Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings January 16, 2015 CINCINNATI ENQUIRER MLB Network highlights the Nasty Boys, 1990 Reds By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent MLB Network will look at the 1990 Reds and the Nasty Boys, the team's three-headed relievers, in a one-hour special on Tuesday. The second episode of MLB Network's "MLB Network Presents" hosted by Bob Costas looks at the team, centering around the Nasty Boys, Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble and Randy Myers. It premieres Tuesday at 9 p.m. and includes interviews with Charlton, Dibble, Myers and many others, including former Cincinnati Enquirer sports writer John Erardi. The release has some of the many comments: On the 1990 Reds team: Rob Dibble: For us, there wasn't a team we didn't dislike. … It wasn't just Randy and I and Norm. There were a lot of lunatics on that team. Norm Charlton: [From] 7:05 to 11 o'clock or however look it took, [we were] dead serious. After that, "Katy, bar the door." Barry Larkin: Our fans loved us because we went out there and we put [a] blue collar-brand of baseball on that field every single day. Paul O'Neill: I remember getting off to an unbelievable start. As a young player that had never been in that position, you don't want to pinch yourself and don't want to wake up. Marty Brennaman on Lou Piniella: The very first time he met with that team, he told those guys, "We have the talent to win a World Championship here and I'm not going to be happy with anything less." Jerry Springer: The 1990 team was really the first people's team because they were regular characters. Nuts, but regular. On the "Nasty Boys": Larkin: Those three guys, I thought they were the most valuable piece of the '90 team. Randy Myers: With us three, stuff could happen in the first five innings, but from six on, it ain't happening. Charlton on Myers: Randy used to sit and read the sports page in his locker on the floor with his legs spread, like he was doing yoga or something, and he'd have salami and cheese there and he'd cut it with a machete. Marty Brennaman: If they happened to hit you, and you wanted to take issue with it, they would all walk halfway to the plate so you didn't have to go all the way out there. They were all three extremely tough guys. O'Neill: In most bullpens, you match up lefties against lefties, and righties against righties. Lefties or righties don't hit Rob Dibble. Lefties or righties don't hit Norm Charlton. These guys weren't matchup pitchers. You really could've drawn any one of them out of a hat to be the closer. Larkin on Dibble: Dibbs didn't just want to get you out. Dibbs wanted to strike you out, and a lot of times I felt like he wanted to embarrass you. Report: Minors to add 20-second pitch clock By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent The 20-second pitch clock, used in some Arizona Fall League games this past year, will make its way to minor-league games this season, according to a report from FoxSports.com. The pitch clock will be installed at all Double-A and Triple-A games this year, according to a report, but won't make it to the major leagues in 2015. Owners will vote on changes today, but any change would have to be approved by the players' union. The pace of game has been a hot topic in baseball, and the owners are currently discussing rule changes such as the pitch clock and forcing batters to keep one foot in the batter's box between pitches. With the pitch clock, pitchers have 20 seconds to either deliver a pitch or throw to a base. It was used at two of the four stadiums used for Arizona Fall League play. Reds outfield prospect Jesse Winker said he quickly adapted to the pitch clock. "I did my best not to worry about it," Winker said on Thursday. "The first game I played with it, my first couple of at-bats, I did notice it and did my best to adjust to it, but to be honest with you, after that, I figured it's 20 seconds, I'm not going to get out of my routine, I'm back in the box before the 20 seconds is up anyway, so I stopped worrying about it. I got used to it, the pitchers got used to it, it's just something we all adjusted to and it ended up not being that big of a deal at all." Batters in the AFL, like Winker, also had to adjust to a rule making them keep one foot in the batter's box between pitches. Winker likes to take a long break outside the batter's box between pitches, much like Jay Bruce. During one game in the AFL, Winker stepped out of the box, as per usual, and an umpire reminded him to keep one foot in. He smiled, did so, and rapped out a hit. If the rule disrupted his timing, it didn't show — Winker won the league's batting title (.338) and also topped it in OPS (on-base plus slugging) with a .999, including three home runs. "After a couple of umpires telling me 'one foot in the box, one foot in the box' on a daily basis, you make the adjustment," Winker said. "In between pitches, I like to get out, think about what's happening in my at-bat and how the pitcher is attacking me. For me, leaving one foot in the box, will have to be an adjustment, but once I get used to it, it won't be a big deal at all." According to FoxSports.com, Major League Baseball Advanced Media would pay to install the clocks at minor league parks. MLB tested its instant replay system in the Arizona Fall League in 2013 and implemented it for use in the 2014 season. Scott Rolen to speak at Wright State banquet By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent Former Reds third baseman Scott Rolen will be the keynote speaker at the Wright State First Pitch Banquet on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Nutter Center in Dayton. Rolen, who last played in 2012, lives in his native Indiana. The seven-time All-Star played the final of his three-plus years of his 17-year career with the Reds, coming to Cincinnati in a trade with the Blue Jays in 2009. He also played for the Phillies and Cardinals, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1997 and a World Series title with the Cardinals in 2006. Rolen finished his career with a .281/.364/.490 statline and hit 316 home runs, driving in 1,287 runs, while winning eight Gold Gloves at third base. More information on the event is available on the Wright State website. CBSSPORTS.COM Franchise best/worsts: Cincinnati Reds By Matt Snyder / CBSSports.com Over the course of the next month, we'll venture through the history of each of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, discussing some of the best and worst moments, players, teams, etc. It's more a fun snapshot for discussion purposes than a be-all, end-all declaration. We continue today with the Cincinnati Reds. Long known as the first professional team in baseball history, the current incarnation of the Reds (The Cincinnati Red Stockings) began recorded history in 1882. They dropped the Stockings and became the Cincinnati Reds in 1890. Due to the communism scare, they switched to being called the Redlegs from 1954-59, but have been the Reds since 1960. They have 15 playoff appearances, 10 pennants and five World Series championships. Let's check 'em out. Best team: 1975 The Reds have had some great ones, and that's not just including their five World Series championship ballclubs. The 1975 team, though, is one of the best in baseball history and wasn't too difficult a choice here. This was the "prime" of the Big Red Machine -- at least in so much as a team can be in a prime -- with the Reds finishing the regular season 108-54 and outscoring opponents 840- 586 (+254 run differential). That ballclub ranked first in the NL in runs and third in ERA. The starting lineup featured three Hall of Famers (and Pete Rose) along with very good players like Dave Concepcion, George Foster and Ken Griffey. They swept the Pirates in three games in the NLCS, outscoring them 19-7. It did take them seven games to dispatch of the Red Sox in the World Series, but keep in mind that they survived the epic Boston comeback in Game 6 -- which concluded with Carlton Fisk's famed foul-pole homer. In Game 7, the Reds even trailed 3-0 through five innings and still came back to win it all with a Joe Morgan single putting them ahead in the top of the ninth. Taking that game showed the strength and confidence of this all-time great team. Best dynasty: Big Red Machine Wait, did I cater a category just for this particular team? Of course. We're gonna do that a lot in this series. What's the fun in rigidity? From 1970-79, the Reds won the NL West six times, the NL pennant four times and the World Series twice.