Kearns paying dues (and doing it with a great attitude)

[missionhockey21]

Kearns paying dues
He's working hard in minors
By Josh Katzowitz
Post staff reporter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Already he had a hit a home run and double, he had run the bases hard, and by all accounts, with the game over, Austin Kearns should have been filling his belly with some grub in the clubhouse.

But that's not how a major-league player stuck in a minor-league purgatory operates. He doesn't sit and eat and take satisfaction in a good day's performance or an impressive batting average.

If he wants to return to the big leagues, he works twice as hard as anybody else.

So when Louisville Bats manager Rick Sweet looked out of his office Thursday, after a 10-9 Bats loss in Charlotte, he saw Kearns working with a medicine ball in the hallway. He was, as Sweet says, "sweating bullets."

Trying to lose weight, trying to get himself major-league ready once again.

For now, the food could wait. Kearns wanted to keep working.

"He was grunting, getting his work done," Sweet said Friday before Louisville's 8-2 win against the Rochester Red Wings. "He'd already played the game, taken batting practice and everything. Now, he was doing his core work. This guy is working his butt off."

What Kearns is doing is sticking to the plan laid out for him by Reds management.

No. 1, the goal was to get at-bats every day, something that was nearly impossible in Cincinnati. So far, he's looked good in a Bats uniform, batting .394 while smashing eight doubles, a home run and eight RBIs in 33 at-bats.

No. 2, the goal was for Kearns to drop some weight. He said he was expected to lose 10-15 pounds, and already, he's making progress. He doesn't know exactly how much weight he's lost, but he said he feels better.

No. 3 - and this might have been only in his mind - the goal was to have fun playing baseball again.

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[Reds_fan_4_life]

# 3 will be a good positive thing i feel for this kid. I really want to keep this guy on the team. He is the man i think. its hard to concentrate on your weight and performance when your not in the lineup every day. If this organization trades this guy away, they make a HUGE mistake. This guy has potential, he just slacked off b/c why try ur best to be 4th in the Outfield. He is trying to get back up here in the bigs and im cheerin him on b/c i'd rather have him play now then play never in a reds uniform... Griffey wont be here forever, what then?

[Jr's Boy]

It's time for Casey and his his mouth to be gone,put Dunn at first and then the OF will be ok.