HalMcCoy.com

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave keeping cozy in my new pea coat, realizing it won’t be needed in 22 days when Cincinnati Reds pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Az. on Valentine’s Day. Hey, ya gotta have heart.

—STILL TOO MANY: Cincinnati Reds fans remain perplexed why the team invested $45 million on infieder Jeimer Candelario when the team’s infield is more crowded than a circus clown car.

New general manager Brent Meador tried to explain it on an MLB podcast this week. Tried.

“A veteran bat was on our list (in the offsseason) to continue to try to lengthen our lineup,” he said. “The goal was to put a bat in the middle of our lineup. I don’t know if it’s a perfect fit and we’ll see how it all plays out.

“On paper it does look like we have one too many infielders. Candelario can play third, he can play first,” he added. “We have (Noel) Marte working back from a hamstring injury, (Matt) McLain working back from an oblique injury. So you just never know.”

No, you sure don’t.

“And we knew going into the offseason we’re a real young team, so we needed to bring some guys in to stabilize some spots and take some pressure off the young guys,” he said.

So that’s why they brought in Candelario and pitchers Nick Martinez. Frankie Mantos and Brent Suter?

“It’ the character, the makeup, who fits in our clubhouse, who can help show our young guys the way,” said Meador. “That’s where we feel strongly about the guys we brought in. All those guys check the boxes.”

—WRONG KIND OF TRIPLES: Brooks Robinson was known for his fast hands on defense at thrd base and his cement feet on the basepaths. He hols a dubious MLB record — most times to hit into triple plays (four).

“I have only one speed and it has never changed,” he said. “That speed is very slow.”

On defense, though, they called him the Human Hoover and he was revered and respected by all.

Said former San Diego third baseman Tim Flannery, “They want me to play third base like Brooks Robinson, but I play it more like Mel Brooks.
—A MOVIN’ MAN: Mike Morgan played in more MLB cities than Gone With the Wind. He pitched for 12 different teams, including the Cincinnati Reds, and wore a major league uniform for 25 years over four decades.

Asked how he survived so long, Morgan said, “Work hard, eat right, sleep right. . .and thank god there are 30 teams.”

When I asked him one day before he was to face the Chicago Cubs, one of his former teams, if that gave him extra incentive, he said, “No, not really. Nearly every team I face is my ex-team.”

Until late in his career, he was a starter and survived all those seasons despite never winning more than 14 games (twice). And he finished with a 141-186 record with a 4.23 earned run average.

His teams, in order: Oakland, New York Yankees, Toronto, Seattle, Baltimore, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs (2), St. Louis, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Texas and Arizona.

Clearly, the guy couldn’t keep a job.

—EXPENSIVE SWEATER: This never happens to you or me. in 2015, a couple was shopping in a Goodwill Outlet store. Not even a Goodwill Store, a Goodwill Outlet store.

They found a black sweater with ‘West Point’ in gold across the chest. They bought it for 59 cents. Remember that 59 cents.

When they got it home, they found a name written on the inside of the neck. The name? Vince Lombardi.

They had it chemically checked and sure enough the material was vintage 1953, the year Vince Lombardi was a football coach for Army at West Point. The sweater was put up at auction and sold for $44,000.

The sweater is now in the possesssion of Beavercreek’s Jack Giambrone, the world’s No. 1 expert of Lombardi, the famed Green Bay Packers coach. Giambrone also is the world’s number one collector of Lombardi memorabilia.

And he plans to donate the sweater to the West Point Sports Hall of Fame.

Giambrone recounted a great tale about the first Super Bowl in 1967, won by the Packers, 35-10, over the Kansas City Chiefs (The Chiefs didn’t have Patrick Mahomes then). After the second half kickoff, it was revealed that television was still on commercial break and missed the kickoff.

The network requested a do-over, kick it again. And they did it. Said Giambrone, “That’s something that has never happened again.”

As an aside, guess who Kansas City beat to get to the Super Bowl? The Buffalo Bills (The Bills didn’t have Josh Allen then).

—FITS THE ‘BILL’: Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was given a second interview with the Atlanta Falcons.

A second interview? Why does Bill Belichick even need a first interview? He is Bill B-e-l-i-c-h-i-c-k.

But it is understandable why Belichick agreed to a second interview. It was conducted on a yacht in The Virgin Islands.

—CZECH IT OUT: Asking for a friend of a friend’s second cousin: If Czecb Republic native Vit Krejci of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks has a double-double, is it czech and double czech?

—A ‘BRAVE’ QUESTION: Tyler ‘Rattboy’ Wessel posted a wonderful trivia question on social media: “Who was the only pitcher to win games against the Boston Braves, Milwaukee Braves and the Atlanta Braves?”

It sent me researching. First I checked on the franchise’s movements. The Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and the Millwaukee Braves became the Atlanta Braves in 1966.

Now it was time to search for pitchers with longevity during those time periods. And I found him.

Answer: Robin Roberts. His career began in 1948 and he beat Boston 12 times while with the Philadelphia Phillies. Then he beat Milwaukee while still with the Phillies 21 times.

His last year was 1966, Atlanta’s first year. Roberts pitched briefly that season for the Chicago Cubs and beat Atlanta once.

Oh, yeah. . .too much time on my hands.

During his last season, Roberts was running in the outfield before a game when Bob Gibson approached and bluntly said, “Why don’t you quit? It’s such a shame that you are ruining a great career by just trying to hang on.”

Roberts did quit and said, “Years later, I saw Gibson trying to do the same thing.”

Roberts was once asked about his greatest All-Star thrill and he said, “When Mickey Mantle bunted with the wind blowing out in Cincinnati’s Crosley Field.”

—QUOTE QUOCIENT: By popular request, more of my favorite baseball quotes to put us in the mood for spring training, less than a month away. . .and don’t ask, “Who’s counting?” I am.

—From Reds manager Davey Johnson, talking about relief pitcher Rob Dibble: “I tell him something and it goes in one ear, hits something hard and bounces back out.”

—From Johnny Pesky, for whom the right field foul pole is the Pesky Pole in Fenway Park: “When you win, you eat better, sleep better, your beer tastes better and your wife looks like Gina Lolobrigida.”

—From the quote machine, Reggie Jackson: “The only way I’m going to win a Gold Glove is with a can of spray paint.”

—From Mookie Wilson, when asked why he and his wife got married in a ballpark: “My wife wanted a big diamond.”

—From spitballl pitcher Gaylord Perry, teasing Los Angeles manager Tommy Lasorda about always saying he bled Dodger blue: “Wait until Tommy meets the Lord and sees that He’s wearing pinstripes.”

—From my sportswriting hero, Jim Murray: “The last time Willie Mays dropped a pop fly he had a baby rattle in one hand and a bonnet on his head.”

—From pitcher Don Sutton, when he was accused of using a ‘foreign substance’ on the ball: “Not true at all, Vaseline is manufactured right here in the United States.”

—From infielder Bob Aspromonte, who once was part of a Jim Murray line describing the California Angels double play combination as, “From Fregosi to Aspromonte to Avalon Boulevard,: “I’ve heard of guys going 0 for 15 or 0 for 25, but I went 0-for-July.”

—From manager Gene Mauch, talking about playboy pitcher Bo Belinsky: “I wish I had 10 pitchers with Bo Belinsky’s stuff and none with his head.”

—From Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver: “There are only two places in this league, first place and no place.”
—PLAYLIST NO. 10: It’s country time:

He Stopped Lovin’ Her Today (George Jones), Smoky Mountain Rain (Ronnie Milsap), Kiss An Angel Good Morning (Charley Pride), Behind Closed Doors (Charley Rich), If Tomorrrow Never Comes (Garth Brooks), I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack).

