Mayor Of Riverfront Tony Perez Guides World Team Against Ken Griff

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The retired Mayor of Riverfront at 73 came home to his post to manage youngsters who weren't even born, in fact some of their parents weren't even born when Tony Perez roamed free on the riverfront.

"Everytime I come to Cincinnati, it feels like I'm coming home," Perez said. 'People recognize me, they want to talk to me. My children were raised here."

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Perez works in a public relations capacity with the Miami Marlins but often gives special instructions to the players in the organization.  He is credited with helping to bring Hanley Ramirez along faster when the latter was a Marlin's rookie.

"I don't know much about these kids," Perez said. "We had a coaches meeting earlier and most of these players are familiar to them. I told them all to have fun and play hard. Just play your game and don't try to do too much."

Perez was the All-Star MVP in the 1967 All-Star game for hitting the game winning home run in the 15th inning in Anaheim. It was the first of his seven All-Star game appearances.

"These are games you always remember," said Perez, who signed with the Reds out of Cuba in 1960.

He got a call to manage the World Team against his former Big Red Machine teammate Ken Griffey Sr.

"I said sure. Every All-Star game is special. It's such an honor to be selected," Perez said. "We didn't have all this when I was coming up. We had home run derbies in the minor leagues. I participated in a few. I would have liked to enter one in the Major Leagues."

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Perez will be managing Reds' prospect Yorman Rodriguez, who is playing in Louisville.

Ken Griffey Sr. is as competitive as ever.

"I want to beat Doggie (Perez)," Griffey Sr. said. "I don't want to hear about it for the next 20 years, because you know Doggie can rub it in. So I want to go out there and beat them up. I don't care if it's 1-0 or 20-1. If we beat them, then I can talk junk to Doggie. But if we don't, then I know I'm going to catch it for the next 20 years. ... I just want them to have fun. I'm not going be Sparky Anderson.

Griffey, who managed Bakersfield until 2013, is familiar with the two Reds prospects Amir Garrett and Kyle Waldrop of his U.S. team.

'I don't know many of these kids. I know Wally, I know Garrett," Griffey Sr. "I'll get information form the coaching staff. They know most of them. I'm not going to try to do anything different. Just let them play. Hopefully nobody gets hurt."

Griffey's evaluation of the Reds' talent in the game, especially Waldrop:

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"The last couple of years, he's been more consistent with the bat," Griffey Sr. said. "He's always had a little pop. And we moved him. He's playing first. He played left field and right field for me, but they moved him to first this year. That surprised me. He doesn't look as robotic as he did going for fly balls in the outfield -- that's what surprised me."

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