Winning Reds Break Through Cloud of ‘Rose Thing’

The media hordes still descend upon the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse. But the scene no longer resembles an inquisition, and the players, once mere pawns in Pete Rose’s modern baseball tragedy, no longer are ignored.

“The Rose Thing,” as the Reds veterans call the recent chaotic past in Cincinnati, no longer pollutes the air.

The Reds, who finished fifth last season, have sprinted to a 9-2 start under new Manager Lou Piniella, and the questions now center more on home-grown shortstop Barry Larkin’s .479 batting average and the intimidating bullpen duo of Rob Dibble and Randy Myers rather than on Rose’s persistent gambling and income tax problems.

“The difference here is like night and day,” said Dibble, a hard-throwing right-hander who has struck out 17 in 10 innings this season.

“We don’t have to keep hearing about the Big Red Machine or listen to people back home cheering ‘Pete, Pete, Pete,’ hoping he’d still swing a bat for us last year.

“People kept living in the past, and Pete didn’t do anything to stop it. We needed to establish our own identity. Lou did the right thing. He put the focus back on the players, not himself.

“There is a real unselfish attitude here now because there is genuine respect between the players, coaches and manager.”

Piniella sits in the manager’s office looking relaxed, free of worrying every time the phone rings that it might be George Steinbrenner, his former boss with the New York Yankees, with another lineup or trade suggestion.

The longtime Yankee outfielder, coach and manager said he considers himself fortunate to have inherited a team with a legitimate chance to win a pennant.

Despite all the distractions, the Reds might have made a run at the San Francisco Giants in the National League West last year had it not been for several injuries to key players.

Larkin was leading the league with a .340 average when he tore a ligament in his right elbow competing in an All-Star throwing contest and was lost for seven weeks. Leadoff man and third baseman Chris Sabo missed half a season with a knee injury, and promising rookie outfielder Paul O’Neill missed six weeks with a fractured left thumb.

The pitching staff was also hit by injuries to Danny Jackson, Ron Robinson and Jose Rijo.

Now the club is mostly healthy, although there is concern about Eric Davis, who strained his left knee trying to steal second base Tuesday night. Piniella, after a crash course in an abbreviated spring training, said he believes that the Reds have no real weakness.

“We’re not in a rebuilding process here, looking two or three years down the road,” Piniella said before Tuesday night’s 6-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“We have enough talent to win now. We’ve got a good defensive club, speed, power and pitching depth. I also like our bench, and I’m not afraid to use guys like (outfielder) Hal Morris or (infielder) Luis Quinones. We’ve got to be fresh in August when the games really start counting.”

But pitching may be the real strength of the Reds, particularly with Dibble and Myers quickly snuffing out fires.

“These are probably the two hardest-throwing relief pitchers dating back to the ‘50s, when the Indians had Ray Narleski and Don Mossi in their bullpen,” said pitching coach Stan Williams.

“But I like our whole staff. We had 24 pitchers in Florida, and I truly believe 20 were good enough to come north with us. The pitching was solid last year. When the team scored more than four runs, it went 63-13. Injuries killed the offense.”

There also was a lack of pride and a commitment to turn things around. On one road trip to San Francisco, at least a dozen Reds took their golf clubs, and several headed straight from the airport to test Pebble Beach.

Piniella has issued few team rules, but golf is now prohibited on the road.

“It’s partly an image thing, but I also want our guys focusing on baseball,” he said. “If they want to play golf, let them join the PGA Tour.”