Madison graduation 2012
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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 > March > 02 > Entry
Sights and sounds
Question: How does $3.5 million taste, with or without ketchup? Are the Cincinnati Reds willing to sit down and consume that much money, the $3 million they will pay lefthanded relief pitcher Mike Stanton if they keep him this year.
Or are they willing to forget the cash and improve the bullpen.
On Sunday in Dunedin, Stanton gave up a two-run home run to Buck Coats. Real fans remember Coats as a fringe player general manager Wayne Krivsky brought in to the Reds last season.
Coats contributed nothing and is known for not much more than naming his son Country, as in Country Coats. And Stanton gave up a home run to him that wiped out a 2-1 Reds lead.
What do you think…and, remember, it is not YOUR $3 million.
Stanton, though, was not the Lone Ranger during an 8-4 loss to the Blue Jays. David Weathers gave up two runs in one inning and Kent Mercker gave up two runs in one inning.
Manager Dusty Baker defended them by saying as baseball geezers, baseball senior citizens, baseball old-timers, they need longer to get ready, to get sharp, to find location and control. So maybe they all get a free pass for now.
Knology Park in Dunedin is another new venue for Baker, as is nearly every minor-league park in Florida. Told that Knology was a glorified high school field (The Toronto Blue Jays and Dunedin High School share the place), Baker raised his eyebrows and said, “Really.”
When the wind blows out in this place, baseballs are lost by the dozen and during batting practice Baker spotted a building directly behind the right field fence and said, “I hope those windows are shatterproof.”
Before the game, seven Canadian writers surrounded Canadian-born Joey Votto. They called him Vote-oh, so Reds beat writers asked him, “Are we pronouncing it wrong when we call you Vaht-oh?”
“No,” he laughed. “They’re wrong.”
Eh?
Pitcher Kent Mercker spotted Votto surrounded by the Canadian writers and said, “Hey, Joey, are you from Dunedin? Are you giving them your high school stats?”
BAKER IS WEARING uniform No. 12, the digits he wore from his first day in the majors, right through managing the San Francisco Giants and managing the Chicago Cubs.
No. 12 was worn last year by Edwin Encarnacion and sometimes when a player has a number another player (or manager) wants, it costs them - sometimes as much as a Rolex wartch. When Jack McKeon managed the Reds and wore No. 15, pitcher Denny Neagle wanted 15. The cost to get it off McKeon’s back? Two boxes of fine cigars.
Encarnacion is wearing No. 28 now and Baker said, “I tried to call him this winter to ask him about the number 12, but couldn’t get him. If it was special to him, if he wanted it, I would have let him keep it. Once he showed up in camp he said it was OK, that 12 was not special to him.”
Why is 12 special to Baker?
“It’s the number the Atlanta Braves gave me my rookie year,” he said. “I think they knew my hero was Tommy Davis. Davis, an outfielder with the Dodgers, wore No. 12.
As it turned out, Baker was later traded to the Dodgers and replaced Davis - in many ways. He was given No. 12, “So, I wore his number, I played his position (left field) and I batted in his spot in the order (third). And we became good friends after he was out of baseball and are even closer friends to this day.”
Now it’s time to go watch some ball - Reds vs. Jays, with Bronson Arroyo flinging for the visitors and Jay Bruce batting, uh, LEADOFF???
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Comments
By tom
March 5, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this
Don’t get your hopes up Reds fans, I tell you this every year but you never listen. Dusty Baker is a loser!
By BroadwayBill
March 3, 2008 7:57 PM | Link to this
I have hopes for this season—since it has been mentioned that Dusty, politically, does not want more of the same—and will thus vote for Barack; I am hopeful his political philosophy will carry over to the same philosophy for his baseball team’s pitching staff.Use those who give “hope” with their young arms;not the same OLD waste of time and money—who are already indicating they will be: same ol’,same ol’!
By Bill Johnson
March 3, 2008 7:55 AM | Link to this
I don’t know how you keep your sanity, Hal. Juan Castro as dead weight? He proably thouhgt of Oester s the same in ‘90. By the way, I don’t know if you rememberme. I’m the Air Trafic Control guy who introdued hmself to you at the airpor a few years back. I missed you at the UD games this year. I will be in Sarasota on 3/13 or 14. Now that I/m retired, I’m staying on Longboat for a month. Man, am I looking forward to that. Hope to see you at the game on the 17th. But I digress. Dusty so far is impressing me with his ability to get to know his players. He appears to be about the players. I’m not saying his predecessors didn’t, but it is obvious he is intense about it. oe people call me a sucker, but alas, I am once again excited for the season to get going.
By Bill Johnson
March 3, 2008 7:55 AM | Link to this
I don’t know how you keep your sanity, Hal. Juan Castro as dead weight? He proably thouhgt of Oester s the same in ‘90. By the way, I don’t know if you rememberme. I’m the Air Trafic Control guy who introdued hmself to you at the airpor a few years back. I missed you at the UD games this year. I will be in Sarasota on 3/13 or 14. Now that I/m retired, I’m staying on Longboat for a month. Man, am I looking forward to that. Hope to see you at the game on the 17th. But I digress. Dusty so far is impressing me with his ability to get to know his players. He appears to be about the players. I’m not saying his predecessors didn’t, but it is obvious he is intense about it. oe people call me a sucker, but alas, I am once again excited for the season to get going.
By Bill Johnson
March 3, 2008 7:55 AM | Link to this
I don’t know how you keep your sanity, Hal. Juan Castro as dead weight? He proably thouhgt of Oester s the same in ‘90. By the way, I don’t know if you rememberme. I’m the Air Trafic Control guy who introdued hmself to you at the airpor a few years back. I missed you at the UD games this year. I will be in Sarasota on 3/13 or 14. Now that I/m retired, I’m staying on Longboat for a month. Man, am I looking forward to that. Hope to see you at the game on the 17th. But I digress. Dusty so far is impressing me with his ability to get to know his players. He appears to be about the players. I’m not saying his predecessors didn’t, but it is obvious he is intense about it. oe people call me a sucker, but alas, I am once again excited for the season to get going.
By DB
March 3, 2008 7:06 AM | Link to this
Stanton is just a peice of the dead weight on the roster,Jaun Castro is right there with him.The others,Coffey,Hatteberg and Freel,might have some trade value.
By Y-City Jim
March 2, 2008 3:32 PM | Link to this
Unless Stanton shows something in spring training I think he is history. There are too many good young arms standing in his way. BTW, Cueto looks like a front runner for a spot in the rotation.
By LetsTalkReds.com
March 2, 2008 3:10 PM | Link to this
The question really is, is that 3.5 million worth the 5+ games that Mike Stanton is going to cost the Reds this year?
By Petey in LA
March 2, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this
Two things: 1. Joey Votto should be our leadoff hitter. He has speed and a great OBP - why shouldn’t he be considered? 2. I think it’s a no-brainer that the Reds should sign Mike Piazza to an incentive-laden 1-year deal. He’s exactly the right-handed power bat that our lineup needs. He also is a great part of a Votto-Piazza lefty-right platoon at 1B. This also would allow us to trade away Scott Hatteberg, making this more affordable. PLus this allows Dusty to carry 3 catchers. What do you think, Hal? - Petey in LA