‘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: Castillo Reds’ Opening Day starter, UD and Wright State put up stern fights in NIT losses
By HAL McCOY UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS while spending a long, long evening in The Man Cave La-Z-Boy watching basketball (Wright State), baseball (Cincinnati Reds) and basketball (University of Dayton), leaving the chair only for bathroom duties and refrigerator raids. —In a somewhat surprising move, Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell named Luis Castillo as the Opening Day […]
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 […]
UD throws in a clinker and a stinker and is out of the A-10 tournament
By HAL McCOY The University of Dayton picked the worst possible time to play patty-cake basketball, permitting a muscular and physical Saint Louis University team to impose its will on the Flyers. The result was one-and done,and not really so well done, for the Flyers, a 64-55 loser in their first game in the Atlantic […]
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 […]
Wright State stops Green Bay comeback, moves to Horizon finals
By HAL McCOY Wright State University’s basketball team moved into the finals of the Horizon League tournament Monday night, but the Raiders had to take a deep breath and compose themselves early in the second half. The Raiders had a 20-point lead over Green Bay with 17 1/2 minutes left in the game. A runaway? […]
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 […]
Observations: Grant confident Flyers ready ‘for a run’
By HAL McCOY UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from the cozy, comfort of the Man Cave while wondering why in the name of stitched baseballs that college baseball teams schedule home games in early March in Ohio. Both the University of Dayton and Wright State are scheduled to play games in Dayton Thursday through Sunday. Wonder how many […]