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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > February > 28
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Who’s 1, who’s 2?
While the weather for the Reds’ first two exhibition games was frightful - there was a suggestion to start a bonfire in the dugout with Adam Dunn’s big bats - manager Dusty Baker is taking a look-see at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in his batting order.
Call it a tryout, but mostly it is audition time.
On Wednesday in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies, Baker had Ryan Freel leading off and Norris Hopper batting second.
On Tuesday at home against the Minnesota Twins, Baker had Hopper leading off and Freel batting second.
“In case I play both at the same time, I’m seeing who is better where in the order,” said Baker. “I want to see where they hit the best. If I want to hit-and-run, which one can handle that bat better. I have some thoughts, but … you know.”
Hopper wins on that point.
“If I want to double steal, which one is better on the lead and which one is better on the back side?” Baker added. “If I need to bunt, are they even, or is one better than the other (Hopper is a landslide winner in the bunting category)?
“I need to know which one is the smarter hitter - which one can take and which one is a better hitter with two strikes. I have a pretty good idea already, but I have to see.”
Baker said he sometimes sits in his office staring into space, pondering and pontificating over things of this nature, “And sometime I just sit here and nothing comes.”
But he knows it’ll all come to him as he observes exhibition games.
Now, again, it is your assignment. Do you ever play Hopper and Freel in the same game? If you do, where do you bat them? And, based on what Baker is looking for, which one has the advantage in all the categories?
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