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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 > 06 > Entry
The Young and Restless
There will be no jokes or wisecracks in this space about Kentucky inbreeding, even though former Cincinnati Reds infielder Doug Flynn brought it up this morning.
Flynn is a born-and-raised Kentuckian and a former member of The Big Red Machine, a guy who seldom played because his position was second base and some guy named Joe Morgan manned that battle station.
Flynn is one of several former Reds wandering around camp, wearing their old uniforms, and giving tips. Manager Dusty Baker called Flynn, “An unbelievable glove man, a guy who could really pick it.”
Anyway, Flynn was in the middle of the clubhouse Thursday morning when non-roster infielder Andy Green walked up.
“Have you met Andy?” said Flynn. “Like most Kentuckians, we’re related … by marriage. We have a cousin, Chris Wade, playing shortstop at the University of Kentucky. He’s Andy’s first cousin and my second or third cousin.”
Green, 30, is from Lexington and played in Japan last year after spending six years in the Arizona organization, logging 226 major-league at-bats.
On Wednesday, Green was playing second base in the ninth inning when the Reds led Boston, 7-6, with a man on third. He made a great diving stop between first and second, couldn’t throw out the guy at first, but alertly threw a runner out a home to end the game.
Shyly accepting congratulations for his play, he said, “Anything to get us on the bus and back home.”
At 30, Green isn’t young, other than in major-league experience, but he is one of the players Baker was talking about Thursday morning.
“We got to see some guys under pressure, guys in roles they might be in, whether they are with us or not,” said Baker. “I loved seeing (pitcher) Josh Roenicke get out of trouble with a one-run lead in the ninth. When you walk the leadoff hitter in the ninth with a one-run lead, that makes it tough. He showed me something, big-time.”
Green saved Roenicke with the big play.
“That was a heads-up play,” said Baker. “If you hesitate one second, you don’t make that play. Somebody behind you has to be your eyes and ears to alert you. That’s teamwork right there.”
Baker loves the attitude of the young players.
“The young guys are playing good,” he said. “I love that. They’re together and they’re excited when they win and disappointed when they lose, even though it’s a spring training game. When they win they are genuinely excited. They beat the Boston Red Sox (Thursday) and they loved it. I’m sure it’ll be the same thing today (Thursday) against the New York Yankees.”
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By Chris
March 6, 2008 11:45 AM | Link to this
I don’t know what to think about Dusty. Who is actually going to make this team? I hope some the young guys get the nod. In my opinion they are not a better team with Patterson and Freel than with Bruce and Hopper. Might as well let the young guys hack it.