Brandon Phillips News: Pro Sports Daily

Brandon Phillips has a two-word explanation for his hottest streak of the season: "Scott Rolen."

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September 6

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Phillips went into Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves hitting .571 over his last eight games. He was 10-for-15 with two home runs and six RBI over his last four games. Again, Phillips gives Rolen big credit for his recent tear. "Just watching him play every day," Phillips said. "He doesn't talk that much. But the way he approaches the game, I learn a lot from just watching him. I don't talk to him that much. We say, 'Congratulations, nice hit,' that stuff. But his approach to the game says a lot." Phillips and Rolen have the same agents, Sam and Seth Levinson. "I talk to my agent a lot about Scott and the type of person he is and how he approaches the game," Phillips said. "It ..."

Votto sits; Phillips' wrist not broken

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September 2

Dayton Daily News

"Joey Votto should consider it a compliment, but when your batting average is disappearing like a 401-K, compliments don't soothe the pain. Votto was 0 for 15 with six strikeouts so Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker gave Votto a comfortable seat in the dugout for Tuesday's game. "Joey needs it and deserves it," said Baker. "His concentration isn't quite there. Usually he is at a very high level of concentration. I can tell he is frustrated. He doesn't get angry, but he has been getting angry lately and you can tell. "Teams are pitching him tough. When you get to a certain level of excellence, they are going to throw 94 to him when they're throwing 91-92 to everyone else. And that's the ..."

Phillips reveals he's playing with a fractured wrist

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September 1

Dayton Daily News

"When Brandon Phillips gets an audience, he is like a stand-up comedian who hears the first few laughs and then pours it on. After Monday's doubleheader sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cincinnati Reds second baseman revealed that he is playing with a hairline fracture of his left wrist. The fracture came from getting hit by a pitch thrown by Washington's J.D. Martin, a pitch Phillips believes was intentional. As a result, Phillips scribbled Martin's name inside his hat to remember, "And I'll find a way to get back at him. I'll keep his name in my hat until we meet again. When I hit a home run off him or get a big hit, then I'll take his name out of my hat." When Phillips got hit, the ..."

Phillips won't be playing shortstop

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August 22

Dayton Daily News

"With the Cincinnati Reds needing a shortstop the way a myopic needs spectacles, and with no financial means to sign a big-name, the natural order of things would be to shift Brandon Phillips from second base to shortstop, right? Wrong. At least in the eyes of manager Dusty Baker it would be the wrong move. "Not that Phillips is the calibre of Joe Morgan, but why move an All-Star second baseman to shortstop?" said Baker. "So you try to develop a shortstop and leave that strong position (second base) alone. That shortstop is a lot of work. You probably work as hard at shortstop as, well, probably only the catcher is involved in more plays. "That's why I admire offensive shortstops like Cal ..."

Phillips won't go back to shortstop

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August 22

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Brandon Phillips came come up as a shortstop, and he is willing to move back there. But if it's Reds manager Dusty Baker's call, it's not happening. "No," Baker said before Friday night's 5-2 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. "Not that he's the caliber of Joe Morgan," Baker said, "but that'd be like moving an All-Star second baseman to shortstop. You try to develop a shortstop and leave that strong position alone." Baker thinks the added workload of making the switch would hurt Phillips offensively. "That shortstop is a lot of work," Baker said. "You probably work as hard at shortstop ... probably only the catcher is involved in more plays - cutoffs and relays. That's why I admire the ..."

Phillips takes seat on bench

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July 22

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Brandon Phillips' transgression on the basepaths Monday cost him a start Tuesday. On what appeared to be a routine fly ball, Phillips, the Reds' starting second baseman, failed to run hard out of the batter's box in the first inning of the Reds' 7-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night. The ball dropped and Joey Votto scored from third base, but Phillips was thrown out at second for the first out of the inning on what probably would have been a double had he been running full-speed. "I talked with Brandon, and he said he thought he had a sacrifice fly," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "You can never assume. He said he's been hustling. I said, 'I know you have. You cannot assume that ..."

Phillips sits for lack of hustle

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July 22

Dayton Daily News

"When Dusty Baker posted his lineup card for a game in Dodger Stadium Tuesday, Brandon Phillips was not on it. And Baker had a 20-minute open door conversation in his office with Phillips to discuss the situation. Baker didn't say much but when asked if Phillips might be used as a pinch-hitter or part of a double-switch late in the game he said, "I'm not going to sacrifice a game for principles." The play that caused the furor was a routine fly ball in the first inning Monday, a play on which most major-leaguers trot to first base, assuming the ball will be caught. "Brandon told me he thought the ball would be caught," said Baker. "In this game you assume nothing, you never assume a ball is ..."

