I love these Dusty quotes

[klw]

Per Trent

Does winning in spring matter?
It matters when you win, kind of. When you lose, then it's only spring training.

On the young guys -- Drew Stubbs, Jose Castro -- getting to play:
It's the same thing I've been doing since I've been managing, if you come over, you're going to play. They don't come over to sit. You like to see who you want to call back, who wants to be in that situation and who doesn't. I like the young guys coming over and playing.

I remember those days, I remember when they had phone booths in the lockerroom and I'd go right there and call my dad. Someone's going to call home today.

I love the image of the Rookie calling home to say they played

[nate]

I love the image of the Rookie calling home to say they played

Heh, yeah...pretty cool for the player and their folks!

[paulrichjr]

I am being completely serious on this...

Has Dusty not already said 50X more things than Narron did in his entire stint here? I know Dusty gets a bad rap but there is a part of me that really likes him as manager. He certainly keeps it interesting.

[Jpup]

He certainly keeps it interesting.

wait until the games start.

[RedlegJake]

wait until the games start.

after Bob Boone, Dave Miley and Jerry Narron, I can't wait for the games to start! I guess I'm one of the few who like Baker and think he got a bad rap in Chicago.

[KronoRed]

wait until the games start.

Then we riot

[wheels]

I personally enjoy Dusty the Person.

I'm gonna have some problems with the nuts and bolts, but I find him to be a very entertaining fella.

Much more beguiling than the Huckleberry types they've been passing for managers over the years.

[OnBaseMachine]

I love the fact that he realizes Votto is a slow starter and probably won't panic if he struggles in ST and parts of April.

* Your daily dose of Dusty (imagine a little Jay-Z in the background, because it was there:

On the former players in camp -- Jack Billingham, Eric Davis, Lee May and Ken Griffey Sr. were all in today:
These guys are amazing. I tell these guys, you better soak up every bit you can. Get their numbers if you need to talk to them about anything, talk to them. Most of the time the old-timers aren't going to volunteer stuff, you've got to go to them. Todd Benzinger and I played first base. Cesar Geronimo played outfield, when to use your arm and when not to use it. Talk to Jack Billingham about the slider, that was his specialty when I faced him, the sinker and the slider. I didn't know he was so big. I faced him, but damn. Most guys I run into now, they either shrunk or I grew. Dang, he looks bigger than I remember.

Dusty was on deck when Billingham gave up Hank Aaron's 714:
I faced him. I don't remember what I did after Hank's home run

Billingham told Hal McCoy about Dusty: 'I wasn't watching who was on deck.'
I believe that, that's how it usually was. I'm not ashamed of that. He's telling the truth.

Dusty had hit 5 homers off Billingham, who knew the number.
I didn't want to say that.

Billingham told Hal, only 6 RBIs on those 5 HR
It wasn't my fault Hank cleared them -- what am I supposed to do?

Hank used to help me out on how to hit those guys and then when he left, we were lost for a while. He'd tell me to look for this, look on the outside, stay off Tom Seaver's high fastball, make them get it below the waist. Hank had an idea -- make them get the ball up. Last night Anderson asked me what to do against a side-arming lefty late in teh game -- those are good questions, great questions. You tuck when he tucks and make him get the ball up.

Ted Power was telling me you don't know who is listening until later. He said I helped him when he was coming up, he used what Hank told me. I'm not making up anything, just remembering what was told. I'd ask Hank how to play a guy and he said to watch him on the on-deck circle, their practice cuts would tell you how they liked to hit the ball. If his feet are turned, he's going to pull, if they're in, he's going the other way. Ask Teddy about it, I was shocked he remembered.

He told me he had great success against the Dodgers because you watch your own hitters, too.

Mario Soto was talking with Homer Bailey the other day. I told Homer to go talk to Mario during the game because Dick's busy during the game. I saw him down there all game. I liked that. It's like going to school.

On Votto
I'm going to talk to him. I see a lot from him. This guy's upside is tremendous. He can run, he's got a good, strong arm. He works hard defensively, he's got some sock. He's one of the guys, I tell you, that you don't want to use what he's done during the spring, you take what he's done in the course of a year and what you see now. Also, you track a guy's start and finish. You saw him last year at the end, he was on a roll. But they told me he hit .185 last April. That could show he may be a slow starter. These are things I take into consideration.

Upcoming cuts?
I just don't know when, today or tomorrow. I've got to talk to Wayne, because I've got a lineup. I've got to tell these guys who is going on the trip and who is not. Shortly here, I hope we have a meeting with all of us to get everybody's input on what they think.

Next week we'll start using the pitcher hitting next week, I think. We've got to get some pitchers hitting, the fact we used the DH we got a lot of the catchers ABs they wouldn't normally get. Talking to Hanigan he had three at-bats last year and one the year before. There's only so many spots, especially with the catchers.

Especially guys, if they're going to make the club, like Cueto and Volquez, I don't know if Volquez has ever hit or bunt. Seeing guys like Barry Zito, if they haven't done it all the way through, it's hard to give them a crash course on bunting and hitting. They start getting jelly-legged facing this side of 95 instead of the other side.

On sorting out the bullpen:
It's a good problem. The problem right now is how to sort out the bullpen, center field and utility positions. There are some guys playing pretty good as utility players. But that's good. Whoever doesn't make it, we have some backup, which I heard hasn't been the case here.

On Jolbert Cabrera:
Even his outs are hard. He hit four or five balls on the nose and has nothing to show for it. It's not only hits, but if you're stinging the ball, that counts to me, big time. That means there's a lot of hits right around the corner if you keep stinging the ball.

He loves baseball. Maybe the odds were against him where he was. He went to Japan for two years. One thing's for sure, if you go to Japan, you're going to learn how to hit the breaking ball or you're going home. Trust me. I played in Mexico, I saw some breaking balls... But that's why they sent me there, to learn how to hit the breaking ball. When I came back, they weren't breaking the way they were when I left. I was seeing sidearm, underhand, 3-1, 2-0, 2-1 breaking balls. God. In Japan they have the shuuto. Those guys over there, they've got some movement. Look at Cecil Fielder, he came back better than when he left. Davey Johnson went over and came back -- he was a good hitter when he left.


* FYI the shuuto is like a right-handed screwball, but it's harder than the traditional screwball. It darts in on a right-handed batter, away from a lefty.

http://1530homer.com/pages/ctrent.html

[NJReds]

Great stuff. Thanks for posting.

[edabbs44]

Why bring up that Votto has a nice, strong arm?

Other than that, good to hear.

[KronoRed]

Why bring up that Votto has a nice, strong arm?

Hello future left fielder

[pedro]

maybe because he does.

[Steve4192]

Why bring up that Votto has a nice, strong arm?

Because it comes in handy in getting force outs at second base and starting the 3-6-3 double play.

[Steve4192]

The problem right now is how to sort out the bullpen, center field and utility positions.

I think it bodes well for Votto that first base is not on Dusty's list of things that need to be sorted out.

[Puffy]

Why bring up that Votto has a nice, strong arm?

Other than that, good to hear.

Maybe because first basemen take cutoff throws and then throw to either a base or the plate? Maybe because a first basemen would have to throw to second base on a pickoff? Maybe because a first basemen would throw to third base on certain sac bunt attempts?

Just maybe