OBSERVATIONS: Some Things From The Past
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave on a nostalgic day, so all the tidbits below are from the distant past. Hang with me. —A WAGNERIAN GM: Dick Wagner is the general manager credited (discredited?) with dismantling The Big Red Machine, piece by piece by piece. When Dave Collins played outfield for the […]
OBSERVATIONS: Somebody Needs To Get Mad
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering why I am staggering a bit lately when I walk and the Tito’s has not come off the shelf. Ain’t it awful getting old? —JUST GET MAD, ELLY: Former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker is a guy not only with a short fuse, it is […]
Ask Hal: Clubhouse Squabbles Rare In MLB
By Hal McCoy Q: How frequently do shouting matches or physical altercations occur among teammates within the dugout or clubhouse? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek. A: A baseball team is like a family and, actually, players spend more time with teammates in the summer than with their families. So like a family, there are disputes, arguments, shoving […]
McCoy: Red Sox Take The Series
By Hal McCoy For most of this season, after the Cincinnati Reds lost a game, pitcher Nick Lodolo arrived in the Nick of time to put the team on a winning track. When he started Sunday afternoon’s game against the Boston Red Sox, he was 5-1 after the Reds lost the previous case. But on […]
OBSERVATIONS: How To Fix A Broken Game
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering how many times a guy scores from third base on a nubber in front of home plate that the catcher picks up?Just asking for Jake Fraley. —An Open Letter To Commissioner Rob Manfraud: It is well-accepted by so many of we grizzled old baseball lovers […]
McCoy: Reds Awful On The Basepaths in 4-3 Loss
By Hal McCoy The Cincinnati Runnin’ Reds ran themselves out of a baseball game Saturday afternoon in Great American Ball Park. Three base-running blunders and a throwing error turned into a messy 4-3 defeat to the Boston Red Sox. Two runners ill-fatedly tried to score from third on infield grounders and were thrown out at […]
McCoy: Some Stuff On S.J. Jackson And R. Jackson
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave., shaking my head over the plight of the National League, where only four of the 15 teams were over .500 entering the weekend. The Cincinnati Reds are in last place in the NL Central, but only 1 1/2 games out of a wild card berth. Go […]
McCoy: My ‘Hate-Love’ Relationship With Willie Mays
By Hal McCoy It is rare for a song written about baseball to become a standard, as one entitled ‘Talkin’ Baseball’ by Terry Cashman became. It is about baseball’s Golden Era, the 1950s, and he sings about many of its stars, but its featured lyrics are, “Talkin’ baseball, Willie, Mickey and the Duke, Say Hey, […]
McCoy: Another Wasted Effort By Greene
By Hal McCoy It was merely an argument for third place in the National League Central, but both starting pitchers performed as if it were the seventh game of the World Series Wednesday afternoon in PNC Park. Cincinnati Reds starter Hunter Greene pitched 6 1/3 scoreless, two-hit innings. Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller pitched seven […]