Home of the Week
Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
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 > May > 21
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Shack on the beach: $2.43 million
It’s another pleasant day on the left coast, a gentle breeze wafting into the press box at Dodger Stadium with the giant Golden Bear California state flag flapping in the wind above center field.
Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Reds have another game scheduled against the Dodgers tonight, hoping not to play The Nine Stooges for the ninth straight time in Dodger Stadium.
Here’s a shocker for you - and the fact I’m even asking this question gives away the answer, but it stunned me when I heard it.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Omar Vizquel made their major-league debuts on the same day for the Seattle Mariners in 1989. Who has the most career hits?
Uh, Griffey, right? Wrong. Vizquel has 2,613 to Griffey’s 2,599. In fairness to Griffey, because of all the down time with injuries, he has 8,989 at-bats to Vizquel’s 9,543.
Speaking of Griffey, he and Adam Dunn would make awful West Coast real estate agents. They were in Santa Monica (on the beach) for lunch Wednesday with actor Tony Todd, Griffey’s friend, when they spotted a small house for sale - a very small house, “No bigger than this locker room,” said Griffey. The Dodger Stadium visitors clubhouse is about as big Everybody Loves Raymond’s living room.
“What do you think, $250,000?” said Dunn.
“Naw, “$600,000,” said Griffey.
Todd laughed out loud and said, “Let’s go look it at the papers.” They did. The price? $2.43 million. “And it wasn’t even in the GOOD part of Santa Monica,” said Todd. “It looked like a little old crackhouse.”
If Griffey’s home run drought hasn’t ended by Saturday, look out. Maybe. He has eight home runs in his career on May 24, most of any date along with Aug. 25.
Jerry Hairston Jr., starting at shortstop Wednesday, was pulling on his baseball socks when he looked at a TV screen.
“Who’s going to win American Idol tonight?” he asked. “I hope the old guy, the rocker, wins.” Hardly skipping a syllable, Hairston asked, “Are you going to vote for Sammy Sosa for the Hall of Fame.”
When I told him no, he was incredulous. “Why not? With what he’s done? And nobody ever proved he did steroids, not even a hint of it.” I told him I’d heard differently from good sources, but he was unconvinced.
“How about Mark McGwire?” he asked. Same answer. No - and don’t even ask about Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
Meanwhile, manager Dusty Baker was poring over statistics in his office, a chore he does every day, making notes in the margin so small that a guy with 20/20 vision needs a magnifying glass to read them.
He already was working on the four-game San Diego series and said, “Damn, San Diego is hard to scout right now. Half their team is hurt.”
An LA writer asked Baker for his reaction to New York Mets manager Willie Randolph, who apologized after saying he was treated differently in New York because he is black.
Baker pointed a pen at his inquisitor and said, “Why is it when controversy comes around the media always goes to somebody from the same race for a reaction?”
Excellent point, Dusty, excellent point.
A TV in the clubhouse reported that former major-leaguer Willie Mays Aiken is getting out of prison, where he has been since 1994 on a crack cocaine conviction.
“That shows what happens when a man takes the wrong road,” said Baker. “He is a good man. I sent him a couple of letters while he was prison.”
Former Reds outfielder Eric Davis walked into Baker’s office, looking as if he could step into the batter’s box and whack one to Pasadena.
“Best baseball player I ever covered,” I told Baker.
“I hear you,” he said. “And a greater person.”
Too bad the Reds don’t activate him.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment |
TweetPlease stop the music
If I hear that song, “I Love LA” one more time I’m going to spit in the ocean.
Of course, the only way not to hear it after a game in Dodger Stadium is for the Cincinnati Reds to win a game here in Dodger Stadium so they don’t play it.
Not likely to happen. They don’t play it when they lose, but the Reds know nothing about that.
The Reds have lost here eight times in a row and it is to the point where it is like the Washington Generals vs. the Harlem Globetrotters - no matter what happens, the Trotters win.
Like it’s scripted.
Much-maligned pitcher Matt Belisle (deservedly so) finally cranked up a really good one Tuesday night after pitching coach Dick Pole got in his face and said something like, “Do it or you’ll be going away.”
Belisle gave up two cheap runs in the second inning, then retired 13 in a row, but all he got was another big fat ‘L’ next to his name, his fourth loss in five starts, this time by 4-1.
Had he tossed in another stinker klinker, I’d say ship him out to Louisville and bring in somebody from the Bats - and there are a plethora of candidates, with Homer Bailey only No. 4 on the list.
Starting pitchers’ records at Louisville: Tom Shearn (6-1, 4.14), Andy Pettyjohn (4-0, 4.71), Matt Maloney (5-2, 4.91), Justin Lehr (4-2, 2.41) AND Homer Bailey (4-4, 3.88).
Belisle, though, deserves another chance. Amazingly, with his back bowed and his mind focused, Belisle attacked the strike zone - 85 pitches, 67 strikes.
While talking about help, how about this kid named Jay Bruce. Anybody know about him? The statistics say over the last two weeks (14 games) he is hitting .529 (27-51) with five homers and 15 RBIs.
But it is as if he is a figment of some PR flak’s imagination. “There is not really a Jay Bruce. We’re just making him up.”
He IS for real. I know for sure. I saw him in spring training. With my eyes, as bad as they are. Hey, even I could see how good this kid is.
I’m not sure anybody with the Reds is aware of this, or why would he not be here, especially after watching another feeble offensive effort Tuesday - one run, four hits over seven innings against Chad Billingsley, who came into the game with a 3-5 record and a 4.34 ERA.
On the lighter side, and some levity is needed at this point: The first six pitchers to appear Tuesday night all had last names beginning with ‘B’ - Matt Belisle, Bill Bray, Jared Burton, Chad Billingsley, Jonathan Broxton, Joe Beimel.
Permalink | Comments (23) | Post your comment |
Tweet
