OBSERVATIONS: The Young Mr. Frank Pastore
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, hunting my No. 2 pencils because only the foolhardy keep score at a baseball game with a pen. —YOUNG BUCKS: Hunter Greene, 23, is the youngest pitcher to start on Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds since 22-year-old Frank Pastore performed the task in 1980. And […]
OBSERVATIONS: How baseball’s new rules passed
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, watching the downpour out The Man Cave window and hoping there isn’t a California-like deluge on Opening Day Thursday. —PLAYERS GOT DUPED: With the power the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) owns, it is incredible that it permitted commissioner Rob Manfraud to pull this off. […]
OBSERVATIONS: McCarver was a Catcher in the Wry
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, overdosing on college basketball (and loving it) until baseball season and the heartbreak begins. —TIM WASN’T TINY: Former catcher/broadcaster Tim McCarver passed away this week, leaving behind some of the best baseball quips. McCarver’s deep-depth on-air commentary irritated some listeners, but true baseball fans loved it. […]
OBSERVATIONS: A Steal Sign For Sean Casey
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave as once again the pre-game hype for the Super Bowl turns it into the Stupor Bowl. —CASEY AT THE BAT: There is no doubt that Sean Casey could climb out of bed in silk pajamas and Ugg slippers and line a double up the right-center gap. […]
OBSERVATIONS: Is He a Swiss Who Can’t Miss?
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, knowing that no matter how cold it was in Buffalo it didn’t bother Joe Cool. No matter which way the wind blows, Joe Burrow is cool. —SWISS CHEESE: The Cincinnati Reds hope their recent signee is as versatile as a Swiss Army knife. His name is […]
OBSERVATIONS: Ewing walked seven in one inning
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering why anybody would spend a winter in Buffalo, where the sun only shines on July 26 and you have to make reservations to see it. —I WALK THE LINE: When Joe Nuxhall was 15, he traded his paper route for a major league baseball contract […]
OBSERVATIONS: Robots creep closer to MLB
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave after going to bed with the Los Angeles Chargers leading the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27-0. Done deal, right? I spit out my Dunkin’ Donuts coffee Sunday morning when ESPN told me, “Jacksonville 31, Chargers 30.” As former Dayton Gems hockey public address announcer Billy Hilbert used to […]
OBSERVATIONS: Barnhart wearing Cubs blue
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave wondering if ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ and ‘First Take’ can talk about anything but the NFL. . .and the Dallas Cowboys in particular. CUBS ON THE PROWL: This one sneaked up on me while I was celebrating New Year’s and bemoaning the one-point fate of Ohio State […]
OBSERVATIONS: TCU Horned Frogs Turned to Toads
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, warm and toasty on a crisp winter’s night due to a nice new heater donated to me by my great friend Jeff Gordon (No, not the former NASCAR driver, but this Jeff Gordon can make left turns, too.) —FROG STRANGLING: Fortunately, I did not throw away […]