I Walk The Line (Johnny Cash), Forever And Ever, Amen (Randy Travis), I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton), I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams), Stand By Your Man (Tammy Wynette), Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash), The Most Beautiful Girl (Charlie Rich), Hello Darlin’ (Conway Twitty), I Fall To Pieces (Hank Cochrane).

By Hal McCoy

Dayton, OH. — As far as homecomings go, former University of Dayton basketball coach Archie Miller’s return was a ‘Nightmare On Edwin Moses Boulevard.’

Milller left Dayton after taking the Flyers to four straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight.

His re-appearane was Saturday afternoon in UD Arena with his University of Rhode Island team.

And while the Flyer Faithful gave him a warm welcome, the UD basketball team gave him basketball’s version of a frigid cold shoulder.

UD put on a shooting clinic to make William Tell put away his bow and arrows, a 96-62 mass destruction of Miller’s not-so-merry men.

The bare numbers: The Flyers, 15-2, most likely provided evidence for advancement in the Associated Press poll from their No. 21 spot. They’ve won 12 straight and are 5-and-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

This one can be explained in 25 words or less. The Flyers started the game with an 11-0 say hello to the Rams. And they opened they second half with another 11-0 start.

That’s a 22-0 work sheet, a 22-point advantage that led to the 34-point win.

How bad was it? DaRon Holmes II took his 21 points to the bench with 14 minutes left in the game, never to show his face again.

Walk-on Brady Uhl, awarded a scholarship last week, entered the game with 6 1/2 minutes left and buried two three-pointers, show that evoked the loudest cheers of the day from the 13,407.

“He does that to us all the time in practice,” said Holmes. “We know Brady can do that. He’s a great player and it was great to see that.”

Sean Miller, Archie’s brother and Xavier coach, was in attendance and the bored Red Scare student section began chanting, “We want Xavier, we want Xavier.”

Miller was thoroughy impressed by the Flyers.

“They are one of the best teams in the country,” said Miller. “We knew coming in the first four to eight minutes was really, really, really going to be important. Nothing more important than the first four minutes.”

For the first three minutes, it looked as if Rhode Island was playing with blindfolds on, waiting for a cigaret and an up-against-the-wall execution.

Actually, the Rams executed themselves. While the Flyers made four of their first five shots, two of three from behind the arc, Rhode Island didn’t hit the rim — two wild shots didn’t brush the iron. So, it was 11-0 before the student section began chanting, “Archie, Archie, Archie.”

And so it went as UD hit 33 of 59 shots (56.9%), 16 of 27 from three (59.3%).

Javon Bennett, enshrouded in a bit of a shooting slump lately, hit 8 of 9 shots, 4 of 5 from three, to lead the Flyers with 22 points.

“We get a chance to see (Javon) every day,” said UD coach Anthony Grant. “He is one of the best shooters we have, one of the best in the country. Shooters shoot and he’s a guy that has a lot of confidence and we have a lot of confidenc in him. It was just a matter of time before the ball started to go in.”

Said the 5-foot-10 Bennett, if he is standing on a milking stool, “My teammates and my coaches have confidence me and tell me to shoot the ball. Just one of those nights when I was able to hit most of my shots.”

All but one.

Koby Brea, the kid with the statue-like shooting stye, a form that would earn straight 10s from all judges, made his first four threes and finished five of seven for 15 off-the-bench points.

There were no good omens for the Rams, who rode to the Arena on a Miller Lines bus and played a player named Always Wright.

The only (w)right player for Rhode Island was guard Jaden House. He scored 27 of Rhodie’s 62. A couple of other Rams scored eight each and that was it.

“When you play a team of this quality, the way they spread you out and to have DaRon Holmes on the inside and can do both, it really puts a lot of pressure on you,” said Miller. “You have to play really well.

“A terrific team, having a fantastic year and I expect them to go a long way,” Miller added.

If Miller could say it, he probably wishes he had never packed his bags and departed for Indiana University, where he didn’t last long enough to meet his neighbors.

Of his reception by the Flyer Faithful, Miller said, “This place. . .being in here is second to none. I’m grateful and I always will be. These people gave me a chance.

“I’ll always be indebted (to UD), but if you ask that after you get your ass kicked like you got your ass kicked today, it might make you change your mind on the way out, right?” he said with a smile.

“I appreciate the fans here, they’re fantastic,” he said. “I didn’t expect anything less than first class. That’s what this place is all about. It’s a hard place to play, I knew that, and they’ve got a great team.”

After expessing appreciation for the job Miller did at UD, and after destroying him and his team in every way possible, Grant heaped praise on his Flyers.

“We started both halves on 11-0 runs, the ball moved. . .we had 24 assists on 33 baskets and only two turnovers,” he said. “That’s a great job of sharing the ball and taking care of the ball.”

In addition to his 22 points, Bennett had five assists and played point guard 25 minutes without a turnover. Kobe Elvis had six assists.

“We went out there and did what we’re supposed to do, took care of business,” said Holmes. “I think, arguably, we’re the best shooting teams in the country. That’s what we do, that’s what we work on a lot.”

So are the Flyers getting proper national attention, even with their No. 21 national ranking?

“That’s a really good question. We really don’t know,” said Holmes. “All we know is we do what we can and do what we can control. We’re doing a pretty good job of that. If people don’t believe in us, we’re going to believe in ourselves.

“We’ve done a good job of handling adversity and prosperity,” said Holmes. “Right now is the prosperity part. Things are going great. . .so we have to lock in and make sure to keep our focus.”

Miller called the Flyers one of the best teams in the country and Holmes said, “I definitelyv agree, but I’ll let Javon answer it.”

Bennett agrees. “We try not to let the outside noise affect what we’re doing. I agree with what Archie said. Particularly the way we’re playing. It shows the work we’ve put in.”

The road gets tougher for the Flyers and it is the road. Their next two games are on the road, Tuesday at LaSalle, a tough place to play because the gym in a half-step above a dump. Then it is on to Richmond Saturday for a first-place showdown with the Spiders.

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave with some off-the-cuff non-newsy stuff on a snowbound Friday afternoon.

—‘JASON’ JACKSON: When Danny Jackson pitched for the Cincinnati Reds, a 23-game winner in 1988 and a runner-up to Orel Hershiser for the Cy Young, his temper was legendary.

There was a game when left fielder Kal
Danies misplayed a fly ball. After the game, writers saw that Jackson had turned his wooden dresing stall into matchsticks and splinters with a baseball bat.

A writer, not me, asked Jackson, “Do you think the missed fly ball cost you the game?”

Jackson stared at the scribe with fire lighting up his eyes and said, “Well, first of all, I’d like to unscrew your head and sh – – down your neck.”

When Jackson pitched for the Chicago Cubs, first baseman Mark Grace said, “Every fifth day Danny would destroy a TV or a telephone. That’s why we called him Jason.”

Jason? Jason Voorhees was the slasher in the string of Friday the 13th horror movies. While Jackson should have worn jersey number 13, he wore eight different numbers (15, 20, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34, 45), but never 13.

—WHICH BO IS WHICH?: In baseball, when it come to Bo it is all about Bo Jackson, Bo Belinsky and now Bo Bichette. Bo Schembechler? Naw.

In the late 1960s, I covered Miami University football when the legendary Bo Schembechler was coach and forged a good friendship.

After he moved to Michigan, I visited him for a story in 1972 and told him, “Next year I’m going to become a baseball beat writer, covering the Cincinnati Reds.”

