In one of his mock petulant moments, then-Dayton Dragons manager Donnie Scott slammed his office door on me, reluctant to listen to any more stupid questions.
Unfortunately, infielder Luis Bolivar was hanging by the door and had his hand on the frame, skinning his knuckles.
Scott was profusely apologetic to him (certainly not to me), and Bollie kept saying over and over, “It’s OK, Donnie, it’s OK.”
That’s the way Bolivar was when he played here and elsewhere over an 11-year minor league career that saw him reach Class AAA — a step from the majors — with two organizations.
He was a good player (.261 batting average, 204 stolen bases) who could play anywhere, but mostly second base.
He was a nicer guy. And that’s why this is a special time. He was working for Jeff Bonham Electric and lives in Vandalia, where he met his wife Kelly. They have three young girls.
He also worked at Ted Mills’s baseball school, and was a volunteer coach at Butler High School last season.
Sunday, he will be joining the Reds’ minor league coaching staff in Arizona.
“I was a long time with the Reds, and I wanted to get back into baseball,” Bolivar said. “I’ll be a hitting coach with the rookie team, and work with infielders, too.”
And, maybe, some day he’ll be back here coaching the Dragons — on his way to the Reds.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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