OBSERVATIONS: Some Pertinent Questions Concerning The Reds

By Hal McCoy

UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondeirng at the trade deadline if I’m a seller or a buyer.

—RlNG MY BELL: This one was unearthed by former Cincinnati sportswriter Bill Koch and it is fodder for the ever-swelling David Bell bashers.

Since 1882, the Cincinnati Reds have employed only seven managers who lasted six or more seasons. Six had winning records: Sparky Anderson, Dusty Baker, Fred Hutchinson, Pete Rose, Bill McKechnie and Jack Hendricks.

The outlier? David Bell: 383-429. Now that’s a real Bell-ringer.

And why is that so? Some recent decisions provide some explanation and Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays provides some ugly insight.

To begin, it isn’t easy being Greene. For some reason, when Hunter Greene pitches the Reds’ offense takes a nine-inning hiatus.

Still, why oh why did Bell removed Greene after seven innings when he was throwing a two-hit shutout and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning? He was at 100 pitches and to that. . .so what? To the least he should have been permitted to work into the eighth and pitch until he got into trouble.

If Bell managed Nolan Ryan or Bob Gibson and told them they were done after seven innings and 100 pitches while they were rolling on a two-hit shutout, funeral services would have been announced the next day.

And it’s time for Reds’ broadcasters to lose the high praise for Fernando Cruz and their constant braying about his cutter. He has lost eight games, the most on the team. How can an eight-inning set-up guy lose eight games and continue to be called upon in high-leverage situations?

Will Benson? Have No Bat, Will Strike out? He has struck out 126 times, fourth most in MLB. With men on base in critical situations with Benson batting, just mark a ‘K’ in your scorebook and move on. He is in the starting lineup more than he should be with his .193 batting average.

Stan Musial batted 12,721 times and struck out 696 times.

Benson wasn’t in Sundays lineup, but Bell used him to pinch-hit with two outs in the ninth-inning and the tying run on base. He not only struck out, he took a called third strike.

And this one falls on the front office and Nick Krall? Why is Austin Slater still here and why isn’t Rece Hinds still here?

Since Krall acquired Slater, he is hitting, if that’s what you call it, .111, with zero contributions in any way to the team. Meanwhile, Hinds set the baseball world on fire for seven games with five homers, four doubles, a triple and 11 RBI.

He was National League Player of the Week. Then after the All-Star break, he was 1-for-17 and sudden he was back in Louisville, still batting .316 despite the 1 for 17.

End of rant. . .except any questions why the Reds and Chicago Cubs three-game series beginning tonight can be called ‘The Battle For The Bottom?’

—QUOTE: From former manager Casey Stengel: “The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate yoy away from the guys who are undecided.”

—PAY FOR PLAY: The 1869 Cincinnati Reds Stockings, baseball’s first professional team, as we all know, went 57-0, 64-0 including exhibtions.

They won games by scores of 70-9, 86-8, 80-5, 53-0 and 71-15. Their closest games were 4-3 over the the Washington Olympics and 4-2 over the New York Mutuals.

So, as professionals, how much were these guys paid? Shortstop Geroge Wright made the most, $1,400. His brother, player/manager Harry Wright was next at $1,200. The rest made between $600 and $800.

The 1869 dollar is now worth $24, so George Wright was making the equivalent of $33,600, a princely sum in those days.

—YES, RYAN PUMPED GAS: In his first full season in 1968, the New York Mets paid Nolan Ryan $7,000, “So in the off-season I was pumping gas from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and my wife was working in a college bookstore,” said Ryan.

Can you imagine Pittsburgh rookie pitcher Paul Skenes ($9.2 million signing bonus) pumping petrol at a BP station and his girl friend, LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, peddling textbooks in the LSU student union?

—COCK-A-DOODLE-DO: After Hall of Fame outfielder Mickey Mantle retired from the New York Yankees, he and his wife, Merlyn, considered opening a chicken franchise in Commerce. OK.

Merlyn even came up with a slogan: “The only way to get a better piece of chicken is if you are a rooster.”

Fortunately they decided against the slogan. . .and the restaurant.

—QUOTE MACHINE: A resurrection of things ballplayers and managers have said:

From narcissist Reggie Jackson: “The only reason I don’t like playing in the World Series is that I can’t watch myself play.” (He could have placed a life-sized mirror at home plate and in the outfield, right?)

From former manager Leo Durocher on the hazards of playing third base: “God watches over drunks and third basemen.” (Hey, how about first basemen when guys like Shohei Ohtani, Bryce Harper, Willie McCovey, Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. stepped into the left-handed side of the batter’s box? Insurance rates soared.)

From former shortstop Pee Wee Reese: “I don’t think legalizing the spitball would make much difference. They never stopped throwing it anyway.” (And despite umpires doing between-innings publc frisk jobs on pitchers, just take the ‘l’ out of splitters and you have the same pitch. they’re still using today.)

From former Reds manager Sparky Anderson: “If I ever find a pitcher who has heat, a slider, a good curve and a change-up, I might seriously consider marrying him, or at least proposing.” (It’s a good thing Don Gullett was married when he pitched for the Reds.)

—PLAYLIST NUMBER 78: A few under-rated songs (At least in my estimation):

I Wish I Was 18 Again (Ray Price), If You Need Me Now (Alan Sorrenti), If She Would Have Been Faithful (Chicago), I Believe In You (Don Williams), Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf), I Love A Rainy Night (Eddie Rabbitt).

Draggin’ The Line (Tommy James), Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat (Herman’s Hermits), Song Sung Blue (Neil Diamond), I’m Gonna Be 500 Miles (The Proclaimers), Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses), Come Monday (Jimmy Buffet), You’re Just What I Needed (Chicago).