Bo gave me a quizzical glance and said, “Baseball? Baseball? That’ a sissy sport.”

Fast forward to 1990. I went to Detroit to do a story on former Reds manager Sparky Anderson, then managing the Detroit Tigers.

And guess who was the Tigers’ club president? Yep. Bo Schembechler.

“I thought you said baseball is a sissy sport,” I said to Bo.

“Hey, I ain’t playing it or coaching it. I’m just running it,” said Bo.

Speaking of Sparky Anderson, while he was a successful manager, his playing career was a mere cameo, just 152 games at second base for the 1959 Philadelphia Phillies. He hit .218 with no homers.

Not knowing the answer, I once asked Sparky, “How many home runs did you hit with the Phillies?”

Said Sparky, “Home runs? I never even hit the wall.”

—A PITCH FOR FIRST PITCH: All baseball fans need to contact Wright State University and purchase tickets to the annual First Pitch baseball dinner. It’s Saturday, February 3 at the Nutter Center.

Why? It’s a good cause…for the highly successful WSU baseball program under coach Alex Sogard.

Another why? The keynote speaker is long-time MLB coach Rich Donnelly, mostly with Jim Leyland when he managed Pittsburgh, the Florida Marlins and Colorado.

Donnelly is an outstanding speaker and a tremendously funny guy. He also managed in the minors and once said, “I managed a team that was so bad we considered a 2-and-0 count on the batter as a rally.”

—DEAD ON DEADLINE: As we all know, newspapers are mostly on life support these days, disappearing faster than shrimp cocktails at an office Christmas parties.

Afternoon papers began disappearing at the turn of the century and I was privy to one on a personal note.

It was December 8, 1991, and I was attending the winter baseball meetings at the Fountainbleu Hotel on Miami Beach, where it was tough to leave the sand and the water to interview managers and general managers.

I was seated next to Dallas Times-Herald sportwriter Kevin Sherrington in the media press room. He was writing a story when his phone rang. He answered, hung up, but didn’t continue writing. He put his head down and I thought I saw tears.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“My paper just folded,” he said.

Interviewing manager Lou Piniella and general manager Bob Quinn didn’t mean much that day. Fortunately, Sherrington hooked on with the rival Dallas Morning News.

—ONE MAN’S QUOTES: One of the funniest baseball guys I ever encountered, Bob Uecker and Yogi Berra not withstanding, was former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andy Van Slyke.

In the off-season Van Slyke worked at his father’s funeral home in New England. At the start of one season I struck up a conversation with Van Slyke behind the batting cage and asked how his off-seaon went.

“Well, it was so cold this winter and the ground was so hard that we had to bury some folks so shallow that they might scratch their way out.”

Other Van Dyke-isms:

—On leaving a lot of runners on base in a game: “I couldn’t have driven home Miss Daisy today.”

—On being in a slump: “I have an Alka-Seltzer bat. . .plop, plop, fizz, fizz. . .and when pitchers sees me coming to the plate they think, ‘Oh what a relief it is.’”

—On observing stains on the Veterans Stadium AstroTurf in Philadelphiia: “There is so much tobacco juice on that rug that you can get cancer just standing on it. It’s like a toxic waste dump.”

—After gettiing robbed of hits by Otis Nixon and Claudell Washington: “Get the U.S. presidents out of the game. If I come up and Joe Carter is out there, I’ll just give up.”

—On being asked if he would ever play baseball in Japan: “I would for the right amount of sushi.”

—On how to hit a knuckleball pitcher: “It isn’t something you can practice. It’s like practicing javevlin-catching.”

—On his doddering Pirates trying to catch the first-place Philadelphia Phillies: “You can’t ask Mr. Ed to keep up with Secretariat.”

—On the difference between playing at home and on the road: “On the road, if you go downstaris for coffee in your underwear, they throw you out of the kitchen.”

—On hearing advice from fans on how to get out of a slump: “Most of them giving me advice would have trouble filling out application forms to work at 7-Eleven.”

—PLAYLIST NO. 10 (Some of my mid-level picks:

Another Day in Paradise (Phil Collins), Center Field (Credence Clearwater Revival), Hurts So Good (John Cougar), Are You Lonesome Tonight (Elvis Presley), Just Want To Be Your Everything (Andy Gibb), How Do I Live (LeAnn Rimes).

Centerfold (J. Geils Band), Bette Davis Eyes (Kim Carnes), You’re So Vain (Carly Simon), Say You, Say Me (Lionel Ritchie), Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot), Right Here Waiting (Richard Marx), Air That I Breathe (The Hollies).

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, now down 45 pounds, but hard to resist forbidden fruits while stuck indoors with the refrigerator door within reach.

—A POWER PURGE?: When it comes to kneejerk reactions, the jerk part seems to fit Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam. His meddling hand prints are all over the shocking coaching purge this week.

The Browns (Haslam) fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.

First of all, head coach Kevin Stefanski calls all the plays, not Van Pelt. And the offense was burdened with five different starting quarterbacks, lost running back Nick Chubb and three-fourths of the offensive line.

And Mitchell was not given adequate back-up backs when Chubb went down. The running game was practically non-existent after Chubb’s injury. That’s Mitchell’s fault?Certainly McCartney was instrumental in the development of tight end David Njoku.

Mix in all the injuries in the defensive backfield and it was a gridiron miracle the Browns made the playoffs out of the AFC North, arguably the toughest division in the NFL.

Yes, they laid a football-sized egg in the playoffs, but that certainly wasn’t reason enough to make Van Pelt, Mitchell and McCartney quick scapegoats. It is surprising that Stefanski survived, even though he probably will be NFL Coach of the Year.

—HOMEWARD BOUND: Question to a close friend:

“Who drove the guys home after the Browns soiled the field against the Texans?”

Close friend: “The drunkest.”

He was kidding. Nobody drove. They all lived nearby and staggered home, mutter and mumbling one word, “Stroud.”

—FOOTBALL FOLLIES: Speaking of disappointments. how about them-there Eagles. . .and we don’t mean the singing group of Already Gone, Desperado, Heartache Tonight and Lyin’ Eyes.

All those songs certainly fit the Philadelphia Eagles. They began the season 10-1, then lost six of their last seven, including their first-round playoff game, 27-10, to the New York Giants.

The one Singing Eagles song that doesn’t fit the Football Eagles is ‘Peaceful Easy Feeling.’

Prediction: Eagles coach Nick Siranni won’t soon will be standing in the unemployment line with several other recently dismissed NFL coaches. He will survive, although fickle Philly fans, who probably used to boo Ben Franklin, probably boo him when he is spotted at Wegman’s grocery.

And is it easier to cheat in the NFL than in college football? Doubt it.

But Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, NCAA championship trophy in hand, has talked/interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons.

Prediction II: With nothing more to prove in the college world, Harbaugh will take an NFL job. Additional incentive to bolt Ann Arbor? The NCAA penalties certain to fall down around Harbaugh’s shoe tops.

—QUOTE: From new New England Patriots new head coach Jerod Mayo: “I’m not trying to be Bill Belichick. Bill is his own man. If you can’t tell by now, I’m a little bit different.” (As far as the media are concerned, no sweeter words entered their ears after dealing with the taciturn Belichick.)

—A LOVE AFFAIR: One of my favorite things to do is to walk into and witness a basketball game in the University of Dayton Arena, whether as a spectator or as a journalist.

It is not so much an arena as it is a basketball cathedral. For UD fans, basketball is a religion.

UD basketball and the arena is part of the chemistry and the fabric of the City of Dayton and the entire 937 area code.

A game there isn’t just a game, it’s a family outing, the place to be. You might as well call it a town meeting.

