Reds Trimming Beards And Roster

Marge Schott is not returning to force the players to wear high-stirrup sox and be clean-shaven but the new manager Bryan Price is tweaking team rules to get facial hair under control.

"We reviewed the team rules.  Beards and mustaches are fine but just keep it under control," Price said.

It will not be a unilateral mandate.  Price plans to discuss the team policies with his core group of players.

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"Every year you reinvestigate your policies and adjust what we feel is important, not just from my perspective but an organizational perspective. I think that's important. I don't think you would be terribly successful by turning back the clock on the clubhouse too far."

Owner Bob Castellini has a reputation a conservative owner; being a Reds' fan during the days of the Big Red Machine's strict 'no beard" policy.  Yet, Price said that Castellini didn't give his input.  Price and his staff are revising the policy collectively in consultation with the players.

"When we reviewed the rules, I put my opinions out there.  We've had players here historically that have had long hair with Bronson (Arroyo) and Johnny (Cueto) which was fine.  It just started to get to the point where it was getting out of control; we decided to pull the reigns in a little bit," Price said.

Corky Miller had his trademark Fu Manchu.

"Corky is going to be just fine," Price said.

"Once we get our position players in here, that will be one of our first order of business;  just to sit down and discuss these things.  If you have policies that the players don't buy into, you spend way more time than you want to trying to enforce things.  We don't want to turn it into fantasy island.  Everyone wants to understand what the rules are and where the lines are drawn."

The culture is changing in other ways.

Johnny Cueto is making a conscious effort to speak English on his own rather than using an interpreter.

"Johnny is latching on to that role of being in a place of more leadership.  Just trying to be a be bigger part of what's going on here.  You're exposing yourself when you try to do something you're not comfortable doing.  For him to be proactive that way speaks a lot about his maturity."

Price pointed out that Mat Latos, Mike Leake and Homer Bailey fall into the same category as Cueto.  All four got to the major leagues at a young age.

"We are getting a chance to watch them develop not only as pitchers but as people. Chapman you can throw into that. When these guys are so talented at such a young age and then we, myself included, we make an opinion of a young person.  Sometimes we extract youth out of the equation and that's not fair."

The young players benefited from Bronson Arroyo's presence in the clubhouse.  Now it is time for the players to cut the umbilical chord and show maturity on their own.

"We all benefited from Bronson being here in many ways," Price said.  "All the things you hear on the periphery. He's a fun guy.  He does his own thing, beats to his own drum.  He's a tremendous professional.  He's made such a commitment to be a professional baseball player and that's infectious.  He has plenty of money.  This guy can go home and do whatever he wants.  It doesn't take much to go home and fix up a 1,200 square foot house.  He loves to play baseball.  How could that not be infectious? He didn't get wrapped up in all the trappings. What he values above all the other things is getting between the lines and competing.  Not just the other pitchers, but everyone learned from that."

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