On a scorching Reds Day at Kings Island, centerfielders Billy Hamilton and Tyler Holt and pitcher Keyvius Sampson fielded questions from fans.
Most of the questions were softball lobs, like "What's your favorite number?" and "Who is your role model?" or "How can I get better at T-Ball?" The three Reds answered the questions earnestly and with some humor, taking any excuse to joke about skinny Billy is.
But the crowd went silent when 11-year-old Nick asked "How do you feel about the Jay Bruce and Yasiel Puig trade?"
Trading Bruce for the Dodgers outfielder is one of the many Bruce trade rumors -- this one was asserted by FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. But nonetheless, Reds fans have known Bruce is on the chopping block for most of the season.
After Nick repeated the question for the player panelists, Holt said "This one's for you, Billy."
"I hope not, to be honest with you," Hamilton responded. "We don't want to see him leave. I don't care who it is, man, we love him. That guy is a great guy and a great player. Jay Bruce is the best."
Sampson and Holt shook their heads in agreement and both said "he's the best."
"He's a good dude, man," Sampson said. "My first day in locker room, he came up to me and said 'If you need a place to stay, I'll help you out.' Coming up, when you see a veteran guy come up to you like that, it's kind of a big deal. I don't want to see him leave."
Then Holt cut in to defend the Reds' ugly 2016 season and the teams' veterans.
"The guys we have in the locker room, the core guys, I know we aren't winning this year, but these guys come in day in and day out, it might not show it but everyone puts in their part," he said. "We don't think it's a losing season, we're trying to get better and we know things will turn around for us."
Their answers got a big round of applause.
The questions toned down after that; a girl named Andrea got the mic, and she asked if any of the players would ride Banshee with her.