These thoughts came to me as I sat court-side Tuesday night after finishing David Jablonski’s excellent book on UD Arena, ‘The Epicenter of College Basketball.’ Indeed, it is.

—QUOTATION DEVICES: Some favorite baseball quotes I’ve collected over five decades of baseball writing. And the first three I actually witnessed and wrote.

My all-time favorite is this one from former Reds manager Dave Bristol after his team played miserably: “There will be two buses leaving the hotel for the park tomorrow. The two o’clock bus will be for those of you who need extra work. The empty bus will leave at five o’clock.”

And this one from Reds pitcher Steve Foster when a Canadian customs agent asked if he had another to declare: “Yes, sir. I’m proud to be an American.”

And another from Dusty Baker concerning pitcher Bob Gibson: “The only two people I felt intimidated by in my whole life were Bob Gibson and my daddy.”

More favorites:

—From relief pitcher Sparky Lyle: “Why pitch nine innings when you can pitch one and be just as famous.”

—From Hall of Famer Ernie Banks: “My ultimate dream is to own my own bank in Paris. I’d call it Banks’ Bank on The Left Bank.”

—From Hall of Fame shortstop Peewee Reese: “If I had my career to play over, one thing I’d do differently is swing more. Those 1,200 walks I got. . .nobody remembers them.”

—From former Reds infielder Rocky Bridges: “There are three things the average man thinks he can do better than anybody else — build a fire, run a hotel and manage a baseball team.”

—From former Yankee Graig Nettles: “The best thing about being a Yankee is getting to watch Reggie Jackson play every day. The worst thing about being a Yankee is getting to watch Reggie Jackson play every day.”

—From umpire Ron Luciano: “One reason I never calle balks was that I never understood the rule.”

—From Reggie Jackson on facing Nolan Ryan: “You don’t face Nolan Ryan without your rest. He’s the only guy I face who makes me go to bed before midnight.”

—From pitcher Jim Kern: “I’m working on a new pitch. It’s called strike.”

—Former outfielder Bob Watson on hard-throwing pitching teammate J.R. Richard: “I’ve never taken batting practice against him and I never will. I have a family to think of.”

—From former pitcher Lefty Grove: “I was the worst hitter ever. I never even broke a bat until I backed out of my driveway.”

—From Buck Martinez: “There were times when people looked at the scoreboard and thought my batting average was the temperature.”

(If you like these, I have more for the next blog).

—PLAYLIST NO. 10: And the beat goes on:

Making Love Out Of Nothing At All (Abba), Uptown Girl (Billy Joel), Night Moves (Bob Seger), Angels Of The Morning (Juice Newton), American Pie (Don McLean), Take It To The Limit (The Eagles), Suspicious Minds (Elvis Presley), Same Old Song (Four Tops), Walk Away Renee (Left Bank).

Runaway (Del Shannon), Crimson And Clover (Tommy James & The Shondells), Paint It Black (Rolling Stones), Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Beach Boys),

 

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave and at 83 years old this is a quote written by C.S. Lewis and provided by my great Sarasota friend, Tom Melzoni: “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” That is something for which I strive.

—NO JOY FOR JOEY: For Joey Votto, silence isn’t golden. His cellphone is not chirping with calls from major league baseball teams.

After 17 years with the Cincinnati Reds and a Hall of Fame career, Votto is unemployed and job-seeking.

It is mid-January, about a month before the spring training gates swing open, and Votto is still locked out. But he remains non-plussed.

He did receive a phone call from The Athletic. . .no, not the Oakland Athletics. It was from C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic web-site and Votto told him he is hitting, working out and is ever ready to play ball. All he needs is the right phone call.

“I will be at spring training, that’s where my head is at. Maybe I’m completely disconnected from this new reality and maybe I’m oblivious to where I really am,” said Votto. “ But I just don’t feel concerned about it. As long as I’m feeling strong and healthy, this is a good place to be.”

It won’t be a good place to be if he is sitting at home when spring training commences. What’s the old song by Jimmy Buttet, “If The Phone Doesn’t Ring, It’s Me.”

—QUOTE: From Joey Votto on social media: “The Care Bears are intrigued. They need a Grumpy Bear.” (No, he didn’t mean the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Bears or the Memphis Grizzlies.)

—DUBIOUS DISTINCTION: The Cincinnati Reds now find themselves squatting in a dubious position. They are the franchise with the longest stretch of not winning a postseason game in all four major sports.

When the Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, it was Detroit’s first playoff win since 1991.

The Reds? They last won a postseason game on October 6, 1995, a 10-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. David Wells beat Hideo Nomo and Ron Gant got things in gear for the Reds win in the first inning with a two-run home run that scored Barry Larkin.

Since then, not a whisper of a win. The Reds advanced to the National League Championship Series and were swept by the Atlant Braves.

And here are the teams with the longest winless streaks in the other major sports: NFL- Miami Dolphins (2000), NBA – Charlotte Hornets (2002), NHL – Buffalo Sabres (2007)

In baseball, the next longest after the Reds are the Chicago White Sox (2005), ten years ahead of the Reds.

—QUOTE: From Derek Jeter: “Good teams make the playoffs, hot teams win the playoffs.” (The Reds have to get good before they can get hot.)

—WHO CASHES IN?: That’s an interesting dynamic going on between infielder Jonathan India and the Cincinnati Reds.

The Reds reached a salary/contract agreement with all of their arbitration-eligible players except one. Jonathan India. Deals were made with Lucas Sims, Tejay Antone, Alex Young, Jake Fraley and Tyler Stephenson. But not India.

India wants a one-year $4 million contract. The Reds offered $3.2 million. No agreement was reached so the case goes to impartial arbitration.

There will be no compromise in either direction. Either India gets his $4 million if he wins or the Reds pay him $3.2 million if they win. Hey, what’s $800,000 between friends?

An opinion: The Reds hope to keep India’s salary down because that makes him even more attractive to other teams in a possible trade.

—CHANEY’S ONE UPMANSHIP: In our previous episode, I recounted a couple of stories about encounters with the gruff Bob Gibson by Pete Rose and Dusty Baker.

Darrell Chaney, a former Cincinnati Reds outstanding utility player with a magical glove and great friend, provided a good one.

“Gibby was the pitching coach for the Braves when I was a broadcaster,” said Chaney. “He said to me, ‘Chaney, I hit more home runs in my career than you.’

“I said, ‘You should have, you played every fifth day.’” Darrel didn’t disclose if he ran for cover after that pithy reply.
—GIBBY’S GAMBITS: And the Gibson stories caused Dave Parker (No, not the Cobra) to send along these incredible Bob Gibson numbers from 1968 when he posted a 1.12 earned run average:

In 34 starts, he had 32 quality starts (three or few run in six innings), 28 complete games. 13 shutouts that included five in a row, from June 6 to July 30, he won 11 straight starts, all complete games and allowed only three runs.

And he threw about 1,000 brushback pitches.

Because of all that, MLB lowered the pitching mound from 15 inches high to 10 inches.

All-Star outfielder Hawk Harrelson remembers those days of mountain-top mounds and said, “I remember 1968. It felt like every pitcher was right on top of you. It didn’t seem as if they were 60 feet, 6 inches away. It felt like they were 40 feet away.”

—THE DUST(Y) DIDN’T CLEAR: They barely cleared the debris from Dusty Baker’s ‘retirement’ party when he unretired.

Baker stepped in to polish the Houston Astros tarnished image from the trash can-banging sign-stealing controvery. He managed the Astros to a World Series win 2022.

