By Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering what team that is playing in Great American Ball Park these days.
Take away my crystal ball, it’s all fogged up and full of cracks.
Most everybody outside the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse had them as burnt toast a couple of weeks ago. And I’m guilty as charged. I’ve written them off at least four times and buried them when they lost three straight in Sacramento to the Athletics.
A mere two weeks ago they were six games behind the Mets and I said New York’s tail-light were so far in the distance the Reds couldn’t see them with binoculars.
Now they don’t even need contact lenses.
Can I change my mind? With red cheeks and an apologetic tone, I now say they are going to do it. They are going to catch and pass the Mets and make the playoffs.
When they meet the Cubs today, they are one game behind the Mets and finishing like Secretariat.
Reds closer Emilio Pagan probably was talking about me when he said, “We’ve been counted out many times. We believe in this group. The results haven’t always been what we want, but we’re a fun team to watch, we play hard each and every night.”
How does fried crow taste. I believe I’ll be finding out.
—MOVIE MYTHS: The death of Robert Redford reminded me of why I am not a big Hollywood fan.
Before I watched the movie ‘The Natural,’ starring Redford as baseball player Roy Hobbs, I read the book, written by Bernard Malamud.
In the movie, Hobbs hits a mammoth home run that bashes into a light tower, spraying sparks all over the field. A typical garish Hollywood ending.
In the book, Hobbs strikes out.
And while on the subject, one of the many reasons I despise the movie ‘Moneyball’ is that it depicts former Oakland Athletics manager Art Howe as an incompetent clown.
What an insult. Art Howe was not only an extremely competent manager, he was one of the nicest guys I ever met in a half century of covering baseball.
And by the way, Robert Redford and Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale were high school classmates, both graduating from Van Nuys High School in 1954.
—ANALYTICS. . .BAH: As I watch today’s version of baseball, it strikes me that due to analytics, baseball is a one-fits-all game. All the teams play the same. The only difference is the talent level and that’s because of the difference in payrolls.
The game is no longer played on a finely-manicured field of grass, it is played on spreadsheets.
Most teams have more analysts on their payroll than they have players on their rosters.
As Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer put it about his Baltimore Orioles, “There’s 35 in our analytics department. We’ve got one girl just to bring the infield in.”
—HUNTING ‘EM DOWN: Wasn’t it apropos that Seattle’s Cal Raleigh passed Mickey Mantle for the most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter by hit a home run from each side of the plate Tuesday.
Raleigh is on quite the celebrity-hunt. He passed future Hall of Famer Salvador Perez for the most home runs in a season by a catcher. He passed Mickey Mantle for most homers by a switch-hitter in a season. And with 57 homers he passed Ken Griffey Jr., for most home runs in a season for Seattle.
And his sights are set on Babe Ruth (60) and Roger Maris (61) But time is running out.
—WALK ON BY: How does a team walk 10 batters and still win a game, 2-1? Easy if the team that walks 10 times only gets one hit.
That what the Los Angeles Dodgers did Thursday night. LA pitchers walk ten San Francisco Giants. The Giants scored their one run without a hit.
In back-to-back games, the Giants had two hits in 18 innings. On Wednesday, they had one hit against Arizona in nine innings of a 0-0 time. They scored five in the 10th to win, 5-1.
Is the pursuit of the third wild card spot that pressurized? Must be.
—VENUS FLY-TRAP: In a game earlier this year, Arizona relief pitcher Jalen Beeks caught a fly. No, not a baseball fly ball. He actually caught a house fly in his mouth.
As he delivered a pitch, a fly flew into his mouth and in order to avoid a balk, he swallowed the fly and threw the pitch. Then he began gagging on the mound.
After a few swigs of water he said he was OK and then another fly intervened. This one was The Big Fly. He gave up a home run.
—THE STREAKERS: Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941 in MLB’s record, but it isn’t even Joltin’ Joe’s best. In the minors, playing in 1933 for the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League, he had a 61-game streak.
That, though, isn’t even the minor league record. In 1918, Joe Wilhoit hit in 69 straight for the Wichita Jobbers in the old Western League.
And remember Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox. . .and not for the time he rushed the mound and 46-year-old pitcher Nolan Ryan turned him upside down and dropped him on his head. No, Ventura set the still-standing NCAA Division I record when he hit in 58 straight at Oklahome State.
—TY-ED UP ON DEFENSE: Ty Cobb is acknowledged as one of baseball’s all-time great hitters, right up there with Pete Rose (my editorial opinion).
Amazingly, Cobb won the Triple Crown in 1909, leading the American League in home runs with nine. . .and all nine were inside the park.
As good was he was manipulating the bat, Cobb’s glove was not as functional. For his career he made 271 errors, still the most by any player all-time. . .although Elly De La Cruz might be on his way to catching Cobb.
—QUOTE: From Reggie Jackson, a guy who lists his position as ‘batter:’ “The only way I’ll ever have a Gold Glove is with a can of spray paint.”
—ONE-MAM SHOW: In this era of every light-hitting shortstop hitting 20 or 30 home runs, what Babe Ruth did in 1920 was noteworthy. He hit 54 home runs. So what? He lit 714 of ‘em.
Well, in 1920, when he hit 54, he hit more than every other team in the eight-team American League that year. The St. Louis Browns were the closest with 50, hit in the Sportsman’s Park cigar box.
But Boston, playing in Fenway Park and beckoning Green Monster, hit the fewest, only 22. The Athletics (Philadelphia) hit 44, the White Sox hit 37, the Senators (Washington) 36, the Indians (Not Guardians) 35 and the Tigers 30.
After Ruth’s 54, the next most was hit by a player was George Sisler of the Browns with 19 and third was Tiny Walker of the Athletics with 17.
—TRIVIA TIME: Baseball minutiae that is with substance to those who care (all of us).
—Guess who has turned the fewest double plays in MLB this season? As of mid-week, it was the Cincinnati Reds with 96. The Los Angeles Angels lead with 153, but that also means they’ve had a heavy population on the bases.
The Reds have made 85 errors, mid-pack. Boston leads with 110 and Atlanta has the fewest miscues with 53.
—Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles. ade Boggs won five batting titles. Eddie Murray had 504 homers ands 3,255 hits. Rafael Palmeiro had 569 homers and 3,020 hits. Yet not one of those four players every won an MVP.
—Between 96 to 120 baseballs are used in the average MLB game. But did you know that in the Super Bowl they use 108 balls? Each team provides 54 and when one team is on offense, one of their balls is used. The officials, though, check each ball before the game.
But they obviously didn’t check New England quarterback Tom Brady for a needle to let the air out of balls, which he did in 2015 to get a better grip. . .Deflategate.
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 110: As Sound of Music legend Maria von Trapp put it, “Music acts like a magic key to which the most tightly closed heart opens.”
—Angel (Aerosmith), A Day In The Life (The Beatles), A Fine Girl (Looking Glass), Slow Ride (Foghat), Goodbye Time (Conway Twitty), A Picture Of Me Without You (George Jones), Let My Love Open The Door (Peter Townshend).
—Paradise City (Gun N’ Roses), Let Me Be There (Olivia Newton-John), You’re The Inspiration (Chicago), Holding Her And Loving You (Earl Thomas Conley), Do You Believe Me Now (Vern Gosdin).