OBSERVATIONS: Let’s Get Rid Of The Pitcher’s Mound (Really)
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave where, for a change of pace, I’m reading a book of baseball fiction, Frank Deford’s ‘Entitled.’ I knew it was the right one when it was endorsed on the back jacket by Lou Piniella. —DOWN TO EARTH: When it comes to baseball, put me into the […]
Ask Hal: Plenty Of Switch-Hitters If You Look Around
By Hal McCoy Q: Is it just me, or are there not as many switch-hitters in MLB these days? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek. A: It’s just you. Elly De La Cruz and Jeimer Candelario say, “Hey, are you paying attention?” So does Ozzie Albies and Yasmani Grandal. A quick scan of MLB rosters and I found […]
McCoy: Reds Put The Broom To LA With Three-Game Sweep
By Hal McCoy When the Los Angeles Dodgers landed Thursday at Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati International Airport, the baseball world expected them to put the Cincinnati Reds out of their early-season misery. That would be everybody but the inhabitants of the Reds clubhouse, where confidence swirls despite 18 losses in their previous 21 games. Instead, it was […]
OBSERVATION: His Name Was Luscious, But Don’t Call Him That
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, finishing up another can’t-put-down baseball book — Jerry Izenberg’s ‘Larry Doby In Black And White.’ As a kid and a Cleveland Indians fan, Doby was my favorite player. —HAPPY EASTER — In the early 1950s, the Cleveland Indians (not the Guardians had a 6-foot-4, 250-pound first […]
OBSERVATIONS: Sweet Lou Should Have Known Better About Making Trades
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, back in action thanks to a new laptop and the quick work by James at Gem City Diagnostics in downloading all my data from the dead laptop to the new one: —THE TRADE MARKET: Two of the worst trades the Cincinnati Reds ever made was to […]
ASK HAL: What Are David Bell’s Strengths And Weaknesses?
(Ask Hal) By Hal McCoy Q: Do many players engage frequently in reading books? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek. A: I never took a poll to ask if players were bookworms because I only saw them on the field or in the clubhouse, not places to extensively read. I do know Pete Rose said, “I wrote a […]
McCoy; Buehler Doesn’t The Day Off, Dodgers Blank Reds, 4-0
By Hal McCoy The negative numbers continue to pile up on the Cincinnati Reds with more frustration Saturday night, a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That’s 14 defeats in their last 17 games and they’ve crash-landed into last place in the National League Central. While getting shut out for the fourth time this […]
McCoy: Reds’ Bullpen Fails In 7-3 Loss To LA
By Hal McCoy For the Cincinnati Reds, it was the bullpen giveth and the bullpen taketh away. After the relief pitching staff, seven of them, baffled the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday night, the relief pitchers were plug ugly Friday night in a 7-3 loss. Too often this season, when it is closing time, the Reds […]
OBSERVATIONS: From Finding Ways To Win To Finding Ways To Lose
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from ‘The Village Sea House’ in St. Simons Island, GA., where our theme song the last three days has been Brook Benton’s ‘Rainy Night In Georgia.’ —IT’S ABOUT FINDING WAYS: There is a plain and simple explanation about the current plight of the Cincinnati Reds in comparing last year’s team […]