Reds' Phillips is just trying too hard

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June 16

Dayton Daily News

"Kudos to Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker for taking control of the Brandon Phillips situation. With the Reds fighting to stay better than .500 and in the National League Central chase, the last thing the team needs is players trying to do too much or play hero. In case you missed it, Phillips came to bat with two outs and two runners on - both by walks - against Kansas City starter Kyle Davies on Saturday, June 13. Phillips, facing a 3-0 count and his team down 5-3 in the top of the fifth, missed Baker's take-the-next-pitch signal because he didn't look for it and swung. He popped out to end the inning. Phillips' argument was he was trying to get something going. Okay, but why not take ..."

Phillips draws fine for ignoring Bakers' take sign

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June 15

Dayton Daily News

"Manager Dusty Baker both talked to Brandon Phillips and fined Phillips for ignoring a take sign Saturday to swing at a 3-and-0 pitch. Baker wouldn't specify the amount or even if he actually fined Phillips, but he smiled and said, "I collected a lot of money in fines last year. Most of it was collected from a few players." As for Phillips, Baker said, "You wish everybody thought like him (trying to do something to win a game). The thought process wasn't wrong. You want everybody to think like that. I thought like that. It's like being in the military, you still have to follow orders and that's what it boils down to. You don't want to take the thought and desire away." Phillips said he ..."

Phillips' gaffe leads to Reds loss

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June 12

Dayton Daily News

"It is tourist season in the nation's capital and the Cincinnati Reds offense acted as if it was vacation time - nine runs and 20 hits over three games, numbers that usually lead to the other team handing you your head in one hand and your lunch in the other. The offense should have played the games in khaki shorts, t-shirts, black socks and sneakers with a camera dangling from their necks. That the team won two of three was miraculous and they had the third game won, too, until the eighth inning Thursday when second baseman Brandon Phillips made an ill-advised throw that permitted the winning run to score in a 3-2 loss. The Reds were playing the hopeless and helpless Washington ..."

Phillips playing through injury

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June 4

Dayton Daily News

"First he puts two gel pads on top of the thumb, then he puts a band-aid on it, then he covers it with a flesh-colored athletic pad. And it still hurts. "You have to man up," said Brandon Phillips. "You don't think about it before the play. You wait until after the play — when it hurts." The Cincinnati Reds second baseman is playing with a healing hairline fracture on his right thumb and, strangely, it hurts the most when he throws. "It's numb on the tip and I feel it when I throw," he said. "I was saying it vibrates and it stings, but Marty Brennaman came up with the right word. It throbs. That's my new word." Phillips said he also feels it on inside pitches and when he doesn't hit the ..."

Phillips won't go on DL -- yet

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May 25

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Brandon Phillips is adamant about not going on the disabled list. The second baseman said Sunday he had suffered a hairline fracture in the tip of his right thumb late in Saturday night's game, when a batted ball hit him. "The X-rays showed it," Phillips said. "It's broken, but I'm not going on the DL. I feel I can play with a pad on it, but not for a couple days because it's swollen right now." The Reds had no announcement, but manager Dusty Baker said the hope is that Phillips can return soon. "The doctors seem to think if we wait a couple days, he might be available," Baker said. "We might have caught a break there." Phillips entered Sunday leading the league with 27 RBI in May. Overall ..."

Phillips wants to keep focus on wins, not low stats

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May 1

Dayton Daily News

"The person least concerned about Brandon Phillips is Brandon Phillips, and he looks at his .188 batting average like the stock market. It has to go up, doesn't it? After his first day off on Wednesday, April 29, Phillips returns to the lineup tonight in PNC Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates, confident that his silent bat is about to start making noise. "We're winning, and I'm a happy man," said the irascible, but always smiling, second baseman. "It's all about us winning, because I am going to produce and I am going to hit, that's how confident I am. "I'm just happy it happened to me instead of one of the younger guys who is new to the team and might not be able to handle it." The Reds ..."

Slump plays mind games with Phillips

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April 29

Cincinnati Enquirer

"The slump has wormed its way into his head, though maybe not in a way you'd expect. When Brandon Phillips hit that opposite-field fly Sunday and turned a double into a single by admiring the baseball's flight, it wasn't because he thought he'd hit a home run. "I've been getting out so much, I thought it was a routine out," Phillips said Tuesday. Batting slumps mess with a man's mind. You stare at your bat and you think, "I've been doing this my whole life. Why can't I do it now?" It's like writer's block, only for more money. Physically, baseball isn't the toughest game. Mentally, it's Everest. The best and worst thing about baseball is there's a game every day. Redemption and agony share ..."