And he took them to the playoffs last season, then retired in October after Houston was ousted from the playoffs. But it will be announced this week that Baker is rejoining the San Francisco Giants as a special assistant.

The 74-year-old former Reds manager took the Giants to the 2002 World Series and lost to the Los Angeles Angels.

It is the perfect place for Baker. The Giants offered him the opportunity to watch his son Darren’s college games at Cal-Berkeley. And Dusty owns a home near Sacrement, where he grows grapes for his own wine.

But it is Dusty who ages like fine wine.

—PLAYLIST NO. 9: One would think that with so many playlists so far that I would run out of favorite songes. Well. . .no.

Jessie’s Girl (Rick Springfield), Woman (John Lennon), Look Away (Chicago), Got To Get A Message To You (BeeGees), At The Hop (Danny & The Juniors), Do You Want To Dance (Bobby Freeman), Get A Job (Silhouettes), Tears On My Pillow (Little Anthony & The Imperials), Peggy Sue (Buddy Holly). Hang On Sloopy (The McCoys),

Still (The Commodores), Coward Of The County (Kenny Rogers), Simply The Best (Tina Turner), Hall of Fame (The Script), Stay (Maurice Williams), Come Go With Me (Del Vikings), Do You Love Me (The Contours), You’re Still The Same (Bob Seger), I’d Love You To Want Me (Lobo).

—MORE BADDIES: Some readers’ contrtibutions to songs that force them to snap off the car radio:

Tip-Toe Through The Tulips (Tiny Tim), Western Union (Five Americans), Henry The Eighth (Herman’s Hermits), Surfin’ Bird (The Trashmen), Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (Ohio Expess), Kung Foo Fighting (Carl Douglas), Brand New Key (Melanie), Alley Oop (Hollywood Argyles), YMCA (Villlage People).

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Sun Room, temporarily abandoning The Man Cave because, even with a heater, it is too darn cold and even my dogs won’t stay with me out there.

—GRUFF GIBBY: It was generally known that St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson didn’t talk to opponents and barely talked to his teammates. Rookies, though, didn’t know that as Pete Rose and Dusty Baker discovered.

When Rose was a rookie playing second base, Gibson hit a double. Rose ambled over and said, “Whatja hit, Gibby, a fastball?” No answer. So Pete said it louder. “Whatja hit, Gibby, a fastball?” No answer, just a scowl.

After the inning, Rose asked manager Fred Hutchinson, “Is Gibson dea? I asked him twice what he hit and he didn’t answer.” Hutch told Rose that Gibson didn’t talk to opponents.

Rose said he was standing at the batting cage the next night and Gibson walked by and said, “Hey, rookie, it was a slider.” Said Rose. “It took him 24 $^$#^& hours, but he talked to me.”

When Dusty Baker, the former Cincinnati Reds manager, was a rookie with the Atlanta Braves, he was eating in a restaurant with some teammates and their wives.

They spotted Gibson and Baker’s teammates urged him to go say hello because since he was away from the field it was OK.

Baker sauntered over and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Gibson.” Without looking up, Gibson said, “Why the #%$#@#% should I talk to you?” Then Gibson spotted Baker’s wife and said politely, “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Baker.”

—QUOTE: Bob Gibson talking about St. Louis Cardinals teammate Stan Musial: “Stan Musial is the nicest man I ever met in baseball. And to be honest, I can’t relate to that. I never knew that nice and baseball went together.”

—STUFF ON STEPH: Among the pituitary pythons that grace NBA floors, Steph Curry is a mere garter snake at 6-foot-2. But his three-point shooting has the bite of a black mamba.

During his illustrious career with the Golden State Warriors he has made 3,554 three-pointers, about 16 miles worth. The NBA three-point line is 23 feet, 9 inches (Why the nine inches?), but most of Curry’s three-pointers are 30 feet or longer, some from downtown Mountain View.

During pre-game warm-ups, he shoots some from half-court and makes them. During games, opponents know to pick him up at half-court or he’ll bury one.

And don’t foul him. He makes free throws 91 per cent of the time, an all-time NBA record.

Perhaps the most amazing numbers associated with Curry. . .he is paid $51.9 million a year.

When he was 9-years-old, he was on a 10-and-under team, but sat the bench because he was too small. . .until the other team went into a zone defense.

“I could shoot and when the other team went into a zone, they’d say, ‘Put Steph in,’” said Curry. “I’d go in and hit two or three outside shots. The other team would go back into a man-to-man and the coach would say, ‘C’mon back to the bench, Steph.’”

—SOME RESPECT, PLEASE: CBSSports puts out college basketball rankings and last week it had St. John’s (12-4) at No. 20. I know Dayton’s Flyers beat St. John’s, 88-81, in the Charleston Classic. I was there. I saw it. I wrote about it. And I heard St. John’s coach Rick Pitino whining about it afterwards.

But was Dayton in the top 20 before its win over Duquesne Friday with its 12-2 record and the win over St.John’s? No.

Why not?

Somebody clued them in after the Flyers beat Duquesne. The Flyers popped up at No. 18, but why is Creighton above the Flyers at 13-4? And why is is Tennessee ahead of UD at 12-4 and how in the name of Nike can Alabama be No. 5 at 11-5?

Don’t they know that Nick Saban retired? Wasn’t he Alabama’s coach when he wasn’t leading the football team?

—DaRON IS DANDY: There is no doubt that UD’s DaRon Holmes II is a better person than he is a basketball player, and he is one of the nation’s best basketball players.

When he addresses the media, it is always, “Yes, sir” and “No sir” and “Thank you, sir.” His heart is as big as a hot air balloon.

While he was scoring 33 points and destroying Duquesne, the Duquene student section abused him verbally without interruption for 40 minutes.

After the game, a 72-62 UD win, Holmes went to the student section and began shaking hands and posing for pictures. Now that’s class,

And it is no different on the floor. He plays with total unselfishness. When he is double and triple-teamed, he finds an open teammate for an open shot. He is as loyal to his teammates as a toy collie.

Said UD coach Anthony Grant, “Sometimes I wish he would be more selfish.”

—BOOK IT ON UD: If you are a UD fan, or just a basketball fan, you are doing yourself an injustice if you haven’t read David Jablonski’s book, “The Epicenter of College Basketball.”

The book, a treatise on the history of UD Arena, is extremely well-written and the research Jablonski did is mind-boggling.

I covered UD basketball in the 1960s for the Dayton Daily News and the last 10 years for PressProsMagazine. I thought l knew UD Arena and UD basketball, but I learned something I didn’t know on every other page.

Jabonski, the current UD beat writer for the Dayton Daily News, told me recently he has only 400 books left. . .so act now or lose out.

—ELVIS TO THE RESCSUE: My beloved Cleveland Brownd were beheaded and besmirched, 45-14, by the Houston Texans in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

I didn’t see it. And I don’t plan to see it. Because I had a previous engagement, I DVRed it. But when I heard the score, the first thing I did when I got home was hit the delete button.

Instead of watching the game, I attended a Ryan Roth (Elvis Presley tribute singer) concert at the Milton Club. As always, it was outstanding, a performance 100 times better than Cleveland’s performance.

In addition it was a charity event for World A’Fair and Roth and his Comeback Special band raised $4,700.

—QUOTE: “. . . Like a bridge over troubled water. . .” Roth fantastically sang Elvis Presley’s version of Bridge Over Troubled Water during his Milton Club show and should have dedicated it to the Cleveland Browns, but he is a Cincinnati Bengals fan.

—ICE IT DOWN: Since it is so cold out, how about an icy question? Do you know who Connor Hellebuyck is? Me neither.

