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The longtime Cincinnati Reds ace is fed up with the way cartoonish owner Marge Schott treats her employees and plans to escape the asylum as soon as possible. Rijo, who faced the possibility of never pitching again when he had total reconstruction of his right elbow last August, is defying the medical textbooks with the swiftness of his recovery but he's still severely embittered by Schott's infamous snub last October. She left Rijo at home for the first two games of the Reds' first-round playoff series at Dodger Stadium, opting to bring a life-sized, stuffed Saint Bernard and stuffed elephant on the club's charter jet to Los Angeles during the first round of the playoffs instead of him. According to those on the full flight, Marge's merry menagerie took up four seats.
"I don't think I'll ever get over that,'' Rijo said. "I wasn't as excited to come to spring training because of what went on. I don't feel like part of the organization any more. I feel like just another employee ... but that's the way things go around here. When I came here, this was a great organization. Now look at it.''
The right-hander, who was 5-4 with a 4.17 ERA in 14 starts before being sidelined for good in July, said he now understands why so many good people have left the organization. Not only are teammates from last season such as Ron Gant, Benito Santiago, Mariano Duncan and Mike Jackson gone, but so are some of his closest friends in the front office. Publicity department pals Joe Kelley and Jon Braude left prior to the start of last season, while baseball operations assistant Doc Rodgers fled in December. Joel Pieper, the team's underappreciated traveling secretary for the last six years, left in February and Schott replaced him with the head of the grounds crew at Riverfront Stadium. Two key ticket office employees also resigned last month, exasperated by working conditions, leaving the club with somewhere between 23-28 full-time administrative employees. Many Class AAA teams employ more.
"It's really sad what happens here,'' said Rijo, whose care for the behind-the-scenes employees includes an annual party at his home for the grounds crew. "It's just the way people are treated. Why do you think Ron Gant is gone? It's the same thing like what happened to me. They wouldn't pay him when he was suspended for fighting for the team. He was defending the team!''
The way he figures it, Schott caused the rift with him over a measly $300. With a charter jet to Los Angeles, it would have cost the team nothing to have given the seat to Rijo instead of, say, the stuffed Dumbo. All he asked for was meal money, half of the hotel room cost (he offered to pay the other half) and the cost of dry cleaning his uniform ("What's that, $3.59 a day?'').
Schott's penny-pinching is infamous. The woman who used to check waste baskets to make sure employees used both sides of scrap paper sank to new lows during the offseason. She walked around the team's offices and informed her already-underpaid workers that she couldn't afford to give them Christmas bonuses. She gave each a handful of chocolate bars instead. A sweet gesture? Hardly. The candy was stale and five years old. What gave it away? The label advertised a contest to win a trip to the Grammy Awards ..the 1991 Grammys!
Manager Ray Knight doesn't expect Rijo to follow-through on his promise to ask for a trade.
"I know he said some things but sometimes he has a purpose behind saying them,'' Knight said. "Jose Rijo is a good man and a sensitive man. He should have been with the team (in L.A.) but I don't know anything about the circumstances. I do know that he epitomizes this club. Right now, he's concerned about things away from the clubhouse. He's got personal feelings about something and he's struggling with it. I told him that we can only control the hitting and throwing and catching and things like that, and that's what we should focus on. I told him we want people to positive here and not to always go spouting your feelings to people."
At this point, Rijo has a greatly-diminished trade value. While he is one of the game's greatest pitchers in the '90's, his questionable right elbow and $5.9 million salary will greatly limit his return value.
While his emotional recovery has been slow, Rijo's physical healing has been swift. Originally not expected back until after the all-star break (if at all), he is now looking towards May or June. Rijo was impressive in spots during his one shutout inning in the Reds' first intrasquad game on Feb. 27. He had his fastball clocked as high as 88 mph (only 5-6 mph slower than usual) and threw a handful of sliders.
