Dunn pranks Bruce, again

[OnBaseMachine]

* Jay Bruce needs to learn to read the blog. Dunn just called him and told him he was in the lineup for the first game and wondered where he was. As soon as Dunn hung up, he was going to call him back and tell him he was just kidding, but his teammates won’t let him. “That’s wrong, messing with a guy’s sleep,” Dunn said.

“It’s his fault he’s a rookie,” said a Reds official.

Well, Jay showed up, poured himself a bowl of cereal and found a name scratched out and written in.
“I checked it six times yesterday, and I swear I wasn’t on it,” he said.

At this point, you can see Dunn feels bad. He actually did take a vote about calling Bruce back and telling him it was a joke. Dunn was the only vote for calling him back.

During his bowl of cereal, Bruce said to Dunn, “I really appreciate you calling me and letting me know.”

At that point, Dunn went where Bruce couldn’t see him and was visably mad. Basically, he ended up feeling worse than Bruce did about the whole trick.

It was only when Dunn and Griffey were together and Bruce came up to say something else when Dunn threw his arms around him, started laughing and said, “I”m sorry, man.”

You could tell Bruce had a good idea the joke was on him, but still didn’t want to take the chance.

“It was the Dusty line that got me,” Bruce said.

When Dunn was on the phone, he told Bruce, “It’s OK, I’ll just tell Dusty you’re sleepy.”

And there, apparently, Bruce felt the 1% chance it wasn’t a joke wasn’t worth taking and came in.

Dunn flipped him a $20, and told him to get breakfast on him.

“I feel worse than he does,” Dunn said.

http://ctrentrosecrans.com/2008/03/0...-v-peglegs-37/

[Reds Nd2]

When Dunn was on the phone, he told Bruce, “It’s OK, I’ll just tell Dusty you’re sleepy.”

Jay should have said, "Yea', tell him I'm the next big thing and I'll be in when I get there."

[OnBaseMachine]

Picked-on Bruce hoping to be picked
Prospect doesn't mind teasing as he fights for CF job
BY SHANNON RUSSELL | SRUSSELL@ENQUIRER.COM
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SARASOTA, Fla. - The theme of Jay Bruce's first major-league spring training camp could be "Another Day, Another Gag."

The veteran players' teasing of the minor-league phenom has been well-documented. One day they're making him autograph copies of the Reds Report (boasting his picture under the caption "The Next Big Thing") and forcing him to give one to manager Dusty Baker.

The next day they're convincing him to come in for a 1:05 p.m. game when he was slated for the 7:05 p.m. split-squad game.

"I mean, it's every day," Bruce said. "They're always kind of poking at me, but it's cool."

Do they do as many pranks to other rookies?

"Pretty much just me. I mean, a little bit here and there, but I definitely get messed with the most," he said.

As the 20-year-old Bruce began to explain further, a player in the clubhouse interrupted with a shout-out.

"How was the SI photo shoot?"

"See," Bruce said, shaking his head. "Right there."

To pick on someone is to like him, the theory goes, and the older guys seem bent on taking Bruce through a rookie initiation. Part of Bruce's appeal is that he's just a plain nice guy who goes along with their jokes.

The other is his talent. The Minor League Player of the Year was named the No. 1 prospect in baseball by Baseball America, and he's competing with guys like Norris Hopper and Ryan Freel for a shot at center field.

His training camp has been sidetracked by a strained left quadriceps that forced him to miss five of the first 10 games. The 11th was a rainout.

Bruce returned as the designated hitter in Saturday's 13-8 defeat of Atlanta at Ed Smith Stadium.

He finished 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI and scored the Reds' go-ahead run in the fourth inning. He twice grounded out to first base and once hit a ball near second, which was reeled in for an easy put-out. He left the game after the sixth.

"I'll play him in the field tomorrow," Baker said afterward. "I just want to take the pressure off his legs. He says he's all right, but I could tell he's a little rusty. He'll be better tomorrow."

Entering the game, Bruce was batting .500 (6-for-12) in five games. He had a double, two RBI, a stolen base, two runs scored and one strikeout.

Bruce said Saturday he was just glad to be back. He injured the quad muscle rounding first in an 8-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on March 2. His return to Friday's night game at Pittsburgh was halted by the rainout.

Baker said that rainout wasn't a bad thing for Bruce, considering the injury risks associated with wet conditions. Bruce maintains that the muscle strain is the most minor injury he's ever had.

