The Real McCoy

About The Real McCoy

Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.

Get more from Hal

Hal's e-mail newsletter is the only place you can get his weekly commentary on the Reds. Sign up

August 2008

RSS Syndication

XML The Real McCoy
XML More 'DDN' feeds

More recent entries

• Another accidental tourist
• What happened to Homer?
• It's time for Bruce, Phillips
• Jocketty: No to Griffey's option
• Senior: Junior received death threats
• Junior's 5 a.m. farewell to Marty
• Ugly ending to Griffey era
• Dunn happy where he is
• Griffey's off day not punishment
• Castellini makes surprise visit
• More entries...

Archives

• August 2, 2008
• August 1, 2008
• July 31, 2008
• July 30, 2008
• July 29, 2008
• July 28, 2008
• July 27, 2008
• More archives...

Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > August > 01 > Entry

It’s time for Bruce, Phillips

By Hal McCoy | Friday, August 1, 2008, 05:42 PM

The view from the new Nationals Stadium press box is so high it seems as if we’re looking down on the Washington Monument. The Capitol Building dome is easily seen beyond left field from up here — as is Virginia, Maryland and parts of Kansas.

As the Reds open a three-game series tonight, it is the dawn of a new era in Cincinnati Reds baseball, or as manager Dusty Baker called it, “End of the Ken Griffey Jr. Era and the start of the post-Ken Griffey Jr. Era.

“He was one of the finest guys I’ve ever been around, one of the finest superstars I’ve been around,” said Baker. “It’ll be different without him, but it is an opportunity for him — he sure picked up a bunch of games in the standings (with the Chicago White Sox) and creates opportunity for somebody else here.”

Before he got into the future, Baker planned a pre-game clubhouse meeting to talk to the team about the Griffey trade, to let them know how it came down and the ramifications.

As for opportunity for other players, one right now Is Jay Bruce.

To start the post-Griffey era, Baker has installed Jay Bruce into Griffey’s No. 3 spot in the batting order and Griffey’s spot in right field. The No. 3 spot fits him like an old chewed-up slipper, but right field is more like a catcher’s mitt.

Is this for the long haul?

“I don’t know,” said Baker. “We still have to win ballgames. I’m going to give him time. We’ll see. I talked to him about hitting third, about what I required a third hitter to do. Without taking away his aggressiveness, I’d like him to be a little more selective at the plate. Pick his pitch.

“He has batted third most of his life and now we’ll see,” Baker added. “We want the guys in the three, four, five spots to drive in runs as well as score runs. Cut down on the strikeouts. We talked about the more accomplished hitters he could be become — like Carlos Lee to drive in runs and just an outstanding hitter like Lance Berkman.”

Bruce said he is ready, willing and hopes he is able.

“I’ve hit two games No. 3 in the big leagues, but no matter what, it is where I’m used to hitting,” said Bruce. “With Ken here, there was no question who was hitting third and I don’t make out the lineup. I’m just ready to play every day. I will say, I’m used to it and that’s where I’ve hit.

“Leading off was certainly a little different for me,” Bruce added. “I made the best of it, but hopefully this will let me get a little more comfortable and back to normal. Dusty told me I need to focus on quality at-bats and swinging at good pitches. Sometimes I don’t give myself a chance and it’ll come with experience.

“I’m ready for everything that’s coming,” Bruce added. “It is going to be different now that Ken’s gone. It’s a new era. He was the franchise since 2000 and now he’s gone and we’re starting a new time with the Reds. And I’m ready for that.”

What Bruce doesn’t prefer is his switch from center field to right field and said, “I’m more comfortable in center than right, but the plan from the beginning was for me to play right and I welcome that.”

Now that Griffey is gone, who becomes The Face of the Reds? Brandon Phillips said some day he would like to be the face of the Reds and, in fact, said he would like to be what Barry Larkin once was, “The captain. Wear that ‘C’ he wore. But I think they lost that particular ‘C’, ” Phillips said with a laugh.

As for the Face of the Reds, Phillips said that’s up to the organization who they promote, who they push, who they put on billboards, who they put on the cover of the Rolling Stone.

“And you guys, the media, have a lot to do with it,” he said. “You come up with Bruce Almighty and that catches on for Jay Bruce. Whatever you want and whatever the organization wants.

“But I think it is about time for me to step up and fill those shoes that Griffey left, do even better than I’ve done,” Phillips added. “With Griffey gone, it is time for the team to step up and do what we have to do. I’m sad he’s gone. He helped me, made me what I am. Before he left, he told me, ‘Be yourself.’ And that’s what I’m going to do.”

Permalink | Comments (22) | Post your comment |