"The velocity wasn't what Jose was but overall it was totally positive,'' Knight said. "I know he's a ways away but he's able to work on a mindset now that he won't be backing up. It should be a gradual build and, without a setback, he'll be ready at midseason or before. We told him that when he feels game-ready, he'll need at least an extra month after that.''
Shortstop battle befuddles La Russa
New St. Louis manager Tony La Russa admits that he is concerned about how to deal with the delicate Ozzie Smith-Royce Clayton battle for the starting shortstop job.
"Ozzie has had a great career and I don't want to take anything away from his status,'' La Russa said. "You're talking about a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's legendary but the Cardinals have had a couple of tough years and we need to get back to where we're a little more competitive. And Ozzie told me he didn't want to play if he didn't deserve to be out there.''
He added, however: "I'm concerned about making the right decision and the effect it will have on the club, whichever way it goes.''
Hudak takes ribbing seriously
Houston Astros reliever John Hudek appears ready to reclaim his role as the club's closer. He's already throwing in the low 90's mph, just eight months after having his top rib removed to alleviate a circulation problem that affected his right (pitching) arm. As a reminder of the surgery, Hudek is wearing a four-inch section of the extracted rib on a necklace.
"It's part of me and I want to keep it,'' he explained. No one is looking forward to the day that Hudek needs to have his gall bladder removed.
Coleman comes highly recommended
Cincinnati-area parents, rest assured that Vince Coleman is not a firecracker-throwing madman who will prove to be a danger to your children should they choose to wait behind the barriers at the Riverfront Stadium parking garage to wait for postgame autographs.
No, the leading candidate to start in left field for the Reds this season will only be hazardous to the well-being of opposing pitchers if he comes close to duplicating any of the eight seasons he's spent in the major leagues outside of New York. While Coleman was villainized -- and subsequently became the punchline of countless late-night monologues -- in 1993 for injuring a young girl outside of Dodger Stadium when he tossed a firecracker from Eric Davis' car, it's somewhat ironic that he was signed by the Reds in part for the wonderful work he's done with young people.
Coleman, 34, was given glowing recommendations by Bob Boone and Lou Piniella, his managers last year in Kansas City and Seattle, who praised him for his leadership and ability to teach their young players the fine art of basestealing. Both told Reds general manager Jim Bowden that they would have loved to have re-signed the free agent but that youth movements and drastic payroll downsizing in each city prevented them from doing so.
"We heard so many good things about him teaching other players,'' Reds manager Ray Knight said. "The key is being willing to help and he certainly is. It's the way players were when I came along. Somewhere along the line, though, it seems that most guys became not willing to do so.''
Boone, who was on the Reds' coaching staff in 1994, all but gave Coleman carte blanche authority to tutor young Kansas City outfielders Thomas Goodwin, Johnny Damon and Jon Nunnally during his successful three months with the team.
"Most guys hesitate to pass on their knowledge but I was in a situation last year with Boonie where he gave me the opportunity to take over with Nunnally and Goodwin and those guys and they responded very well,'' said Coleman, who is seventh on the all-time major-league list with 740 stolen bases. "(Knight) loves to run and you can make a lot of exciting things happen. My knowledge of how to read pitchers and pick up pitches surprises clubs I go to because they thought I ran on raw speed. That's only the half of it.''
The most formative year in his baseball life came in 1983, when former Red Don Blasingame, his manager at Class A Macon, broke the baserunning code for him.
"He'd get the top pitchers, put them out there on the mound and make us study their moves,'' Coleman said. "For instance, left-handers can do three different things out there while right-handers can only do so many. He gave me the insight in what to look for. I picked that up and I stole 145 bags that year. That's what I try to pass on to the kids. It's what you look for more than just going out there and running.''
Coleman, who finished fifth in the American League last year with 42 stolen bases, has had astounding success. He's swiped more than 100 bases in five different professional seasons (including 110 as a rookie for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985) and has a remarkable 81-percent success rate (740-for-914) in the majors.