But a puck buddy told me he is the best goalie in the National Hockey League. He plays for the Winnipeg Jets and nobody can call them the Loseapeg Jets. They have the NHL’s second best record (28-10-4) and surprisingly (I’m told) lead the Central Division of the Western Conference.

During a recent four-game winning streak, Hellebucyk gave up only five goals, including 28 saves in a 5-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets. And he makes $7.5 million this year.

Where do I sign up? I was always adept with a first baseman’s glove. What? You have to skate? I can’t even roller skate, let along ice skate.

And the Jets are winning without their best forward (I’m told), left wing Kyle Connor. Since he has been injured the Jets are 11-1-2.

NON-PLAYLIST: Songs I’d never put on my playlist and when they come on the car radio the station is quickly changed:

Copacabana (Barry Manilow), These Boots Are Made For Walking (Nancy Sinatra), Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (Brian Hyland), Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band), What’s New, Pussycat (Tom Jones), We Built This City (Starship), Lovin’ La Vita Loca (Ricky Martin).

Kharma Chameleon (Culture Club), Achy Breaky Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus), I Want Candy (The Strangeloves), Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Wham!), Yakety Yak (The Coasters), Disco Duck (Rick Dees), Macarena (Los Del Rio), Bread And Butter (The New Beats, Smokin’ In The Boys Room (Brownsville Station).

And what are yours?

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave before a big weekend — University of Dayton basketball, Cleveland Browns football and Ryan Roth, the magnificent Elvis Presley tribute singer at the Milton Club.

—A BIG BROWN-OUT: It was 1948 and I was 8-years-old when I became a Cleveland Browns fan, much to my dismay for the next 74 years.

It has been like David vs. Goliath, except thls time Goliath grabbed David’s sling-shot and broke it in half.

I was in bed with the whooping cough when I turned on our little cream-colored Philco radio and twisted the dial to Akron radio station WAKR.

It was a Sunday afternoon and I stumbled upon a broadcast of a Browns-Los Angeles Dons game. The Browns were in something called the All-America Football Conference, a rival to the NFL from 1946 to 1949.

The Browns, named after their founder and coach, Paul Brown, hardly ever lost and won all four championships during the league’s four-year existence.

They went 14-0 in 1948 and on the day I heard them they kicked the Dons right into Lake Erie, 45-7.

Yep, I had the whooping cough that day and the Browns have pretty much made me sick ever since. . .with a few bright spots — very few.

One of them was when the AAFC folded and the Browns were absorbed into the NFL. The NFL thought it would teach the Browns a lesson. They scheduled Cleveland’s first game in 1950 against the defending NFL champion Philadelphia Eagles.

Final score: Cleveland 35, Philadelphia 10. Some guy named Otto Graham threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns.

Philadelphia coach Greasy Neale, his mouth stuffed with sour grapes, said, “Paul Brown would make a better basketball coach because all he does is put the ball in the air.”

So how did it work out for you, Greasy?

Not much positive has happened after that in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, the world’s largest refrigerator, the Mistake on the Lake.

So the Browns finally made the playoffs this year and open their search for Super Bowl Superiority Saturday in Houston.

I don’t have whooping cough, but I do have a sore throat and a radio, so maybe, just maybe, history can repeat itself. . .only 74 years apart.
—THE THRILL OF. . .NEVER MIND: It was a weary early week for ranked college basketball teams. First there was Terrible Tuesdsy when No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Houston both lost.

Then came Wacky Wednesday when five ranked teams were force fed the foul taste of defeat: Kansas (3), Tennesse (5), Oklahome (9), Marquette (11) and Clemson (21).

And on Thursday, Gonzaga (23) took a hit, the Zags fourth loss.

If Dayton’s Flyers win at Duquesne tonight and go 13-2, there is no plausible reason why they shouldn’t move into AP’s Top 25.

—QUOTE: From former President Richard M. Nixon: “You must never be satisified with losing. You must get angry, terribly angry about losing. But the mark of the good loser is that he takes his anger out on himself and not on his teammates.” (Now there is a fellow who knows all about anger and losing.)

—EIGHT MEN OUT: Speaking about losing, eight NFL head coaches have lost their jobs in the last two weeks. That’s one-fourth of the colony. (Nadine is a retired math teacher).

Most noteworthy are Bill Belichick after 24 years with the New England Patriots and Pete Carroll of the Seatle Seahawks. Belichick just couldn’t cut it without quarterback Tom Brady.

Media folks in New England probably threw a massive shin-dig to celebrate Belichick’s departure because of his glib and three-word mumbled replies to reporters’ questions.

And how about Nick Saban’s shocking and unexpected retiremen as Alabama head coach forever and ever?

It is the thinking here that NIL and the transfer portal disgusted Saban and it was a case of no mas after 17 years and seven national championships, one at LSU and six at Bama.

—THE WRIGHT WAY: Wright State’s offensive three-ring circus was on guady display Wednesday night at Rober Morris. Robert showed up, but Morris didn’t as the Raiders gave the basketball net burns in a 101-76 victory.

WSU led 31-9 just eight minutes into the game and 58-37 at the half after it shot 72%, 8 of 10 from three.

So they elephant-walked the second half to a 101-76 victory, shototing 71% for the game. That meant the Raiders solidified their hold as the best shooting team in all of Division I at 54.1%.

And despite an 0-and-2 start, WSU is only a half-game out of first place in the tightly-bunched Horizon League. Every team has at least two defeats. The Raiders are one of four teams at 4-2 whille Green Bay and Oakland top the league at 5-2.

Prediction: The high-powered, high-octain Raiders will win the league championship. After a visit to Youngstown State Friday, WSU plays six of his next nine league games in the friendly quarters of the Nutter Center.

—QUOTE: From former Duke coach Mike Krzyewski: “A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist.” (Wright State certainly plays offense like a clenched fist and repeatedly punches opponents in the solar plexus.)

—YER OUT-TA LINE: From Pam Postema’s book, ‘You’ve Got To Have B*lls To Make It In This League,’ after she became the first female umpire to make it to Triple-A, something she heard from a dugout whille working a Pacific Coast League game:

“What do you call a female umpire? A call girl.”

And when another player called her a whore, a teammate said, “No, she isn’t a whore. She can’t work the corners.”

And that’s some of the more polite things that assaulted her ears from chauvanist pigs.

Postema, though. got even with players and managers in the book, including former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rob Dibble, about when both were in Triple-A.

She wrote: “Rob Dibble is one of the biggest jerks in the game. He argued, almost begged, for strikes, which wouldn’t be so bad if he threw one once in a while. He was wiild and dangerous, too.

“Dibble would throwe at his own mother for a dime,” she added. “He thinks he is some sort of tough guy when he throws a 99 miles an hour fastball at some batter’s earlobe.”
—QUOTE: From former major league umpire Ron Luciano, whom Postema despises: “Umpire’s heaven is a place where he works third base every game. Home is where the heartache is.”

—CONFIDENTALLY SPEAKING: Author Al Lautenslager has a new book out entitled, ‘Baseball Confidential,’ an inside peek at stuff fans are not privy to.

It is stuffed with stories, including one about Casey Stengel and Tug McGraw I hadn’t heard and I thought I’d heard ‘em all about Ol’ Casey.

This Classic Casey tale occurred when he managed the expansion Miserable Mets and trudged to the mound to remove McGraw, a relief pitcher.

“But I’m not tired,” said McGraw.

“I’m tired of you,” said Casey.

“I got this guy coming up out the last time he came to bat,” protested McGraw.

“Yes, but it was in this same inning,” said Stengel, removing the ball from the Tugger’s hand.

