Class Act Phillips will be in Cincy through at least 2011

John Fay shows us just what a classy guy Brandon Phillips is and why it's so great to have him in a Reds uniform long-term.

“I wanted a contract that would keep with the Reds for a long time,” [Phillips] said. “This is the one team I want to play for. I don’t want to be with nobody else.

"The Reds gave me a second chance,” he said. “They opened up the door for me. The fans welcomed me with open arms. I want to make sure I give back to them. I want to do community service. I want to give back to the community. I’m going to do many things in the city. I’m going to go to certain places and try to find me a field. I want people to know who I am. I want to bring more people to the stadium. I want to be how Barry Larkin was."

Phillips was willing to take less money to stay.

"My agent told me that. I wasn't really worried about that. I just wanted to Reds to sign me to a long-term deal. I said that from Day 1. I wanted to be with the Reds. I'm not going to say money wasn't a thing. But I just wanted it to be fair, fair to me, fair to my family."