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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 > April > 24 > Entry
Any heart in San Francisco?
The bags are packed and the alarm clock is set for 4 a.m. for a long, long flight Friday to San Francisco.
What was that old novelty song? “Please, Mr. Custer, I don’t wanna go.”
Well, I do. I love San Francisco and dinner at the Cathay House is worth the uphill jaunt up the steep hill under the main entrance to Chinatown and the breath-absorbing trek halfway up California Street.
And then there is whatever it is they are calling the San Francisco ball park — AT&T Park is the latest name, I believe. My favorite park.
Maybe Friday night the Cincinnati Reds can win the first game of a series for the first time this year. Maybe. They are 0-8 so far.
Before the game there will be a lovefest for Reds manager Dusty Baker. Unlike Chicago, where the fans turned on him, San Francisco still loves him.
Then they have to play the game. After going 3-6 on a three-city trip and 2-5 at home, the Reds have lost 11 of 16 and look as lively as a jar full of bees in a freezer.
A team never looks good when it loses, but the Reds are taking it to dizzying heights. They are falling so far behind in the wafer-thin NL Central that they need field glasses and a Sherpa to show them first place.
Last place is a lonely place. And it is time for people to stop saying, “It is only April?” As Baker says and as Jeff Brantley says and as I say, “Losses in April count the same as losses in September and all those defeats cannot be retrieved in September.”
The Reds, of course, are being pushed by media and fans to bring up Homer Bailey - right now - and Jay Bruce - right now.
Baker would like to see them, too - when the organization thinks they are ready. He doesn’t want to rush them and abort the progress of two 21-year-old futures.
The question? Are they ready? Will they be better than what now occupies the roster, where a lot of dead weight squats.
Bailey is 3-1 with a 1.03 ERA at Class AAA Louisville with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 26 1/3 innings. I’ve been told that Bailey was instructed to pretty much toss his curve ball into File 13 and go with his fastball, slider and changeup. That’s a tough thing because Bailey always relied on that curve and likes to revert to it when he gets in trouble.
The main thing, though, and Baker mentioned this, is that reports indicate Bailey has cut down on his pitch-count, which killed him this spring and got his ticket punched to Louisville.
Bruce is hitting .315 with three homers and 12 RBIs at Louisville. One of the last things Wayne Krivsky said, AFTER he was fired and before he walked out the door, was about Bruce.
“Everybody in our organization agreed it was the right thing to do to send Bruce to Louisville,” he said. “What most people forget is that two-thirds of Bruce’s at-bats last year were at Class A Sarasota. Give the kid time.”
How much time? Is it time? Do the Reds go for it now with the two kids or do they hold back and make sure they are ready for the bigs?
I say, “Bring ‘em up. Now. They certainly can’t hurt what this team is doing right now. Who knows, they might help.” If they’re overmatched, they can always be returned to sender.
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By jack
April 25, 2008 1:41 PM | Link to this
Hey Dusty, there is room for Bruce, its called center field. Somehow, incredibly, you pimped Patterson enough to get him 3 million dollars, you owe him nothing more. The future is now, Bruce has not failed at any level of baseball. Lets see what he can do at the major league level. This kid is too special to go in the tank if he starts off slow and has to go back (which i doubt will happen).
By Jason
April 25, 2008 1:35 PM | Link to this
A quick question for Hal: every Sunday you start your emails with somebody named Dave from Centerville, every Sunday! Is this your son, boyfriend, or what?
By Joe
April 25, 2008 1:07 PM | Link to this
I’ve been a Reds fan for 65+ years, and as we all know baseball is a long season with many ups and downs. But this team needs a jolt to get out of the April nosedive or else April is the ‘throw in the towel’ instead of the usual Memorial Day ‘season over.’ If Bruce and Bailey are ‘ready’ then bring them up and let them take their lumps and get experience. Bob Feller came up at 17 and Willie Mays at 19 and they dealt with train travel. These guys are 21, so what’s the big deal? This team needs a jolt to get over this funk, and it’s not going to come from the experienced ‘deadwood’ the Reds have too much of. You’ve got a good farm system, use it! Plus hopefully Jocketty will make a blockbuster trade or two reminiscent of 1970 when the Joe Morgan acquisicion from Houston ignited the Big Red Machine.