Mound visits are a recurring theme in this light, easy-to-read tome, a collection of stories about managers communicating with pitchers on the mound and the way baseball people communicate with each other during games.

—PLAYLIST NO. 8: Now that I’ve continued to post these lists, I keep finding more tapes I listened to when driving to and from Cincinnati Reds games (when I could drive):

Fire And Rain (James Taylor), All Night Long (Lionel Ritchie), Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers), Born To Run (Bruce Springsteen), If You Leave Me Now (Chicago), My Best Friend’s Girl (The Cars), In The Ghetto (Elvis Presley), It’s Over (Roy Orbison), Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond), It’s A Heartache (Bonnie Tyler) Make My Dreams (Hall & Oates).

What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong), You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Rollling Stones), I Fall To Pieces (Patsy Cline), Bridge Overr Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel), Gloria (Laura Branigan), Take My Breath Away (Berlin), Big Girls Don’t Cry (Four Seasons), Hard To Say I’m Sorry (Chicago).

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, writing about baseball — and other stuff — while the snow flurries fly. But it is only 45 days until the Cincinnati Reds play their first exhibtion game in Goodyear, AZ against the Cleveland Indi. . .oops, Guardians.

—THE LINE IS LONG: When the Cincinnati Reds have spring training roll call, 11 prospective starting pitchers will be seated on clubhouse folding chairs.

Eleven? Has any team used an 11-man rotation? No, and the Reds won’t either. It is what is called a fluid situation.

In alphabetical order, here are the candidates and hold the applause until the end: Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Phillip Lyons, Nick Martinez, Frankie Montas, Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, Carson Spiers, Levi Stoudt, Brandon Willliamson.

It is doubtful there are enough spring training innings to sort it out and Reds general manager Nick Krall indicated that tryouts might leak right into the start of the season.

“All of our counterparts joke about this. . .you can never have too much pitching,” Krall told The Athletic. “We’re going to let a lot of this play out into the season. Where guys coming into spring training, there’s going to be some jobs to win and we’ll have to figure out where everyone fits.”

The main problem is the Reds don’t have a legitimate No. 1 and a No. 2 is a stretch. Ashcraft led the starting staff last season with only 145 2/3 innings, followed by Greene’s 125 2/3, Williamson’s 117 and Lodolo’s 103 2/3. Injuries affected nearly every one of them.

And there is the same situation with an overstuffed infield: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Elly De La Cruz, Jonathan India, Noel Marte, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer.

And about India, still appearing to be the odd man out, Krall said, “It’s wait and see. Jonathan’s had some injuries. We’ll see where he is coming into spring training and go from there.”

Where is he? In limbo.

—QUOTE: From Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan:“One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in a while you come into a situation and you have to reach down and prove something.” (The Reds hope at least five of their rotation candidates can reach down real low and real fast.)

—SOME LOVE, PLEASE: The Associated Press Top 25 college basketball rankings came out this week and the Dayton Flyers just missed. They were the first team mentioned as teams also receiving votes. They had 125 points, just behind No. 25 Texas.

Now here’s the thing. The Flyers are 12-2 and one of their losses was to No. 2 Houston (14-1). It is my prejudicial opinion that the Flyers deserve more love.

For goodness sakes, there are four teams in the Top 25 with four losses, Marquette (11), Creighton (22), Gonzaga (23) and Florida Atlantic (24)

And there are eight teams with three losses.

Florida Atlantic has lost to Bryant, Florida Gulf Coast and Charlotte. Gonzaga has lost to Washington (9-6) and dropped its last game to San Diego State.

—QUOTE: From former North Carolina coach Dean Smith: “Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.” (That describes UD’s Flyer perfectly, except sometimes they almost make their fans require pacemakers.)

—PENIX CAN’T BACK IT UP: Turns out that U-Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was all bravado, false bravado

Before the national championship game against Michigan, Penix Jr. said he thought he was going to have the best game of his career.

His best was not his best — 27 for 51 for 255 yards and two interceptions that led to points in Michigan’s 34-13 no-doubter.

The Michigan defense knocked the Jr. out of Penix and was in his face like a fork and a spoon. And after the game it looked as if he had been stabbed with a knife seven times. As he staggered off the field, he looked as if he had been ambushed in a crosswalk by a cement truck.

Thought I’d never say this, but hail to the victors, not only the champions of the west, but of the east, south and north, too.

—A FLYER MAKING GOOD: If John McKeon isn’t the No. 1 University of Dayton basketball fan, he is in the Top Five. And I can’t name the other four.

Over the holidays, he visited the Left Coast and took in a Portland-Golden State NBA game. Why?

Former Flyer Toumani Camara is starting for the Trail Blazers. Said McKeon, “He didn’t have it easy. He had to guard Steph Curry. And he did all right.”

Camara was picked in the second round of the 2023 draft by Portland and he is averaging seven points and five rebounds.

—OH, WHAT A BITE: Remember when boxer/cannibal Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight in Las Vegas?

Sports columnist/legend Jim Murray was ringside and wrote: “Tyson should not be allowed to fight again, unless it is against a grizzly bear. We’ve all heard of a hungry fighter, but never one who tried to eat his opponent. The referee decided to halt proceedings before Tyson tried to put Holyfield in a pot.”

Geez, wish I could write like that.

—POPULARITY CONTEST: A survey out of Las Vegas on the most popular sports teams, based on social media hits:

1 – Dallas Cowboys (Is it because of the stars on their helmets or that Jerry Jones has a fast trigger finger?)

2 – Miami Heat (I think they have the NBA team confused with the Miami Heat TV show, but star Oleg Prudius isn’t tall enough for the NBA.

3 – Buffalo Bills (Is that because of quarterback Josh Allen? He played at the University of Wyoming, so we know the least populated state didn’t crash cyperspace.)

4 – Atlanta Braves (We knew it wouldn’t be the Cincinnati Reds, but where are the New York Yankees?)

5 – Golden State Warriors (Yes, Steph Curry has that many fans and they must have hit the search button as often as Curry hits a three-pointer from downtown San Francisco.)

And the most popular Ohio franchise? Not the Reds. Not the Bengals. Not the Bluejackets. It’s the Cleveland Browns.

—THE BISCUIT WAS BAD: Next to Secretariat, Seabiscuit is probably the most popular race horse of all-time.

Amazingly, Seabiscuit raced 17 times, most in maiden, claiming and allowance races, before he won. And when he won his 18th start, his reward was $750. It cost that much to feed him oats for a week.

But he suddenly became a track zephyr and set records for the mile at 17 different tracks, including River Downs in Cincinnati (now Belterra).

He won 33 of his last 72 race and won $437,730, which is equivalent to $9.88 million today. And he won the famous match race with War Admiral, considered the fastest horse alive at the time.

—QUOTE: From comedian W.C. Fields: “Horse sense is what keeps a horse from betting on people.”

—TOP IT OFF: I recently saw on TV a PGA tour player top a ball off the tee. It reminded me of the day I stood on the second tee at Madden Golf Course.

I topped my tee shot and it skittered about 25 yards through the grass. My playing partner, Jim Taylor, one of my journalism mentors, looked at me disgustedly and said, “I have a hen that can lay an egg farther than that.”

To which I quickly dubbed my second shot.

—SLICE AND DICE: Nadine makes the best French onion soup on Planet Earth, even better than The Caroline in Troy, which is the best I’ve tasted in any restaurant.

And I really enjoyed the soup after the 2 1/2 hours we spent in the emergency room after Nadine tried to cut her finger off slicing the onions on her mandoline. The mandoline now sleeps with tin cans, bread wrappers and other assorted trash.

