By Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave after watching Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Martinez in perpetual motion, thinking he would be a perfect mascot for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers.
—ADD SOME POWER?: As the trade deadline creeps closer, the most talk is that the Cincinnati Reds need to add a power bat to their lineup.
Well, maybe. While the Reds don’t knock down many fences, they aren’t 97-pound weaklings. With 97 homers, they are mid-pack of all MLB teams, 17th.
And apparently manager Tito Francona is content with what he has, especially understandable because he isn’t a big fan of the long ball. He prefers singles and doubles and walks — keep the procession marching.
He sounds as if he believes Elly De La Cruz and Austin Hays provide enough power, especially Hays.
After Hays hit two home runs Friday during Cincinnati’s 8-4 win over the New York Mets, Francona said. “If you ask one thing about Austin Hays, it is professionalism. He is what you’re looking for. Our guys (front office) did a real good job of finding him this winter and signing him, because when we haven’t had him, it’s a big hole for us.
“And I don’t mean just in the lineup, but in our clubhouse,” he added. “He’s a good citizen who leads by example and does everything right. And he hits the ball out of the ball park.”
Tito knows best. But I’m not convinced. . .yet.
—GO BIG BLUE: If you are an Ohio State fan, you might want to skip this and go to the next item because this is about TSUN.
When the New York Mets drafted Mitch Voit No. 1 in this year’s baseball draft, the University of Michigan made history.
Voit is from U-M and the Wolverines are now the first school to have a No. 1 draft pick in all four major sports in the same year.
Voit joins Kennth Grant (NFL), Donnie Wolf (NBA) and Will Horcoff (NHL) as No. 1 picks this year.
And all four were picked in this year’s drafts.
—THE BIGGEST THRILL: Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is a record that with live in perpetuity.
He hit .408 with 91 hits and 15 homers, leading his New York Yankees to a 41-15 record.
To me, though, the most amazing piece of that streak was that he had 223 at bats during the streak and struck out five times. Five! And not once did he strike out during the last 32 games.
For his career, DiMaggio hit 361 home runs and struck out 365 times.
DiMaggoi was a quiet, aloof guy. Said a contempary opponent, Hank Greenberg, “If he said hello to you, that was a long conversation.”
One event, though, brought a strong reaction from The Yankee Clipper. Boston Red Sox fans hated the Yankees (still do) and Yankees fans hate the Red Sox (still do).
The Red Sox and Yankees were tied for first place on the last day of the 1948 season and played each other in Fenway Park. DiMaggio went 4-for-4 with two doubles, but the Red Sox won.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Yankees manager Bucky Harris permitted DiMaggio to take his place in center field, then sent in a replacement.
To his astonnishment, as he trotted off the field, the Fenway Park fans gave him a standing ovation that thundered for several minutes.
Said Joltin’ Joe, “That was the single greatest thrill of my career.”
—$11 MILLION OH-FER: The San Francisco Giants invested $11 million this season for a one-year deal to 42-year-old pitcher Justin Verlander.
In 16 starts this season, Verlander is 0-and-8 with a 4.99 earned run average. In his last start before the All-Star break, the Phillies beat him, 13-0.
And he started the first game after the break and survived only 2 2/3 innings and gave up four runs and nine hits in a 4-0 loss to Toronto.
In a bit of a defense, the Giants don’t score him many runs, but my dear Aunt Opal could do that for far less cash.
—AS THE WORM TURNS: Hack Wilson’s 191 RBI remain the all-time record for a season and he was a heavy imbiber.
Chicago Cubs manager Joe McCarthy thought Wilson could be even better if his love of Jack Daniels and George Dickel was eradicated.
So he called Wilson into his office one day and showed him a glass of worms. He took a bottle of whiskey and poured it into the glass. The worms immediately died.
“What did you learn from that?” he asked Wilson
“That if I drink whiskey I won’t have worms,” said Wilson.
McCarthy later became a heavy drinker himself and neither he nor Wilson ever had worms.
—PAGES OF PLATINUM: If you haven’t read David Halberstam’s book, ‘Summer of ’49,’ do so immediately.
As a voracious reader of baseball books — I own more than 300 — I am ashamed to admit I had skipped this one. Until now.
There are few books that I can’t put down, but this is one. His long, long chapter on Joe DiMaggio is pure platinum.
—TRIVIA TIME: Some stuff that’s interesting but meaningless:
—The top five third basemen to start double plays are Brooks Robinson (618), Adrian Beltre (523), Graig Nettles (470), Gary Gaetti (460), Mike Schmidt (450). (What? Where’s Jeimer Candelario and Derek Dietrich?)
But former Seattle third baseman Dave Edler said, “Next to the catcher, the third baseman has to be the dumbest guy out there. You can’t have any brains to take those line drive shots.”
—Bob Gibson recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1974 and six years later, 1980, Nolan Ryan recorded his 3,000th strikeout. And the strikeout victim both times? Cincinnati Reds center fielder Cesar Geronimo.
—Are there any players who won MLB’s Most Valuable Player award in a season that they did not make the All-Star team? Shockingly, yes. There have been a dozen:
Bryce Harper (2021), Jimmy Rollins (2007), Justin Mourneau (2006), Chipper Jones (1999), Juan Gonzalez (1996), Terry Pendleton (1991), Robin Yount (1989), Kirk Gibson (1988, Willie Stargell (1979) Dave Parker (1978), Don Newcombe (1956) and Hank Greenberg (1935).
And there could be another this year. . .Juan Soto, Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, George Springer and Christopher Sanchez come to mind.
—QUOTE MACHINE: Baseball people say the darndest things:
—From former pitcher Bo Belinsky (a boy friend to actress Mamie Van Doren, actress Ann-Margret and singer Connie Stevens): “Philadelphia fans would boo funerals, an Easter egg hunt, a parade of armless war veterans and the Liberty Bell.” (Yes, Bo Knows Beauty.)
—From former player and manager Alvin Dark: “Any pitcher who deliberately throws at a batter is a communist.” (Wonder if Vladimir Putin has a change-up?)
—Frome former Dodgers pitcher Billy Loes, who never won more than 14 games in a season: “Oh, hell, if you win 20 games, they want you do it it every year.” (And he made certain he never did it.)
—From Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton: “I’m the most loyal player money can buy.” (That is the current mantra and motto of every MLB player.)
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 188: As musician Duke Ellington put it, “The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.”
—Always Something There To Remind Me (Naked Eyes), Total Eclipse Of The Heart (Bonnie Tyler), You May Be Right (Billy Joel), Somebody’s Baby (Jackson Browne), Love Takes Time (Orleans), Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles).
—It Don’t Matter To Me (Bread), Through The Years (Kenny Rogers), The First Cut Is The Deepest (Rod Stewart), Operator (Jim Croce), The Loco-Motion (Little Eva), Chain Gang (Sam Cooke), I’ll Never Fall In Love Again (Tom Jones), Haven’t Got Time For The Pain (Carly Simon).