Jeff Reardon

Reliever Jeff Reardon, the major leagues' career save leader with 357, signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Reardon also had to agree to shave his beard because the Reds have a policy forbidding facial hair. Reardon has worn a beard throughout his 14-year major league career.

Jeff Reardon, one of the best relief pitchers ever, was charged with robbing a jewelry store, then blamed his arrest on medication he was taking for depression. The 50-year-old Reardon, retired since 1994 and sixth in saves, walked into Hamilton Jewelers at the Gardens Mall on Monday and handed an employee a note saying he had a gun and the store was being robbed, police said Tuesday.

Jeff Reardon, one of the best relief pitchers ever, was charged with robbing a jewelry store, then blamed his arrest on medication he was taking for depression. The 50-year-old Reardon, retired since 1994 and sixth in saves, walked into Hamilton Jewelers at the Gardens Mall on Monday and handed an employee a note saying he had a gun and the store was being robbed, police said Tuesday.

The beard is gone, and Sunday the knuckleball disappeared, too. Yet there was no mistaking Jeff Reardon. Reardon pitched a perfect ninth inning for his second save and the New York Yankees defeated the Tigers, 8-6, at Detroit. "I always go right after hitters," Reardon said. Right. But he's not accustomed to having someone else warming up in the bullpen while he is pitching. This time, the Yankees had Steve Howe getting ready. That means Reardon isn't "the man" anymore, and he knows it.

The Minnesota Twins have reopened negotiations with relief ace Jeff Reardon that broke off in July, team Executive Vice President Andy MacPhail said. Reardon had threatened to test the free agent market when the Twins declined to offer him a two-year guaranteed contract last spring. MacPhail said Thursday that the Twins are discussing a two-year guaranteed contract, believed to be worth between $3.1 million and $3.2 million.

Jeff Reardon, top relief pitcher for the Montreal Expos, was traded Tuesday to the Minnesota Twins for pitcher Neal Heaton, catcher Jeff Reed and two minor league pitchers. The Twins also received catcher Tom Nieto. The minor leaguers going to Montreal are Al Cardwood and Yorkis Perez. "Reardon had more saves than our whole ballclub last year," Twin Manager Tom Kelly said. "He's the guy we're definitely looking for to win some of these games."

Jeff Reardon, the major leagues' all-time saves leader, was traded by the Boston Red Sox to Atlanta on Sunday as the Braves tried to bolster their bullpen for the stretch. The trade, in which the Red Sox received two players to be named, was announced with Atlanta 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Cincinnati in the National League West. Alejandro Pena, who leads the Braves with 15 saves, went on the disabled list Aug. 21 with pain in his right elbow.

John Dopson was on the verge of pitching his first shutout, but Boston Manager Butch Hobson was not going to deny Jeff Reardon a chance to become baseball's all-time save leader. Reardon set the record with his 342nd save, combining with Dopson for a six-hitter and a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees Monday night at Boston. "They'd have hung me if I didn't bring him in," Hobson said. "Dopper knew he did his job. It was set up just right, just right, couldn't have wrote it any better."

Baseball's all-time save leader, Jeff Reardon is nicknamed "the Terminator" because he chokes off opponents' late-inning rallies. But Reardon says his job is to retire hitters, not rile them. He wears a full beard and a stern expression that give him a menacing demeanor, but Reardon displays little emotion on the mound. There is none of the fist-pumping, finger-pointing exultation of the type Dennis Eckersley exhibits, which so annoyed the Toronto Blue Jays during the American League playoff.

The beard is gone, and Sunday the knuckleball disappeared, too. Yet there was no mistaking Jeff Reardon. Reardon pitched a perfect ninth inning for his second save and the New York Yankees defeated the Tigers, 8-6, at Detroit. "I always go right after hitters," Reardon said. Right. But he's not accustomed to having someone else warming up in the bullpen while he is pitching. This time, the Yankees had Steve Howe getting ready. That means Reardon isn't "the man" anymore, and he knows it.

Reliever Jeff Reardon, the major leagues' career save leader with 357, signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Reardon also had to agree to shave his beard because the Reds have a policy forbidding facial hair. Reardon has worn a beard throughout his 14-year major league career.

Once, Jeff Reardon's fastball was his out pitch, a fearsome weapon that enabled him to pile up 357 saves over 13 seasons and become baseball's all-time save leader. On Sunday, Atlanta Brave catcher Damon Berryhill called Reardon's fastball "a safe pitch," one he was reasonably sure would baffle Toronto pinch-hitter Ed Sprague with one out and a man on first in the ninth inning, but by no means a pitch he was sure would produce the desired result.

Baseball's all-time save leader, Jeff Reardon is nicknamed "the Terminator" because he chokes off opponents' late-inning rallies. But Reardon says his job is to retire hitters, not rile them. He wears a full beard and a stern expression that give him a menacing demeanor, but Reardon displays little emotion on the mound. There is none of the fist-pumping, finger-pointing exultation of the type Dennis Eckersley exhibits, which so annoyed the Toronto Blue Jays during the American League playoff.

Jeff Reardon, the major leagues' all-time saves leader, was traded by the Boston Red Sox to Atlanta on Sunday as the Braves tried to bolster their bullpen for the stretch. The trade, in which the Red Sox received two players to be named, was announced with Atlanta 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Cincinnati in the National League West. Alejandro Pena, who leads the Braves with 15 saves, went on the disabled list Aug. 21 with pain in his right elbow.

John Dopson was on the verge of pitching his first shutout, but Boston Manager Butch Hobson was not going to deny Jeff Reardon a chance to become baseball's all-time save leader. Reardon set the record with his 342nd save, combining with Dopson for a six-hitter and a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees Monday night at Boston. "They'd have hung me if I didn't bring him in," Hobson said. "Dopper knew he did his job. It was set up just right, just right, couldn't have wrote it any better."

Now that he's a member of the 300-save club, Boston relief pitcher Jeff Reardon can consider himself one of the best pitchers in baseball. When Reardon retired the Milwaukee Brewers in order in the ninth inning at Boston Monday night, he preserved a 3-0 Red Sox victory and joined Rollie Fingers, Rich Gossage and Bruce Sutter as the only relievers with 300 saves. "Before this there were only three guys, and they were considered some of the best pitchers in baseball," Reardon said.

When the Seattle Mariners turned down some big names to get three young pitchers for Mark Langston last month, it raised plenty of eyebrows. The Mariners, it turns out, may have known exactly what they were doing. Brian Holman earned his first American League victory and Gene Harris got his first major-league save Sunday at Cleveland as the Mariners beat the Indians, 6-3. Holman and Harris both came in the trade with the Montreal Expos. Randy Johnson, the third player obtained from the Expos, pitched three-hit ball for 7 2/3 innings in Saturday's 3-1 victory over the Indians, improving his record with Seattle to 3-0. "I like what I see a lot," Manager Jim Lefebvre said.

The Minnesota Twins have reopened negotiations with relief ace Jeff Reardon that broke off in July, team Executive Vice President Andy MacPhail said. Reardon had threatened to test the free agent market when the Twins declined to offer him a two-year guaranteed contract last spring. MacPhail said Thursday that the Twins are discussing a two-year guaranteed contract, believed to be worth between $3.1 million and $3.2 million.