CINCINNATI (AP) – The Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Andrew Brackman finalized a 1-year deal on Wednesday, uniting him with his hometown team.

Brackman was the New York Yankees’ first-round pick in 2007 even though they knew he needed reconstructive elbow surgery. He had the operation nine days after signing. He went 15-29 in 58 starts and 31 relief appearances in the minors from 2009-11 with a 5.11 ERA.

The Yankees called up the 6-foot-10 Brackman last September and he pitched in three games. They declined his contract option after the season.

Brackman would be paid $500,000 by the Reds if he’s in the major leagues and $480,000 if he’s in the minors.

The Reds also announced that their pitchers and catchers will report and have their first spring training workout in Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 19. The rest of the squad will report and work out on Feb. 24.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Andrew Brackman finalized a one-year deal on Wednesday, uniting him with his hometown team.

Brackman was the New York Yankees’ first-round pick in 2007 even though they knew he needed reconstructive elbow surgery. He had the operation nine days after signing. He went 15-29 in 58 starts and 31 relief appearances in the minors from 2009-11 with a 5.11 ERA.

The Yankees called up the 6-foot-10 Brackman last September and he pitched in three games. They declined his contract option after the season.

Brackman would be paid $500,000 by the Reds if he’s in the major leagues and $480,000 if he’s in the minors.

The Reds also announced that their pitchers and catchers will report and have their first spring training workout in Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 19. The rest of the squad will report and work out on Feb. 24.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CINCINNATI, Ohio — The Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Andrew Brackman finalized a one-year deal on Wednesday, uniting him with his hometown team.

Brackman was the New York Yankees’ first-round pick in 2007 even though they knew he needed reconstructive elbow surgery. He had the operation nine days after signing. He went 15-29 in 58 starts and 31 relief appearances in the minors from 2009-11 with a 5.11 ERA.

The Yankees called up the six-foot-10 Brackman last September and he pitched in three games. They declined his contract option after the season.

Brackman would be paid US$500,000 by the Reds if he’s in the major leagues and $480,000 if he’s in the minors.

The Reds also announced that their pitchers and catchers will report and have their first spring training workout in Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 19. The rest of the squad will report and work out on Feb. 24.

CINCINNATI (AP)—The Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Andrew Brackman
finalized a one-year deal on Wednesday, uniting him with his hometown team.

Brackman was the New York Yankees’ first-round pick in 2007 even though they
knew he needed reconstructive elbow surgery. He had the operation nine days
after signing. He went 15-29 in 58 starts and 31 relief appearances in the
minors from 2009-11 with a 5.11 ERA.

The Yankees called up the 6-foot-10 Brackman last September and he pitched
in three games. They declined his contract option after the season.

Brackman would be paid $500,000 by the Reds if he’s in the major leagues and
$480,000 if he’s in the minors.

The Reds also announced that their pitchers and catchers will report and
have their first spring training workout in Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 19. The
rest of the squad will report and work out on Feb. 24.

While the Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs were making headlines during baseball’s winter meetings during the week of December 5, my beloved Cincinnati Reds were busy creating a few waves of their own. Although Albert Pujols(notes) and his suitors garnered their fair share of attention with a dance that may not finish before the meetings do, the Reds swooped in fast to get their man. That’s right, Cincinnati is now the proud employer of Jim Riggleman after luring the him away from the San Francisco Giants’ scouting department to become the manager of the Reds’ Double-A affiliate Pensacola Blue Wahoos. It may seem a bit far-flung, but I think this move may be just the ticket to free me and my fellow Reds fans from the daily machinations of big league skipper Dusty Baker.

Riggleman, you may recall, got tough with his former employer, the Washington Nationals when he demanded that the team pick up his 2012 option during the season last summer. When the Nats didn’t capitulate, Riggleman found himself out the door, then at a bar, then scouting for the Giants. Now, thanks to friend and Reds general manager Walt Jocketty, Riggleman has made it all the way back … to the minors. You have to think, though, that with Riggleman’s wealth of winning experience waiting just two heartbeats away, Dusty may feel some pressure in Cincy early in the season if the Reds don’t get off to a strong start in 2012. The Reds suffered a huge letdown after their surprising division title in 2010, and the future is uncertain with Joey Votto(notes) entering his walk year .

Riggleman may also provide some inspiration for Dusty, who is entering the last year of his contract and could be working as a lame duck. If the Reds aren’t winning a fair number of games by, say, mid-May, then players might start to take liberties in the clubhouse if they feel that Baker is on his way out. With some confidence from Riggleman’s example, Dusty just may waltz into the front office and demand a contract extension.

Which would, of course, bring us full circle to Riggleman. With a fuming Baker at his desk and a buddy just a phone call away in Florida, Jocketty might find it hard to resist dialing those numbers.

Of course, speculation like this is just good clean fun among fans. Even so, that can’t stop me from dreaming about a Dusty-free dugout, even if, in the process, Jim wriggles his way in.

