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 […]
McCoy: From Despising Willie Mays To Loving Him
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wishing I had been able to cover and write about Willie Mays during his prime. —TRULY A-MAYS-ING: It was 1954 and I despised Willie Mays. I was 14 and closed-eyes about any player that didn’t wear a Cleveland Indians uniform. And when Mays made ‘The Catch’ […]
McCoy: A ‘Nick’ In Time For Reds In 2-1 Win
By Hal McCoy When it comes to being a stopper, Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo is as reliable as a plug in a bathroom sink. With the Reds reeling under a three-game losing streak, Lodolo screwed a tight muzzle on the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night in PNC Park, pitching the Reds to a tight-squeeze 2-1 […]
McCoy: Too Much Paul Skenes For the Reds
By Hal McCoy The Pittsburgh Pirates much-publicized pitcher, Paul Skenes, was almost as advertised. With his much-deserved attention, one might expect him to pitch a perfect game and strikeout 27 Cincinnati Reds Monday night in PNC Park. Not quite. . .but Skenes was a well-polished, well-poised 21-year-old rookie for six innings during the Pirates’ 4-1 […]