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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 > June > 09 > Entry
Of 600 - and much, much more
Sights & Sounds while awaiting 600 - and I don’t mean Alfred Lord Tennyson’s famous line in The Charge of the Light Brigade, “Into the Valley of Death rode the 600.”
A GOOD LINE from USA Today baseball writer Mel Antonen as he sat in the Florida pressbox awaiting Ken Griffey Jr.’s 600th home run: “I never saw a team below .500 with so many stories - Griffey, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez, Dusty Baker …”
THE ONLY COMMENT in the press box Sunday (not from me) when Corey Patterson broke a 0-for-24 slide-to-oblivion in the ninth inning was: “Yeah, it comes with the Reds behind, 9-1.”
Well, it was one of only three hits by the Reds. One of the other two was by pitcher Aaron Harang, which drove in the only run the Reds had until Patterson’s home run. Harang needs the late attorney Johnnie Cochran to file suit against the Reds for non-support: “If the team doesn’t score, I ain’t pitching no more.”
HOW MANY TIMES will we hear and read this in the future: “Yonder Alonso hit one yonder over the fence?”
That was in the Miami Herald Monday after the Reds’ No. 1 draft pick hit a two-run home run in the first inning for the Miami Hurricanes to help beat Arizona and send the ‘Canes to the College World Series in Omaha.
JAY BRUCE NOTICED that Griffey had ‘JR’ embroidered in small letters on the cuffs of his white dress shirt and asked, “What’s that for, in case you forget who you are?”
Said Griffey, “You forget I’m only a few years away from my Golden Buckeye card.” Bruce, a Texan, said he didn’t know what that was, but figured it out quickly and said, “Is that like an AARP card?”
PITCHERS ARE avoiding Griffey’s strike zone with obvious malice aforethought, as in, “It won’t be me giving up 600.”
Asked about his seven walks in his last 20 plate appearances, Griffey said, “One of those things. I’ll just wait it out.”
SPEAKING OF waiting it out, while Griffey waited on deck to bat early in Sunday’s game, a mother and three sons asked for his autograph from the stands, knowing not that players are not permitted to sign during games.
When Griffey refused, the mother and sons aimed some not-so-nice comments his way. Griffey spoke back, not in a complimentary way, but later in the game handed three signed balls to the kids.
“I WAS NOT too subtle when they first asked,” he said. “I said, ‘Do you see any other bleeping players signing bleeping autographs?’ ” He was sheepish about it and gave the kids the signed balls.
AMAZINGLY, GRIFFEY was intentionally walked in the first inning Sunday when the score was 0-0 with a runner on second base and no outs. Has he ever been intentionally walked in the first inning?
“Yeah. Not often, but I have,” he said. “I’ll admit it did shock me Sunday. I waited to get ready to hit and looked back at the catcher and he was standing with his arm out for intentional walk and I said, ‘Uh, well, OK.’ “
DAVID SAMSON, Florida Marlins president, stopped in the clubhouse to chat with Griffey. About 600?
“No, he stopped to give me a hard time about my wine-tasting party,” said Griffey. “He used to be in Seattle when I was there.”
On Father’s Day, after a game at Great American Ball Park, Griffey will host a post-game wine-tasting for the media to introduce his label, Junior’s Cabernet. Proceeds from wine sales go to Ken Griffey Jr.’s Family Foundation.
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By bigdoc
June 9, 2008 5:44 PM | Link to this
Got to watch Alonso’s three games on ESPN—he’s a big kid (think the Padres’ Gonzalez), short, powerful LH stroke. Appears to love to play and win—almost runs up to the plate to get his cuts. Lots of confidence! Doesn’t ‘swing-and-miss’ much. Looks like an adequate glove guy. Should move up fairly quick. But the Beckham kid from UGA (drafted right after Alonso) also looks fantastic. I think UGA and U Miami play first round in Omaha. p.s How to get invited to the ‘wine tasting’? I hope the event also celebrates #605!