Adam Hughes was raised, and still lives, in rural Indiana. He has been a Cincinnati Reds fan since the early 1980s, when gods like Dan Driessen and Cesar Cedeno roamed the ethereally green Riverfront turf. He thinks that Dusty Baker is the anti-Davey.

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TROY — Bob Weaver wouldn’t trade his time in professional baseball for anything.

The former Cincinnati Reds farmhand will be inducted into the Capital District Baseball Hall of Fame later this week. He referred to his induction as “a great honor and a great thrill.”

Weaver, a left hand-hitting catcher, played four years in the Reds system, reaching the Class AA level before deciding to retire from baseball prior to the 1966 season. He recalls his career as if were just a few years ago.

“I went to a couple of tryouts,” he said. “I went to a Pittsburgh tryout at Adirondack Community College. The following week, I went to a tryout for the Reds at (Troy) Catholic High and I was signed that day by (Reds scout) Gene Ward.

“That was one of the happiest days of my life,” Weaver said.

The Reds sent the 18-year old catcher to the tiny Western Carolina League, a June-August Class D League (under the old AAA-AA-A-B-C-D classification system), where many teams did not have major league affiliations.

He batted .253 (45-for-190) in 70 games with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and 23 runs batted in for Salisbury (N.C.), which that year of 1962 had numerous players owned by the National League’s first-year New York Mets.

Weaver remembers his first pro game.

“It was in Shelby, North Carolina. I was a nervous kid and it was the first night game I ever played in.” He went 1-for-4.

“But I couldn’t believe I actually got paid to play,” he said. Continued…

The Reds had a Western Carolina League team in Rock Hill (N.C.) in 1963 and there, Weaver hit .280 in just 143 at-bats with five doubles, three triples, seven homers and 27 RBI.

Late in the season, he was advanced to the Reds’ Class A Midwest League team at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He batted just 11 times with one hit.

“I went to Cedar Rapids, I thought I was on my way,” he said. “I made a lot of friends there.”

He played almost every day for Peninsula in the 1964 season, hitting .262 in 302 at-bats, with 23 doubles, four homers and 36 RBI.

Though it would be his last, the 1965 season was Weaver’s favorite.

The Grays won their division by 10 games and won the league’s playoff championship as well. He hit .259 and stroked 10 doubles, one triple, five homers and 35 RBI.

During the season, Weaver was called up to Class AA Knoxville of the Southern League.

He had four hits in 31 at-bats, including three doubles, and drove in five runs.

“I’ll never forget the 1965 (Carolina) league championship series,” he stated. “It was against Greensboro, a Yankees farm team, and their shortstop was (future Yankees star outfielder) Bobby Murcer.

“Pinky May was our player manager,” Weaver said. “Our batboy was (hi son) Milt May. He went on to become a major league catcher. Lot of fond memories there,” Weaver said. Continued…

While May played 15 years in the big leagues, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants, Weaver never realized that ultimate dream.

He came pretty close, though, in one regard, reporting to spring training with the Reds in Tampa in both 1965 and ’66, playing alongside Reds stars Pete Rose, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Deron Johnson, Sammy Ellis, Jim Maloney and two young, future Hall of Fame stars and biggest prospects at that time – slugging first baseman Tony Perez and a 17-year old catcher named Johnny Bench, who was considered baseball’s top prospect that year.

“I was with the big club,” he said. “Rose, Robinson, Vada Pinson, (Weaver searched his memory for the name of Ellis, a 22-game-game winner whose career was cut short by injuries), Jim Maloney.”

Weaver said he learned from Bench, despite his youth, and called him “the best catcher I ever saw.

“I still remember, what a thrill it was,” he said. “That was the first time I’d ever been on an airplane and the first time I’d ever been to Florida.

“I dressed right next to Joe Nuxhall,” Weaver said, referring to one of the most popular Reds players, who pitched for them at age 15 – in the big leagues – and was one of their radio play-by-play men for 40 years before passing away in 2007.

“Ryne Duren was with the Reds then,” Weaver said, referring to the hard-throwing former New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics reliever.

“What a great opportunity that was, to participate in a major league camp in Tampa,” Weaver said. I’ve always felt that was my biggest thrill,” he said.

After spring training in 1966, Weaver “decided to give up baseball. My father never forgave me.”

“A lot of people speculate that I would have made it, but nobody really knows that. I had a great time and I decided that … in the back of my mind, I wanted to be a coach.” Continued…

TROY — Bob Weaver wouldn’t trade his time in professional baseball for anything.

The former Cincinnati Reds farmhand will be inducted into the Capital District Baseball Hall of Fame later this week. He referred to his induction as “a great honor and a great thrill.”

Weaver, a left hand-hitting catcher, played four years in the Reds system, reaching the Class AA level before deciding to retire from baseball prior to the 1966 season. He recalls his career as if were just a few years ago.