—PLAYLIST NO. 7: More songs from my old tapes:

Every Breath You Take (The Police), Just When I Needed You Most (Randy VanWarmer), Blowin’ In The Wind (Bob Dylan), I Just Called To Say I Love You (Stevie Wonder), Babe (Styx), Then He Kissed Me (The Crystals), Devil In Disguise (Elvis Presley), Be My Baby (The Ronettes).

Don’t Worry Baby (Beach Boys), Tragedy (BeeGees), Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce), You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet (Bachman Turner Overdrive), Waterloo (Abba), Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love (Barry White), Imagine (John Lennon), You’re My Inspireation (Peter Cetera).

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, waiting for the Micigan-Washington national championship football game, expecting Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to display why he should have won the Heisman Trophy.

—SEEING RED: Former New York Times columnist Red Smith is one of an elite few sports scribes to win a Pulitzer Prize. His work was erudite and he used words that sent college professors scrambling for a dictionary.

And he despised basketball, as recounted in a collection of his columns by Daniel Okrent: ‘America’s Pastimes, The Very Best of Red Smith.’

He once wrote in a column after covering a Rhode Island State-Bowling Green NIT game, “This is written by one who would rather drink a Bronx cocktail than speak well of basketball.”

Yet the column was brilliant. And a Bronx cocktail is gin served straight up without ice and can raise the dead.

I do not share his opinion of basketball. I love the game. But not only have I not won a Pulitzer Prize, I’ve never been in the running for a Wurlitzer Prize.

For us basketball junkies, there is a dribblefest this weekend that is enough to make one see dunks in your sleep. It is the 21st version of Eric Horstman’s Flyin’ To The Hoop — 19 games involving 33 prep teams.

It begins Friday at Trent Arena in Kettering Fairmont High School and runs through Monday. Elite teams from seven states are involved — three defending state champions, 10 of the top 20 teams in Ohio, three pre-season top nationally-ranked teams, six 5-star prospects and 20 4-star players.

Fans not only can see future Division I stars, but celebrity coaches from all over the country sit in the stands scouting prospects.

Over the previous 20 Flyin’ To The Hoops, 99 players have made it to the NBA, including four No. 1 draft picks.

As basketball hoopla goes, this event is a swish-a-la-palooza.

—IF THE SHOE FITS: When Mickey Mantle was 19, fresh out of Commerce, OK, in 1951, he reported to his first spring training camp and New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel said facetiously, “It’s the first time the kid ever saw concrete.”

Then Mantle tore it up in 30 spring training games: .402, nine homers, 30 RBI. . .and made the team.

On Opening Day, Stengel noticed that one sole on Mantle’s baseball spikes was loose and flapping. “Don’t you have another pair of shoes?” he asked.

“I have a new pair in my locker, but they’re too big,” said Mantle.

Playing with the sole flapping, Mantle broke his bat on a ground ball on his first at bat. He went 0-for-2 before his third at bat. Because some guy named Joe DiMaggio was playing center field, Mantle was in right field.

Before his third at bat, DiMaggio stopped Mantle at the on-deck circle and whispered in his ear. Mantle singled, the first of 2,415 MLB hits. Then he scored, the first of 1,676 MLB runs.

Those shoes should be in the Hall of Fame, but at the time who knew?

—QUOTE: From Mickey Mantle: “Damn, to think you are a .300 hitter and you end up at .237 in your last season, then find yourself looking at a lifetime .298 average. It makes me want to cry.” (And he cried all the way to Cooperstown.)

—JOLTIN’ JOE: Speaking of Joe DiMaggio, 1951 was his last season and my great friend Andy Furman sent me a facsimile of the Brookly Daily Eagle from the day he announced he had made his last great catch, last great throw and poked his last single or home run.

He played only 13 years and was just 37 when he retired and said, “Injuries were the big factor in my decision, my shoulder and my knee. It has been agony for me go to go to the ballpark.

“I think I would have lasted a couple of years longer if it hadn’t been for night ball,” he said. “Not getting to bed until 2 o’clock, it was the seventh inning the next day before I could get my eyes open.”

Wonder if his wife, Marilyn Monroe, had anything to do with ‘sleepless’ nights?

—QUOTE II: From Joe DiMaggio on high salaries after he retired: “If I was sitting down with George Steinbrenner (former Yankees owner) and based on what Dave Winfield got for his statistics, I’d have to say, ‘George, you and I are about to become partners.’”

—THE WRIGHT WAY: It appears Wright State’s basketball team has plugged the holes in the bottom of the boat.

First of all, how many teams win a game when the opposition has three players who scored 26, 24 and 23 points?

That’s the way it was Saturday afternoon. WSU overcame that trio’s point barrage to whip Purdue Fort Wayne, 106-94. And that wasn’t in triple overtime. It was the regulation 40 minutes of score ‘em up basketball.

The Raider have beaten two good Horizon League teams back-to-back, Cleveland State and PFW. Purdue Fort Wayne was the league-leader at 4-0 and was 8-0 at home in the Alllen County War Memorial Coliseum.

It was the Raiders first road win of the season and they shot 66 % from the field and were unselfish with 22 assists on their 38 baskets.

WSU had four in double figures — Tanner Holden 26 (6 assists), Alex Huibregtse 21 (9 rebounds and 6 assists to go with his unpronuncable last name), Brandon Noel 13 and Andrew Welage 15 off the bench.

Coach Scott Nagy’s response was, “I hate to have to outscore people, but I’ll take it.” That’s probably because too often his Raiders treat defense as something sordid and unclean.

—ONCE IT WAS ‘THE GAME’: Bill Gunlock, a local business icon and a Miami University benefactor, passed away last week. He was 94.

When they line up nice guys, Gunlock stood at the front. He was my table companion every Monday at Dayton Agonis Club luncheons. He regaled us with stories of his coaching stops at Heidelberg, Bowling Green, Ohio State and the U.S. Military Academy, where he was defensive co-ordinator on the undefeated 1958 Army team.

In only 10 years of coaching as a defensive guru, his teams at Bowling Green, Ohio State and Army all had winning seasons.

At Ohio State, head coach Woody Hayes kept his nose out of Gunlocks,’ defensive busisness. Said Gunlock at one of the luncheons, “Before a game, at our last practice, Woody would come up to me and say, ‘Are we ready?’ I’d say, ‘Yes,’ and Woody would go back to the other end of the field, back to his beloved offense.”

The annual Army-Navy football game these days is nothing more than a wonderful pageant. The football teams are irrelevant on a national scope.

It wasn’t always that way. For a long time both were national powers and the game was The Game.

There was the 1948 game. Army was undefeated and Navy had lost 13 straight. Final score: Army 21, Navy 21.

It was Army’s revenge for the 1944 game. Army 59, Navy 0. Navy completed 15 passes, eight to Army defenders.

—PLAYLIST NO. 7: I have no words for this playlist because they are all some of my favorite instrumentals:

Rebel Rouser (Duane Eddy), Walk, Don’t Run (The Ventures), Classical Gas (Mason Williams), Telstar (The Tornados), Narco (Timmy Trumpet), Wipeout (The Safaris), Songbird (Kenny G), Feels So Good (Chuck Mangione).

Tusk (USC Band), Rumble (Link Wray).Green Onions (Booker T & The MGs), Honky Tonk, Part 1 & 2, (Bill Doggett), Tequila (The Champs), Jessica (The Allman Brothers).

***Did you know that Elvis Presley’s first recording was in 1953? He walked into Sun Records, paid $3.96 to make a record, ’My Happiness.’ And if you listen to it, it wasn’t very good. But I believe he overcame it.