The Brew Crew is a big early challenge for refurbished Reds
By HAL McCoy CINCINNATI — They were known as Harvey’s Wallbangers during Harvey Kuenn’s short time as manager and for the most part they’ve carried the nickname of the Brew Crew. They are the Milwaukee Brewers, the National League Central defending champions and they came muscle-flexing into Great American Ball Park Monday night to do […]
Reds: As many errors (4) as hits (4) in 5-0 loss to Pirates
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — Those weren’t gray clouds hanging over Sonny Gray’s shoulders Sunday afternoon in Great American Ball Park. Those were black clouds, dark black clouds, punctuated by the black jerseys worn by the Pittsburgh Pirates on a bat-chilling day, a day during which the Reds committed as many errors (4) as they […]
‘Scrap Heap’ Reds come to the rescue on Opening Day
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — This is how it is supposed to happen to players wearing a Cincinnati uniform after the Reds rescue them off the scrap heap, unceremoniously discarded by their previous team. And so much the better when it happens on Opening Day in front 44,049, largest regular-season crowd in Great American Ball […]
Reds lose sixth straight exhibition game, 8-5 to Braves
By HAL McCOY The Cincinnati Reds have one more opportunity to win a spring training game before everything counts. The optimists will say, “They’re saving their wins for the regular season.” The pessimists say, “Oh, no, another long, long season.” The Reds lost their sixth straight exhibition game Monday night in Atlanta’s SunTrust Park, 8-5 […]
Observations: Is it time for the Reds to starting winning?
By HAL McCOY UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, watching a horse named Syndergaard race at New York’s Aqueduct Park and wondering if many race horses have names associated with baseball. With no laundry or dishes to do, I checked the entries for five race tracks on one day and discovered: Conforto, Schott, Paint the […]
Observations: Of baseball’s new rules, the Reds, Zion Williamson, Odell Beckham
By HAL McCOY UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, sitting in my La-Z-Boy next to my wife’s shiny new Lincoln Nautilus as my bank account shrinks. —Major League Baseball had to mix in a $1 million stipend into the Home Run Derby to entice players to compete. In the final round last year Bryce Harper […]
Reds hope exhibtion results don’t mean a thing
By HAL McCOY Repeat loudly and emphatically: “Spring exhibitions mean nothing, spring exhibitions mean nothing, spring exhibitions mean nothing.” Now, do you believe it? USA Today, with spring training exhibition games less than half completed, predicted the Cincinnati Reds would finish last this season in the National League Central. Maybe they figure the Reds have […]
Wood, Reds pitching rocked by Mariners, 11-3
By HAL McCOY Unsolicited observations from The Man Cave after fighting, and mostly losing, to a virus infection and a bad cold (are there any good ones?). It wasn’t a write-home-to-mom day for Cincinnati Reds pitchers Monday during a spring training exhibition game in Peoria, Ariz. against the Seattle Mariners, a game the Reds lost, […]
Reds’ trade for Gray puts three new faces in the rotation
By HAL McCOY The Cincinnati Reds fit another piece into the pitching reconstruction they are doing this off-season. Sonny Gray became the third new member of the team’s 2019 rotation when the Reds acquired him from the New York Yankees that cost them minor league second baseman Shed Long and a competitive balance draft pick. […]