"It just tightened up like a cramp, really," he said. "It just got real sore."

In fact, Bruce had appealed to Baker days earlier, hoping to clear up misconceptions about his health.

"He was told that I'd had some leg problems in the past, and that wasn't the case. I missed a couple games last year for my hamstring," Bruce said. "But other than that, I haven't had any leg problems. I went over there the other day before (Tuesday's) game and was like, 'Hey, should I go put on my cleats or something in case you need me to pinch hit?' and he was like, 'No, we're going to take one more day.' "

Bruce's chat with Baker came a day after the Reds signed outfielder Corey Patterson to a minor-league contract and invited him to camp. Patterson played eight seasons in the majors for the Cubs and Orioles.

A reporter asked Baker Monday if Patterson's presence meant Bruce wouldn't make the club.

"No, I didn't say that. I don't leave open-ended sentences. I say what's on my mind. No, no, not at all. Bruce is a tremendous talent," Baker said.

"This guy's going to be a star for a long time - long time. You don't know if the time is right now or not. But if I didn't think he had a chance to make this club, I sure wouldn't be playing him as much as I have."

What does Bruce think his chances are for making the team?

"I'm not sure right now. I think they're the same as when I got here," Bruce said. "There's a bunch of people here competing for the spot, and they're good players. They think they can make the team, and I think I can make the team. Competition's good."

Bruce said he's enjoying his time with the Reds - gags and all - and he doesn't want the experience to end.

"I never want to go back to the minor-league side, that's for sure," Bruce said. "The guys have been awesome. They've messed with me a lot, but it's been fun."

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...PT04/803090389

[OnBaseMachine]

Hal McCoy speculates Dunn is also behind this one:


* The quality gags keep coming... There is a karaoke contest on Sunday for the rookies and near-rookies. The participants were given their songs in advance.
Some of the best:
Johnny Cueto -- "Born In the USA"
Joey Votto -- "I Touch Myslef"
Jay Bruce -- "Copa Cabana"
Homer Bailey -- "Hollaback Girl"

[fearofpopvol1]

Hal McCoy speculates Dunn is also behind this one:


* The quality gags keep coming... There is a karaoke contest on Sunday for the rookies and near-rookies. The participants were given their songs in advance.
Some of the best:
Johnny Cueto -- "Born In the USA"
Joey Votto -- "I Touch Myslef"
Jay Bruce -- "Copa Cabana"
Homer Bailey -- "Hollaback Girl"

[KronoRed]

I bet Jay's version of Copa rocks.

[WMR]

This all reminds me quite a bit of the pledging process I went through during college.

[OnBaseMachine]

Spring Training report
THE ENQUIRER

FROM THE BLOG

Team Funk-tion Sunday. That's what the chalkboard reads in the Reds clubhouse.

The boys are going to have some karaoke fun Sunday after the game. It's an Adam Dunn Production. He's bring in a karaoke machine and all the rookies must perform.

Dunn selected the songs. My personal favorite: Johnny Cueto will do Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA."

Jay Bruce has been assigned "Copacabana." He's taking it seriously.

"I'm going to get it on iPod so I know it. I've got to work on the costume, too."

A good time will be had by all. As silly as this stuff sounds, it's good for building team chemistry.

For more from John Fay's blog, go to Cincinnati.Com.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.d...T04/803140394/

[OnBaseMachine]

Bonding to the karaoke beat

It may not lead to one more win. It may not mean a thing. But things like the karaoke night the Reds had Sunday are good for building team chemistry.

"It was a lot of fun," Marcus McBeth said. "I'm glad they did it for us. A lot of bonding."

The idea was Adam Dunn's, although he would not take full credit for it.

"I think it was a collaboration," he said. "But everyone showed up. Everyone had a lot of fun. We have a lot of new guys, so it was good for them. It's something we haven't done in the past. It went really well."

Jay Bruce said his rendition of the Copa Cabana went well.

"Awesome," he said. "I killed."

But McBeth was the winner. He did "As Good As I Once Was" by Toby Keith and "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg. McBeth's voice is about as deep as James Earl Jones'. But he had never sung before.

"I sound good in the shower, though," he said. "I'm glad they didn't give me a high-pitched song."

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs...raoke-beat.asp

[KronoRed]

Aww..where's the video?