"A lot of guys can run but can't steal bases and vice versa,'' Coleman said. "I had (tubby Royals DH Bob) Hamelin stealing third last year, as big as he is. You just have to know what to look for. For instance, there are a lot of things (John) Smiley does and Pete Schourek -- who was my teammate in New York -- does that they're not aware of. I'm here to pass on that kind of knowledge.
"Some day, I'd love to coach or teach baseball,'' he continued. "I can relate to the guys with the same makeup, such as the Goodwins, Thomas of Kansas City and Curtis right here. When I was young, I had Ozzie (Smith) and Lonnie Smith and they helped me tremendously. Hopefully, what I've learned over the past 10 years I can pass on in Cincinnati. I'll contribute in any way I can that will give us a chance to win and get us to league-championship play.''
Coleman, who hit .288 overall last season with five home runs after signing late out of the Homestead, Fla., free-agent camp, projects that he'll be able to steal at least 80 bases this year if he's the starter. Curtis Goodwin, who has the starting center field job to lose, quietly listened in from the adjacent locker as the veteran spoke and was obviously won over by what he heard.
"I'm looking for 80, too, if I'm hitting behind you,'' he mumbled to himself.
Coleman, catching the utterance, proudly nodded in Goodwin's direction. He'd already enrolled his first student.
Benes boys have Cards reminiscing
Alan and Andy Benes have St. Louis Cardinals fans thinking of the good old days, when Dizzy and Paul Dean (1930's) and Lindy and Von McDaniel (1950's) pitched for the team.
"We've heard about the two combinations and we're hoping to do as well or better than the brothers in the past,'' Alan Benes said. A third Benes brother, right-handed pitcher Adam, is in the Cards' minor-league camp. Andy and Alan wear numbers 40 and 41, respectively, and had adjacent lockers in the clubhouse.
Knight not concerned with Sanders
Ray Knight said he doesn't expect Reggie Sanders' disastrous postseason (.138, 19 strikeouts in 29 at-bats) to carry over into this season.
"There tends to be a separation between postseason and seasonal play,'' he said. "He knows he can do it in the regular season but the next time we play in the postseason, it will affect him because he'll think back to what he did. It's just like my wife (LPGA golfer Nancy Lopez) and the U.S. Open. She plays a lot of tournaments well but not that one and I think she thinks about it too much and it changes her game. You have to accept failure because when you fear it, you're in trouble.''
Schott of the week
Marge Schott on the hugs she received from several players when she arrived at Reds camp in Plant City last week: "If the players did it to a male owner, we'd have to buy them a purse.''
Pirates not ready to walk plank
How optimistic can Pittsburgh Pirates fans be coming into this season? Manager Jim Leyland has already announced that the National League leader in losses last year, Paul Wagner (5-16) will be his opening day starter against the Florida Marlins on April 1. The front office, though, has been trying to convince fans that the club has new stability by signing seven players to multi-year contracts since the end of last season: Denny Neagle, Carlos Garcia, Al Martin, Nelson Liriano, Jeff King, Orlando Merced and Mike Kingery.
Welcome to Larkin's Top 40
It was Barry Larkin's cornball idea to have "We Are Family'' playing on a boom box at the press conference last week when the Reds announced the re-signing of catcher Oliver. Larkin, Jose Rijo, Eric Davis, Chris Sabo and Hal Morris, who were all on the 1990 World Series champions with Oliver and remain with the team, were told to stand behind Oliver and Schott at the announcement. The fact that Sister Sledge tapes were readily available on the shelves of Plant City music stores should tell you all you need to know about the dreadful state of progressive music in Central Florida.
Dibble can't find control for Cubs
Rob Dibble, who was released by the Reds, White Sox and Brewers because of his wildness, isn't doing much better in the Chicago Cubs camp. In an intrasquad game last week, he allowed one hit, two walks, two runs and a hit batsman in only 2/3 of an inning. He was not allowed to pitch to Cubs regulars. It looks like Duane Ward will be Chicago's closer.
Jeff Horrigan, who covers the Reds for the Cincinnati Enquirer, writes a weekly NL Central notebook for ESPNET SportsZone.