Ali received the Beacon of Courage Award as part of Major League Baseball’s 2009 Civil Rights Game festivities in Cincinnati. That was Washington manager Dusty Baker’s second season as Cincinnati’s manager, but his connection with Ali went back much further.
“It’s a tremendous loss to us all,” Baker said before Saturday’s game. “There was a time when I was a teenager when I was going through some turmoil in my life and some turmoil in the country. Muhammad Ali gave us all, especially young black men, a sense of pride, and a sense of strength.”
Baker enjoyed renewing acquaintances with Ali in 2009.
“The Champ always was special,” Baker said. “I was almost like a little kid in awe. You don’t know what to say. You hope that he was able to talk, at that time. When he was younger, you did most of the listening and he did most of the talking. That made it easy.”
Bailey's Bullpen: Right-hander Homer Bailey took another step on his journey back from Tommy John surgery when he threw a bullpen session before Cincinnati's game against the Nationals.
“He looked really good,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “That was his first bullpen in a long time. He looked terrific. His arm is in good shape with the long toss progression and the background work he’s done.”
The Reds hoped to have Bailey back in the rotation by mid-May, but he suffered a setback that prompted him to seek a second opinion and led to him putting the brakes on his program. If he avoids further setbacks, his bullpen pitch counts will increase before he moves on to pitching live batting practice or a simulated game, followed by minor league rehab outings, Price said.
Lengthier Stay: Kyle Waldrop joined the Reds on Saturday from Triple-A Louisville for the second time this season. Price expected the outfielder to be staying for longer than just one day.
Waldrop was recalled by Cincinnati on May 8, but he was with the Reds for just that day before being optioned back to the Bats.
“We’ve got some guys who are a little beat up,” Price said. “They can play, but there are some limitations to what they can do, and having an extra bench player is imperative. It’ll be nice to have an extra left-handed bat on the bench.”
Waldrop, who hit .247 with four home runs and 17 runs batted in over 46 games with Louisville this season, collected his first major league hit as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.
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