By Indy
April 25, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
Saw the Bats play in Indy last night. Bruce was 3-4, a triple away from the cycle. He deposited a 400’+ bomb over right center off a lefty in his third AB. He did make one bad defensive play in CF, but his hitting more than overcame it. Is it out of the question to bring him up and try him out for a few games in LF or RF on Dunn & Jr.’s days off? Also, could it be time to give Arroyo a couple AAA starts to work out whatever issues he’s having and give Homer a shot at a slot in the Reds’ rotation?
By Daveb
April 25, 2008 10:47 AM | Link to this
Why not give Affeldt a chance to start? The rotation needs a lefty and he can’t be any worse than Fogg or Belisle.
By Jmmy1Time
April 25, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
Hal I really enjoy listing to you and Marty when your on the air. Being a Reds fan at age 11 in 1990 I have seen alot of players and managers. I like to think I know baseball. So this is my thoughts. Bring Homer up. He is better than the other 5th stater. Bruce needs a bit more seasoning. You paid Corey $3.5 mil.Let him play. Send Freel to whatever team will take him. But even if you bring up Bruce, you still don’t have a lead-off hitter. Should have got Lofton.
By Richard
April 25, 2008 8:20 AM | Link to this
I read Tom Archdeacon article, just before I read Hal’s and Tom was talking to Dunn. Dunn made the comment that maybe hitters were all trying to hit home runs to get out of there slumps. This is my thought exactly. I would guess, that probably 90%, if not more of the few runs they have got, especially in 2 or 3 run games, are home runs. They are not playing little ball.When they have scored 8 to 9 runs, that is when they have played as a team and played little ball. This is what they need to start and keep doing. The opposing teams aren’t beating them with the long ball. They are beating them by getting on base and bring runners to the plate. I hope they can get it together on this road trip.
By fiveisalimit
April 25, 2008 8:02 AM | Link to this
Why is everyone so anxious to expose these two young players to Dusty and all his baseball insight? Me thinks the Reds would be better off if Dusty would keep all his baseball wisdom to himself and just make out a lineup card. When things are going this bad, there is only one place to look.
By Stocc
April 25, 2008 6:56 AM | Link to this
I agree. Bruce needs to come up NOW and he needs to play EVERY DAY! Have fun in Frisco
By donb51
April 25, 2008 6:27 AM | Link to this
Hal, You wrote: “The question? Are they ready? Will they be better than what now occupies the roster, where a lot of dead weight squats.” I was just wondering if you had some insight on who the “dead weight is.” Or was this just a passing shot at the whole team slump? If not a passing shot, then Krivsky did deserve to be fired, else Krivsky didn’t - not after 21 games.
By mrw
April 24, 2008 10:35 PM | Link to this
“Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games”, Enought said. Hal you do not need to explain yourself to these UNGRATEFUL people who have the audacity and gal to desrespect a guy who goes out of his way to give us as much information about the Reds as possible. Do you people not relize that this is extra work for Hal to give us this extra info?Thanks Hal, I’ve been reading your column since I was a kid.
By Joe
April 24, 2008 9:47 PM | Link to this
We’re not even out of April and I think the Reds are out of the race. They just SUCK.
By Mr. Baseball
April 24, 2008 9:45 PM | Link to this
Mr. Baseball believes that this is the Reds’ dilemma in a nutshell: Bottom of the seventh, nobody out, Reds trailing the Astros 5-3, Dunn at the plate, and the Reds’ leading home run hitter and he of the surging batting average, Edwin Encarnacion, is on deck. The infield is pulled around in a shift with the third baseman in the shortstop position. Dunn swings at the first pitch and pops up! Dunn could have bunted down the third base line and walked to first base! Anybody could have bunted down the third base line and walked to first base! The tying run would have been brought to the plate in Encarnacion. (In fact, Encarncion reached base on a single in the next at bat. Two on, nobody out, coulda been….) A bunt by the Dunner might have ignited a spark in a listless team. Mr. Baseball believes that you take what the defense is giving you. This is one of the “little things” that the Reds need to start doing if they want to contend.
By Mike
April 24, 2008 9:44 PM | Link to this
In the game vs. Houston on Thursday the Reds had one position player in the starting line-up signed and developed by the Reds (Adam Dunn). The only others on the roster are Votto and Cueto. Bako was drafted by the Reds but has spent virtually all of his career with other teams. You can’t win without developing your own players. The farm system has been a disaster and that is the problem.
By Jason
April 24, 2008 6:55 PM | Link to this
Hal, don’t forget your jacket. It seems you’re always telling Marty during the 2nd inning how you had forgotten how cold San Fran is and had to purchase a jacket. Have a safe trip buddy!