Brandon Phillips: Man of the people

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April 5

Cincinnati Enquirer

"There's no question about who is the favorite Red of the marketing department. They ask, and Brandon Phillips answers. He does Redsfest. He does the Winter Caravan. He'll do appearances big and small. A lot of players of his status do not. "The reason I do it?" he said. "I try to be the face that people can see. I'm not better than anyone else. I love the fans. I love talking to them, doing things like that. If you're a little kid, you want to see your favorite player. It's nice for me to go there because I might be a little kid's favorite player." Phillips is going to be a Red for a long time. He signed a four-year contract that runs through 2011 with an option for 2012. And Phillips has ..."

Phillips picks his spots

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March 2

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Brandon Phillips says the words that will absolutely make sabermetricians cringe. "I don't believe in that on-base percentage (stuff). That's overrated to me. If you get hits, you'll be on base. That's what it's about." Phillips' numbers reflect that attitude. He walked a career-high 39 times last year in 609 plate appearances. Reds manager Dusty Baker said Phillips can become choosier at the plate. "I think he can be a little selective - with runners in scoring position especially," Baker said. "That's easy to say. But that just goes to increasing concentration." Phillips is never going to walk 100 times a year. But Baker would like him to swing at better pitches. Phillips is good enough ..."

For Reds to succeed, Phillips must deliver

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March 1

Dayton Daily News

"The day the Cincinnati Reds acquired Brandon Phillips, no one was really sure what they had on their hands. The talk was of a disgruntled former Cleveland Indian who had been moved off the roster, in part, because of a bad attitude. A skilled player, no doubt. But a potential problem child, as well. No one can argue with the results. Phillips has been perhaps the team's best defensive player as well as a 30/30 performer in the lineup. The second baseman, though, has never been more important to the team. Aside from his hits, glove and well-publicized bright smile, Phillips has a team's image to carry. Without Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn on the roster this season, Phillips is the biggest ..."

Phillips to hit fourth

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February 19

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Reds manager Dusty Baker said today that second baseman Brandon Phillips will hit fourth to start the season. Phillips' numbers were down last year, compared to 2007. Last year, he hit .261 with 21 homers and 78 RBI. In 2007, he hit .288 with 30 home runs and 94 RBI. Baker said he's not worried. "Brandon will have a good year," Baker said. "You struggle sometimes a little bit in your third or fourth year. Brandon will readjust. Sometimes they wouldn't throw Brandon a lot of strikes. Sometimes when you're in the middle of it, you can't see it. When you're smart like Brandon, you take some time away and you step back and see things." Baker isn't so certain about whether Chris Dickerson will ..."

For Phillips, defense never rests

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November 6

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Brandon Phillips is obviously enormously talented. His range, arm and hands make him a great second baseman. But he probably would not have won the Gold Glove if a light had not gone on, prompting him to work on his skills. "When I was with the Montreal Expos, hitting was first," he said. "I didn't care if I made an error. But everybody started telling me defense wins games." Phillips was awarded the Rawlins Gold Glove for National League second basemen Wednesday. He's the first Red to win that honor since Pokey Reese in 2000. Phillips began working at defense as hard as he did at hitting when he was still an Expos minor leaguer. He still does. "He never sits down," Reds manager Dusty ..."

Phillips needs surgery on broken finger

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September 11

Cincinnati Enquirer

"Reds manager Dusty Baker couldn't smile much about a third straight final at-bat victory against a National League Central contender Wednesday morning. He was still hurting for Brandon Phillips. Phillips was lost for the season Tuesday night and will need surgery after he broke his right index finger on a bunt attempt in his game-winning turn at the plate. He flew to Cincinnati Wednesday and was examined by Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Phillips will have surgery Friday, during which a pin will be inserted into his right index finger so it will heal properly. The surgery will be performed by Kremchek and hand specialist Dr. Andrew Markewicz. "He was really upset ... it's part ..."

Fantasy crushed with a look at Phillips' numbers

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July 12

Dayton Daily News

"learned the hard way that the Cincinnati Reds have something quite special in second baseman Brandon Phillips. When conversations about the best players in the game come up, Phillips is not on the radar, but he should show up like swarms of F-15s."