Reds Lead The Pack, Open Camp
Spring training is here, and the first team on display will be the new-look Cincinnati Reds.
Pitchers and catchers begin arriving this week throughout Florida and Arizona, starting Tuesday with the Reds, who have bolstered their roster while also lifting a ban on facial hair that lasted more than three decades.
Six more teams will open camp Wednesday, including the World Series champion New York Yankees in Tampa, Fla. The Toronto Blue Jays have the latest arrival date for pitchers and catchers -- Monday.
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Reporting dates for full squads begin next week.
The normally cost-conscious Reds were busy in the off-season as general manager Jim Bowden engineered a series of moves to make his team a contender for a National League playoff berth.
The new ace of the staff is Denny Neagle, acquired from the Atlanta Braves with outfielder Michael Tucker in a deal that sent second baseman Bret Boone and left-hander Mike Remlinger to Georgia.
Pitcher Steve Avery, first baseman-outfielder Hal Morris and catcher Brian Johnson also were added, setting the stage for the stunning acquisition of slugger Greg Vaughn from the San Diego Padres earlier this month.
Vaughn, who hit 50 homers, wears a goatee, and Reds owner Marge Schott decided Monday to allow facial hair, in part to welcome him to Cincinnati.
"The team will continue to respect the traditions of Cincinnati Reds baseball and adhere to our other uniform personnel rules, presenting a clean-cut image," Schott said.
Baseball's image ould not be better as it prepares for 1999. The sport enjoyed an epic 1998 season, spanning the home run chase between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to the record 125 overall victories by the Yankees.
In anticipation of seeing McGwire, more than half of the Cardinals' games at Jupiter, Fla., already are close to sellouts.
One year after the celebrated home run chase, the watch is on three future Hall of Famers' run to 3,000 hits. San Diego's Tony Gwynn needs 72, Tampa Bay's Wade Boggs needs 78 and Baltimore's Cal Ripken is 122 short.
The Yankees have almost the identical roster they used to sweep San Diego in the World Series, but many of those Padres will have a new home this spring. The most prominent is pitcher Kevin Brown, who signed a seven-year, $105 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This might be the last spring for the Dodgers at Vero Beach, Fla., their training base since 1948 and the most fan-friendly facility in either the Graprefruit or Cactus Leagues. The Dodgers are considering a move to Arizona next season.
Other marquee players in new uniforms this spring include Randy Johnson with Arizona, Albert Belle with Baltimore, Rafael Palmeiro with Texas, Mo Vaughn with Anaheim and Roberto Alomar with Cleveland.
Three teams will have new managers this spring. Davey Johnson inherits the free-spending Dodgers, a team that has not won a postseaon game since taking the 1988 World Series.
Jim Leyland left the dismantled Florida Marlins for the Colorado Rockies, with John Boles returning as Marlins manager.
Larry Parrish, who took over in September following the dismissal of Buddy Bell, starts his first full season with the Detroit Tigers.
The most scrutinized manager, however, will be Tim Johnson of the Blue Jays, who must regain the confidence of his players after admitting he lied about parts of his military service.
To make matters worse, he is in charge of an unsettled franchise that still might trade superstar pitcher Roger Clemens.
The most watched hitter might be pitcher Jim Abbott, who returns to the NL with the Milwaukee Brewers. Born without a right hand, he tripled in a spring game for the Yakees earlier in his career.
The first spring game is March 2 when the New York Mets face St. John's University in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The regular season begins April 4 when the Padres and Rockies meet in Monterrey, Mexico. Most of the remaining teams play their season openers the following day.
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