provide us this year is valuable. However, if we do lose him, we at least get a pick out of it and really that is what small market teams need in order to maintain any long-term success in today's MLB. It is how the A's and Twins have been playoff contenders year in and out and how we need to also.

 

[Dryden]

This was a good move. Low risk, high reward type of situation(at least in a baseball sense) If this guy can stay clean, he could possibly be a contributer down the road.

I'm going to put the odds of ever hearing about Josh Hamilton again at about one million to one. There are marijuana users, and then there are "crackheads." There are your easy-going social users who hit the bong at the campus party then tell America they didn't inhale when they run for office 40 years later, and then there are your crack addicts who are fearless, or wreckless, in their pursuit of a high. There are casual users with care-free attitudes (Ricky Williams) and then there are your hard core, line snortin', crack smokin', crackheads (Darryl Strawberry). Hamilton appears to be in the latter category. There is a reason he's been in-and-out of eight different drug rehab clinics, it's because he's a crackhead who has failed to exhibit any will power or self control on no fewer than eight different occasions before this, his most recent "second chance."

The fact is that certain personalities are predisposed to experiment with drug use, and the lifestyle of a professional athlete is not helpful. Living out of a suitcase on the road takes its toll, and unless you've traveled frequently for work you have no idea what waking up in a different city every three or four days is like. It is not a walk in the park, and the situation is taken to an extreme in MLB and the NBA, where teams may play several times a week, often on consecutive days, in cities that are thousands of miles away. Widespread abuse of "speed" has been the dirty secret of MLB since the 1960s. Jason Grimsley opened that Pandora's Box when he told federal investigators that Arizona had a witches brew of coffee that went well beyond a little caffeine and sugar.

Show me somebody who travels for a living and lives out of a suitcase, and I'll show you somebody who is, at best, a borderline alcoholic.

Consider the money, the lifestyle, the peer pressure, the competitiveness; there are reasons why guys like Gooden, Strawberry, and Eric Davis repeatedly flamed out. It is not a culture that is conducive to passive behavior and it is a life that is highly steeped in routine, ritual, and superstition. This is a peer group that obsessive compulsive drug abusers cannot be exposed to, because it will always end badly.

Ken Caminiti was a crackhead, and he worked out pretty well for the Astros and Padres.

He worked out well only because he never got caught abusing steroids during his playing days. As I said previously, you don't classify personalties as being a "Type A Cocaine Abuser" or a "Type B Anabolic Steroid User." They're the same type-person. In the end, there are people who are predisposed to take aggressive behaviors toward addiction, and then there are those who do not. The only thing that changes is what substance or activity an addictive behavior is tuned to.

Some day at Double-A ball Hamilton will wind up snorting a line of coke and going 4-5 with 5 RBI and a HR later that night, and he's going to think the coke did it. That will be the end of his most recent second chance, because he -- being a superstitious baseball player -- will convince himself that if he does a line of coke before every game, he'll always go 4-5 with 5 RBI and a HR. Even if he manages the miraculous and avoids the hard core drugs, he'll only wind up getting hooked on something else. Steroids? Speed? Alcohol?

Addictive behaviors are not changed that easily.

 

[jlb1705]

Some day at Double-A ball Hamilton will wind up snorting a line of coke and going 4-5 with 5 RBI and a HR later that night, and he's going to think the coke did it.

I thought I was being a smart ass when I made the Ken Caminiti reference. Apparently, I forgot to use the appropriate font.

Your sentiment might be true, except that if it happens, it's gonna come in the Big Show, not AA. Remember the Wily Mo Pena experiment from a few years back? The one where he couldn't hit anything that had movement and was with the big league club all year because the Reds would've lost him if he was anywhere but with the major league roster? This year is gonna be a rerun of that, since Hamilton is a Rule 5 draftee.

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Consider the money, the lifestyle, the peer pressure, the competitiveness; there are reasons why guys like Gooden, Strawberry, and Eric Davis repeatedly flamed out. .

Don't lump Eric the Red in with those other guys. Just because he came from the same neighborhood as Strawberry isn't a reason to bring his name up in your little crack rage. ED "flamed out" (if you would really call it that, i'd say it's way off the mark) because he gave his ass every day on every play but didn't have the body to take that kind of abuse.

 

[CookyPuss]

Reds acquire Conine from Phillies

Reds Trade for Conine
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The Reds on Thursday announced the acquisition of veteran Jeff Conine from the Philadelphia Phillies. Conine, an infielder/outfielder with 16 years of experience in the Majors, was brought to Cincinnati in exchange for a pair of Minor Leaguers, infielder Brad Key and outfielder Javon Moran
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WHY??????????????

 

[Okinawa's#1Buck]

Reds acquire Conine from Phillies




WHY??????????????

I don't have any problem with it. He likely comes cheaper then Loretta would have and will likely do a better job. He's nothing more than a right-handed platoon with Hatteberg and will get some time as our 5th OF, something we will need since our 5th OF (Hamilton) likely won't get much time.