MLB: Baker, Jocketty hold Q&A at Redsfest

(Nervously adjusts Ty Cline) Oh, tough crowd, tough crowd…

“Do you hate the Yankees as much as I do?” one kid asked.

Dusty Baker’s response wasn’t as diplomatic as expected.

“When I was your age, I was a Dodgers fan and the Yankees were beating the Dodgers,” Baker said. “Then I got to the World Series three times and the Yankees beat us twice. I don’t know if I hate them quite as much as you, but I do not like the Yankees.”

...“Why did you trade two young pitchers for Scott Rolen?” another young fan asked Jocketty.

“Well, did you see what Scott Rolen did for us last season?” Jocketty responded, knowing the Reds went 27-13 when Rolen was in the lineup after the July 31 trade with the Blue Jays.

“I know he got hurt,” the child replied.

Tough crowd. Keep in mind that Rolen was beaned in the head, suffered a concussion and had to spend time on the disabled list.

“Scott Rolen will play a big part defensively, [as will] his leadership on the field and in the clubhouse,” Jocketty said. “I’ve traded a lot of promising pitchers that didn’t turn out to promising pitchers when they got to the big leagues. We don’t know, but we felt it was more important to have leadership. When you have a young team like we have, you need veteran leaders. It’s all part of the big picture.”