The Associated Press

Monday, April 03, 2000

Cincinnati – April 2 just isn’t Sean Casey’s day. On that day two years ago, the Cincinnati Reds first baseman got hit in the face by a thrown ball during infield practice and broke the bones around his right eye. Exactly two years to the day, Casey was in a hospital again, getting a cast put on his broken right thumb. Tests completed early Sunday found he had chipped a bone in the team’s final exhibition the day before.

”In the first week of April, I just need to shut it down,” he said.

The latest injury is much less severe than the first and is expected to cost him nothing more than a few weeks out of the lineup and one day of disappointment.

Will Clark’s hard-hit grounder deflected off Casey’s throwing hand Saturday during an 8-3 exhibition loss to Baltimore in Chattanooga, Tenn., causing an injury that was initially thought to be a bruise.

X-rays and other tests performed in Cincinnati early Sunday found that Casey had chipped a bone on the inside of the thumb. Dr. Timothy Kremchek said there should be no lingering problem once it heals in two or three weeks.

”I’ve been through it before with the eye injury,” Casey said. ”That was more life-changing. I don’t think my right thumb is going to change my life too much. Things should be fine in a couple of weeks.”

The Reds put Casey on the 15-day disabled list and called up D.T. Cromer from Triple-A Louisville.

The move ended a remarkable streak of good health for the Reds. None of their regular position players went on the disabled list last year, one of the reasons why Cincinnati was able to win 96 games and come within one victory of making the playoffs.

”We were fortunate last year, so the odds were that something was probably going to happen this year,” backup first baseman Hal Morris said. ”You hope it doesn’t, but it’s inevitable that it’s going to happen.”

Morris pulled leg muscles in the Reds’ final Florida exhibition last Thursday. Although manager Jack McKeon said he would wait until Monday to decide his lineup for the season opener, general manager Jim Bowden said that Dmitri Young would start at first base and Michael Tucker would start in left field.

”We’ll definitely miss Casey’s bat,” said Young, who started six games at first last season. ”I wouldn’t say it’s a terrible loss because he’ll be back in a couple of weeks. But I know he’s upset.”

Casey played in 151 games last season, hitting .332 with 25 homers and 99 runs batted in. He made the All-Star team and received the Hutch Award, given annually to a player who shows character.

The friendly first baseman had a wan smile on his face and was speechless when he walked into the clubhouse Sunday morning with a white cast on his right hand.

Pitcher Pete Harnisch, who will start the opener, got wide-eyed when Casey walked over to him and showed him the cast. Many players were still unaware of the severity of his injury.

Casey was stunned when X-rays found the chipped bone. The biggest disappointment was knowing he would be out of the starting lineup Monday when Ken Griffey Jr. made his debut.

”I sat back and thought about it last night and today, being so excited for opening day and everything. I was probably as excited as anyone in this city,” Casey said. ”That’s a little disappointing.”

He found it odd that the injury occurred on a hard grounder hit by Clark.

”It’s funny because I idolized him growing up,” Casey said. ”I talked to him before the game and afterward he came to see how I was. So if anybody did it, maybe it’s all right that it’s Will Clark that did it.”