“I went to a couple of tryouts,” he said. “I went to a Pittsburgh tryout at Adirondack Community College. The following week, I went to a tryout for the Reds at (Troy) Catholic High and I was signed that day by (Reds scout) Gene Ward.

“That was one of the happiest days of my life,” Weaver said.

The Reds sent the 18-year old catcher to the tiny Western Carolina League, a June-August Class D League (under the old AAA-AA-A-B-C-D classification system), where many teams did not have major league affiliations.

He batted .253 (45-for-190) in 70 games with eight doubles, two triples, three home runs and 23 runs batted in for Salisbury (N.C.), which that year of 1962 had numerous players owned by the National League’s first-year New York Mets.

Weaver remembers his first pro game.

“It was in Shelby, North Carolina. I was a nervous kid and it was the first night game I ever played in.” He went 1-for-4.

“But I couldn’t believe I actually got paid to play,” he said.

The Reds had a Western Carolina League team in Rock Hill (N.C.) in 1963 and there, Weaver hit .280 in just 143 at-bats with five doubles, three triples, seven homers and 27 RBI.

Late in the season, he was advanced to the Reds’ Class A Midwest League team at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He batted just 11 times with one hit.

“I went to Cedar Rapids, I thought I was on my way,” he said. “I made a lot of friends there.”

He played almost every day for Peninsula in the 1964 season, hitting .262 in 302 at-bats, with 23 doubles, four homers and 36 RBI.

Though it would be his last, the 1965 season was Weaver’s favorite.

The Grays won their division by 10 games and won the league’s playoff championship as well. He hit .259 and stroked 10 doubles, one triple, five homers and 35 RBI.

During the season, Weaver was called up to Class AA Knoxville of the Southern League.

He had four hits in 31 at-bats, including three doubles, and drove in five runs.

“I’ll never forget the 1965 (Carolina) league championship series,” he stated. “It was against Greensboro, a Yankees farm team, and their shortstop was (future Yankees star outfielder) Bobby Murcer.

“Pinky May was our player manager,” Weaver said. “Our batboy was (hi son) Milt May. He went on to become a major league catcher. Lot of fond memories there,” Weaver said.

While May played 15 years in the big leagues, mostly with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants, Weaver never realized that ultimate dream.

He came pretty close, though, in one regard, reporting to spring training with the Reds in Tampa in both 1965 and ’66, playing alongside Reds stars Pete Rose, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Deron Johnson, Sammy Ellis, Jim Maloney and two young, future Hall of Fame stars and biggest prospects at that time – slugging first baseman Tony Perez and a 17-year old catcher named Johnny Bench, who was considered baseball’s top prospect that year.

“I was with the big club,” he said. “Rose, Robinson, Vada Pinson, (Weaver searched his memory for the name of Ellis, a 22-game-game winner whose career was cut short by injuries), Jim Maloney.”

Weaver said he learned from Bench, despite his youth, and called him “the best catcher I ever saw.

“I still remember, what a thrill it was,” he said. “That was the first time I’d ever been on an airplane and the first time I’d ever been to Florida.

“I dressed right next to Joe Nuxhall,” Weaver said, referring to one of the most popular Reds players, who pitched for them at age 15 – in the big leagues – and was one of their radio play-by-play men for 40 years before passing away in 2007.

“Ryne Duren was with the Reds then,” Weaver said, referring to the hard-throwing former New York Yankees and Kansas City Athletics reliever.

“What a great opportunity that was, to participate in a major league camp in Tampa,” Weaver said. I’ve always felt that was my biggest thrill,” he said.

After spring training in 1966, Weaver “decided to give up baseball. My father never forgave me.”

“A lot of people speculate that I would have made it, but nobody really knows that. I had a great time and I decided that … in the back of my mind, I wanted to be a coach.”

So, he returned to Troy and coached football at Cardinal McCoskey and basketball for 15 years at McCoskey, Bishop Maginn, Troy High and Catholic High. He posted a combined record of 183-150.

Weaver had come to pro baseball when the major leagues had just begun expansion.

There are now 30 teams in the majors and he was asked if there’d been as many teams back then, could he have reached the big leagues.

“I don’t know,” he said, “but my experiences in baseball were great. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I had a great time, being paid to play a game I love. I had the opportunity that millions of guys can only dream about.”

Pro baseball, from the big leagues to the low minors, faces a number of problems these days, most of which have been fairly well-chronicled.

Weaver believes – and fears – baseball’s biggest malady lies within the amateur ranks.

“Kids just don’t play the game anymore,” he said. “Nobody plays (on summer days) in the parks like we did.

“We played every day,” he said. “Sometimes we’d climb the fence at school, even to just play stickball. Can you imagine kids doing that today? You just don’t see kids out there playing like we all did.”

“I hope it changes … but I don’t know,” he said.