McCoy: Good Times And Bad Times With Pete Rose
By Hal McCoy Pete Rose was too tough to die. It can’t possibly be true. He always slid head first and he was always safe. But it is true and it is so damn difficult to comprehend. He passed away Monday at age 83. Little more than a week ago he was in the Cincinnati […]
Ask Hal: Can Hitters Differentiate Four From Two?
By Hal McCoy Q: Are hitters able to differentiate between a four-sem fastball and a two-seam fastball? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek. A: If they can’t, the front of their uniform is likely to read Altoona, Pensacola or Somerset. MLB hitters can tell the difference between fastballs, changeups, sliders, curveballs, splitters, sweepers, sinkers, knuckleballs and spitballs. Is […]
McCoy: Reds Finish Season With 3-0 Extra-Inning Win
By Hal McCoy The Cincinnati Reds avoided the ignominy of finishing a disappointing 2024 season with a six-game losing streak and being shut out three straight times. Barely. Their last game of the season was a 3-0 10-inning victory over the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field Sunday afternoon. With the Pittsburgh Pirates losing their last […]
McCoy: Another Day, Another Shutout As Reds Lose, 3-0
By Hal McCoy For the Cincinnati Reds it was second verse, same as the first and deja vu all over again. Another day, another shutout. Another day, a fifth straight defeat. And another day, another wasted effort by a starting pitcher. This time, on another wind-swept day in Wrigley Field Saturday afternoon, it was a […]
McCoy: Reds Waste Another Martinez Gem, Lose To Cubs, 1-0
By Hal McCoy It was not batter versus pitcher Friday afternoon in Wrigley Field. It was batter versus Mother Nature and the Windy City on a day with a stiff wind blowing in. It was a day for smallball. The Chicago Cubs utilized it. The Cincinnati Reds didn’t. And the result was a Cubs 1-0 […]
OBSERVATION: Pirates Set A New Low For Being Cheap
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, pulling for the Cleveland Guardians in the post-season and at least one Ohio MLB team is relevant. . —IT’S THE ‘PITTS’: The Pittsburgh Pirates are known to be so cheap they should change their name to the Pittsburgh Pikers. But what they did this week is […]
McCoy: Ramirez Ruins Reds With 3-Run Home In Eighth
By Hal McCoy If they awarded a Most Underrated and Most Unappreciated Trophy, Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez would have retired it by now. Playing in Cleveland, he gets lost on the banks of Lake Erie, but the Guardians wouldn’t be where they are without him — American League Central champions. And the Cincinnati […]
OBSERVATIONS: Some Terrific Ideas For The Reds
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave with some idea for the Cincinnati Reds, one tongue-in-cheek. . .and speaking of tongues, does Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall have a forked tongue? —ANOTHER DAVID?: Some ideas for the Cincinnati Reds, even though it appears they don’t like my idea of moving […]
McCoy: A New Manager (Interim) But Same Stuff For Reds
By Hal McCoy Cincinnati Reds interim manager Freddie Benavides received a first-game dose of some of the obstacles fired manager David Bell endured the entire season. Even before the first pitch of the Reds 6-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night in Progressive Field, Benavides lost two pitchers. One was scheduled starter Jakob Junis, […]