Rijo disappointed in team not allowing him to enter clubhouse

[CincyRedsFan30]

Reds edge Nationals in 14th
Keisler gets game-winning single and the win

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | A memo from Cincinnati Reds management is tacked on a bulletin board in the visitor's clubhouse in Great American Ball Park.

In effect, it tells the Washington Nationals they aren't welcome anywhere near the Reds clubhouse, don't darken the door-step, don't come knocking.

It is because the Washington pre-game dugout is a Reds Alumni Association meeting: Jim Bowden, Bob Boone, Jose Cardenal, Jose Rijo, Frank Robinson, Jose Guillen, Hector Carrasco.

Call them the Washington Reds-East.

Actually, the Reds not only should invite the entire Nationals traveling party into the clubhouse, they should serve shrimp cocktails and Swedish meatballs.

They've finally found a team they can beat. . .barely.

With a 4-3 victory Tuesday night in 14 innings in Great American Ball Park, the Reds have won two straight over the Nationals, their first two-game winning streak since April 17-18.

Amazingly, the game ended when pitcher Randy Keisler, batting only because the Reds were out of position players, rolled a ground-ball single past the shortstop, driving in the game-ending run with his first career major-league hit.

He was making his debut as a pitcher with the Reds, called up from Class AAA Louisville

Monday to replace Danny Graves. He was the Reds' seventh pitcher of the night and was the winner with two scoreless, hitless innings.

The 14th-inning ending began with Jason LaRue's one-out single and a double by Luis Lopez.

And Keisler ended it.

"That was fun and I'm happy with my pitching," he said. "That's my job."

He said Ryan Freel, standing on deck almost got him too excited by yelling at him, "You have nothing to lose, just go hit."

Said Keisler, "He got me so excited I swung at the first pitch that was 2 feet in the dirt. I think I can hit, but I'm better at 5 o'clock (batting practice) than in a game.

"I've been fortunate to play with my two idols, pitcher Roger Clemens (with the New York Yankees) and now Ken Griffey Jr., who I grew up idolizing and tried to hit like when I was in college. I'd be a better hitter if I didn't try to hit like him in college. That didn't work out too well."

It did Tuesday.

Regardless of what happens in the series wrap-up this afternoon, the Reds have won their first series since beating Houston two games to one April 15-17. Since then, they'd lost eight series and split three.

Engraved invitations, gold-embossed, should be immediately sent to the Nationals requesting their presence for a few more months.

On Ken Griffey Jr. Bobblehead Night, a night during which he went 0 for 6 with two strikeouts, the Reds made the most out of very little while the Nationals made very little out of a lot.

The Reds scored three runs in the first off Livan Hernandez on a bases-loaded double by Austin Kearns and nothing more until the 14th. The Nationals stranded 17 base-runners, wasted 15 hits and were 3 for 17 with runners in scoring position.

Brandon Claussen gave up two runs and seven hits over six innings and appeared to have a win until David Weathers, one pitch away from his second save in two nights, gave up a two-out game-tying single to pinch-hitter Carlos Baerga in the ninth.

The win was not without a loss. First baseman Sean Casey left the game in the seventh inning with a jammed left shoulder after a first-base collision with Guillen on an infield hit.

Of the no-visitors memo, a Reds official asked Casey before Monday's game to spread the message to the rest of the Reds about not accepting Nationals visitors and Casey said, "You tell them. As far as I'm concerned, they're old friends and they're welcome."

The memo deeply cut Rijo, one of Cincinnati's all-time favorites, the MVP of the 1990 World Series with two victories over Oakland.

But there is no sleeping with the enemy and Rijo is the enemy, a special assistant to Nationals interim general manager Jim Bowden, former GM of the Reds.

"To come here for the first time and face a note from the Reds office that only Reds players are allowed in the Reds clubhouse, that kills everything for me," said Rijo. "I want to see Griffey, Adam Dunn, Kearns, Jason LaRue, the Stowe family. . .people I was very familiar with.

"To see that note was disappointing, like somebody waiting for me with a knife in his hand," Rijo added. "They have me feeling like, 'I don't care about the Reds organization any more.'"

[theFatty]

Well the organization is certanly trying to change. Casey hasn't been very happy these past few days.

[missionhockey21]

I feel bad for guys like Rijo, Larkin, etc. It's the front office fault as to why we don't have Rijo and Larkin either in the front office or as coaches. Pretty sad when the two most beloved players from our 90 WS win works for Washington and isn't even allowed to visit the team in the Clubhouse. It just goes to show you how petty Allen is (I dont think this is the work of Miley or O'Brien.)

[ghettochild]

they took away griff's and dunns chair too haha

[RedsFan33]

That's pretty messed up if you ask me. Rijo was a huge part of the Reds during our 1990 world series run and definitely deserves to be treated a little better than what he is.

[dfnghesmeh]

They should welcome him maybe he could teach them something about pitching. They need all the help they can get.