Brandon Phillips Heartwarming Journey To The Cincinnati Reds
The spring training I had with the Indians in 2006, it was the best spring training I ever had. And I thought I was going to make the team. I thought I was going to be the guy with the Indians. And then next thing you know, uh, I end up getting designated. And I went home to go practice with my high school at Reeden High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. And, you know, I felt like a failure for the first time in my career. I ended up getting a call by from Wayne Krisky at the time and he was like, “Brandon, we want you to come here.” and be the player that you was in spring training. And then when I end up getting there, I got called in the office with Jerry Narren at the time and Wayne Christie. And Jerry Naran said, “Brandon, hey, we want you to be yourself. Play the game the best way you know how. If you don’t do it your way, you’re going to do it our way.” I saluted him. That’s all I need to hear. And the rest was history. And you know, I became the guy that Cincinnati was looking for for all those years. And like I said, man, it changed my whole career, period.
2 comments
Hell of a fielder and a very underrated hitter he got absolutely screwed by the f**** writers for hall of fame votes.
He was the rare bright spot on some bad Reds teams and was the core of some really good Reds teams. If you're a true Reds fan from that time, there are plays that he made that are still etched in your mind.