Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings January 22, 2015 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Reds sign RHP Jason Marquis to minor-league deal By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent The Reds have signed 36-year-old right-hander Jason Marquis to a minor-league contract with an invite to major league camp. Marquis started nine games in the Phillies organization last season, going 4-1 with a 4.18 ERA. He last pitched in the majors for the Padres, going 9-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 20 starts for the Padres in 2013. An All-Star with the Rockies in 2009, Marquis has pitched in parts of 14 seasons in the big leagues, going 121-114 with 4.56 ERA. He's pitched for the Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Rockies, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Twins and Padres. The left-handed hitting Marquis won a Silver Slugger with the Cardinals in 2004 and is a career .196/.214/.278 hitter. Reds pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 18, with the first workout the next day. After the trades of starter Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon, the Reds have two spots in the rotation up for grabs after Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake. Marquis could challenge for one of those spots, along with Raisel Iglesias, David Holmberg, Tony Cingrani and Anthony DeSclafani. Crosley Field Historic Site hopes to be ready before MLB All-Star Game By Mike Dyer / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] City Gospel Mission and the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum officials met last week and are moving forward on a joint project to create a Crosley Field Historic Site in time for this summer's Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Cincinnati.com first reported in August 2014 the plans for construction on two relocation buildings for City Gospel Mission at Dalton Avenue and York Street in Queensgate. Crosley Field, home of the Reds from 1912 to 1970, was at the corner of Findlay Street and Western Avenue. A 100-foot-by-20-foot high mural of an artist rendering of Crosley Field from the late 1950s will be painted on the side of a building by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, says City Gospel Mission communications director Tim Curtis. Construction is still ongoing. Curtis said the goal is to have the historic site ready a few weeks before the MLB All-Star Game at Great American Ball Park on July 14. The site will be a draw for visitors and in turn spark interest from potential donors to the City Gospel Mission, which moves onto the property March 1 and into a new building in Queensgate May 1. Crosley Field hosted the 1938 and 1953 All-Star Games. This spring will also mark the 80thanniversary of the first Major League Baseball night game – on May 24, 1935 at Crosley Field. There will also be commemorative bricks fans can purchase that will be placed within the replica foul-lines to help offset costs. The historic site plans also include: Foul lines running from home plate outside the City Gospel Mission buildings A replica left-field foul pole A light standard in the parking lot replicating the original lights used at Crosley Base markers Replica seats in the lobby A pocket park near the main entrance with several markers detailing significant events that occurred at Crosley Memorabilia will be available for purchase MLB.COM After sitting out 2014, Marquis gets invite to Reds camp By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon CINCINNATI -- The Reds added a veteran arm on Wednesday, albeit one trying to make a comeback, when right-handed pitcher Jason Marquis agreed to terms on a Minor League contract that includes an invite to big league camp. Marquis will compete for a spot in the rotation, Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said via text message. A 36-year-old with 14 Major League seasons on eight clubs, including the Cardinals from 2004-06 when they were led by Jocketty, Marquis spent last season trying to recover from 2013 Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. It was Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek who performed the operation. While Marquis did not pitch in the big leagues in 2014, he did throw a bullpen session in front of Reds scouts last spring before signing a Minor League contract with the Phillies. He posted a 4.18 ERA over nine games and 51 2/3 innings (eight starts at Triple- A Lehigh Valley and one with the Phillies' Rookie-level Gulf Coast League affiliate), until he was released on Aug. 31. During the 2013 season with the Padres, Marquis was 9-5 with a 4.05 ERA in 20 games (117 2/3 innings) before his elbow injury shut him down near the end of the July. Marquis' best year was 2009 with the Rockies, when he made the National League All-Star team and finished with a 15-13 record and a 4.04 ERA in 33 starts. Over 368 career games in the Majors, Marquis has gone 121-114 with a 4.56 ERA in tours with the Braves, Cardinals, Padres, Nationals, Cubs, Twins, D-backs and Rockies. Although a .196 career hitter, he's also known for handling himself well as a hitter, belting five career homers. Marquis' best hitting season came in 2004, when he batted .310 in 44 games. Cincinnati already has Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake at the top of the rotation. But Bailey is trying to return from right flexor mass tendon surgery near his elbow, and the candidates for the final two spots lack extended big league track records. Marquis will be competing with Tony Cingrani, Raisel Iglesias, Anthony DeSclafani, Dylan Axelrod and David Holmberg for a spot in the Reds' starting five. Phillips won’t let others wake him from living the dream Reds star tuning out distractions, focusing on what he can control as he eyes postseason return By Meggie Zahneis / MLB.com Brandon Phillips is trying not to let anyone get in his head. Not the media -- Philips put a moratorium on press sessions during the 2014 season -- not the rumormongers who speculate on the season ahead, and, most of all, not himself. He's just here to play. "I don't worry about things I can't control," Phillips said. "That's how I look at it. Regardless of what you say or what you do, it's going to get done. It's nothing you can really do about it. The only thing I try to do is go out there and do my job and hope the guys can do their job also. "I'm just thinking about health and going out there and trying to have a better 2015. That's the only thing I'm really worried about, just trying to stay healthy, get healthy and trying to be a great teammate and continuing to be myself and getting things done." He doesn't sweat the small stuff -- or, for that matter, the big stuff, like the deals cooking on the Hot Stove this winter. "I don't really worry about that kind of stuff. I just worry about who's on our team and things that can make us better," Phillips said at Redsfest in early December, glancing through his trademark sunglasses at his then-teammate Mat Latos across the room. "A lot of people are worrying about what's going to happen after 2015 or what's gonna happen during 2015, but those things I can't really control. ... The only thing I can do is go out there and try to motivate those guys, try to get them going and try to bring us a championship and try to bring a ring back to Cincinnati." Just days later, Latos and fellow starter Alfredo Simon were dealt, hours apart; Latos to Miami and Simon to the Tigers. Twenty-five minutes after news of the Latos deal broke, Phillips would take to Twitter. He had only one thing to say: #DamnShame. "I just feel that for us to be better, we've got to stay dedicated, we've got to play small ball, do the small things to get us the wins," Phillips said. "We need to fill in the gaps that we really have. We have some holes in our lineup and in our team, and hopefully [GM] Walt Jocketty and [owner Bob] Castellini can help us out. It was one of those types of years that everybody got hurt last year, and hopefully if it happens again, we have guys that can step in and still be out there and win. I feel like we're a good team, but there's always room for improvement." The Gold Glove second baseman is quick to admit that the pieces just didn't fall into place for the Cincinnati club last season. "2014 was a disappointment to the city of Cincinnati," Phillips declared. "I can only speak for myself, but I feel like we didn't win, we didn't get to the playoffs, we didn't win the World Series, and I feel like that's disappointing to the city of Cincinnati. But being disappointed in myself, also. I feel like my year wasn't what I was capable of doing. I've been hurt for the last three years, so hopefully I can stay healthy so I can show everybody that I can still play this game." Phillips, who has always been active on social media and popular among Reds fans, can only hope that his fans still believe in him.