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 […]
Ask Hal: Which Reds Managers Best Handled Pitchers?
By Hal McCoy Q: With the underwhelming performance of the Cincinnati Reds’ starting pitchers, might the team prematurely elevate Rhett Lowder from Class A Dayton to the majors? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek. A: The answer is in your question. Premature. The Reds already had Lowder skip low-A by starting their No. 1 draft pick last June […]
OBSERVATIONS: Bad Moon Rising Is Over For the Cincinnati Reds
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from the St. Simons Island beach house, far away from the travails of the Cincinnati Reds. . .and did they really lose two straight games by one run to the Arizona Diamondbacks? —TEMPORARY RESTRAING ORDER?: The mammoth silverback gorilla is off their backs and back in its cage. . .and […]
OBSERVATIONS: Why Isn’t Sweet Lou Piniella In The Hall of Fame?
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave before leaving this morning for a week’s vacation on St. Simons Island, wondering if the Cincinnati Reds will win a game before I return? —WHY NOT LOU?: Why isn’t Lou Piniella in the Hall of Fame as a manager. I don’t think he ever kicked dirt […]