By Anthony Mormile
SportsTicker Baseball Editor

TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- If there were any questions about Deion Sanders' commitment to baseball, all you had to do was see him standing there in the rain, waiting for a chance to take some swings.

Sanders already endured a 90-minute trip to the ballpark and wasn't even in the starting lineup. But there he stood, like a Little Leaguer on a rainy Saturday morning, waiting for the skies to clear so he could get a couple of rips.

The two-sport star certainly could have been excused if he wanted to skip this trip. The Reds had a day off the next day and if anyone deserved a mini-vacation it would be an athlete who has been on the go since football camp last summer. But Sanders appears totally committed to contributing to the Reds and re-establishing himself as a major leaguer.

"I've always thought about baseball," said the 33-year-old Sanders, who also plays cornerback for the NFL's Washington Redskins. "I knew deep down in my heart it wasn't completely out of my life, no matter how much I ran from it."

And running is what the Reds hope "Prime Time" brings to the team.

"He has something you can't teach and are always searching for," Reds manager Bob Boone said. "His baseball speed is top notch."

But for Sanders to contribute, he must overcome a couple of obstacles. He must earn a spot in a crowded Reds' outfield, and it likely won't be in center field, which belongs to superstar Ken Griffey Jr.

But Sanders could work his way into the starting lineup, possibly playing left field with Dmitri Young moving to right. Boone won't have to worry about what he will do with Sanders until May 1, when he becomes eligible to play for Cincinnati.

In the interim, Sanders will ply his trade at Class AAA Louisville and show the Reds he's ready to follow through on his commitment.

"I'm healthy now, but I can't play until May 1, so that gives me some time to sharpen things up, work on my game a little more and redefine it," said Sanders, who has not played in the major leagues since 1997.

"There are not a lot of athletes in the world who can make that transition," Boone said. "But if anyone can, it would be him."

The Reds must have some confidence in Sanders because on Tuesday they traded away prospect Michael Coleman, one of those with whom Sanders was competing for playing time. And a lot of what Sanders brings to the Reds must not translate statistically because he is hitting just .267 with a .333 on-base percentage in 30 spring at-bats. He does have four stolen bases, tied for the team lead.

And those numbers are about right for Sanders, who has a .266 career average in 609 games. Even in his best year, 1997, he hit .273 with just 34 walks in 465 at-bats. He did manage to steal 56 bases that season.

But after not facing major league pitching for three years, what can the Reds expect from Sanders? He's not saying.

"I don't share goals. I have things that I want to accomplish, but I never speak openly about them," Sanders said.

But it's clear that the proud athlete, who once scored a touchdown and hit a home run in the same week, is confident he will contribute to this team once eligible.

"I think that's why they asked me to come back, because they knew what I was capable of doing if my head is on straight and my body is intact, and that's what will come to pass," Sanders said.