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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 > 25 > Entry
What’s new up North?
Strange things are happening in Toronto - beards gone, nicknames born, an unlikely third baseman, a beat up pitcher and a batboy turned pitcher.
Jeff Keppinger, 1 for 6 since coming off rehab at Louisville, no longer looks like Abe Lincoln. The full beard is gone, shorn somewhere on the streets of Toronto.
“Time for it to go,” he said. Poof. Gone. And he didn’t even get a Gillette commercial out of it.
Pitcher Daryl Thompson likes the nickname I told him I was going to hang on him - a suggestion from my son, Brent, who was in Yankee Stadium to witness Thompson’s major-league debut - after D-T got lost on the subway and ended up in Brooklyn instead of The Bronx.
“From now on, you are D-Train,” I told him. He smiled.
The lineup card for Wednesday’s game was on Dusty Baker’s desk and I thought it might be a mistake. It had, “Javier Valentin, 5.” Five means third base. ‘2’ means catcher. But David Ross was in the lineup with the ‘2.’
Yes, Valentin was playing third base, a move by Baker to stack his lineup with lefthanders against Toronto’s Roy Halladay.
“That guys is tough,” said Baker. “One of the best over the last few years. This year righthanders are hitting .219 against him with one home run. Lefthanders are hitting .261 with seven homers. One home run? That’s unheard of, that’s pretty awesome.”
Yeah, especially when his own pitchers have given up 101 homers this year.
“Does that lead the world?” Baker asked. Close. Only Houston has given up more in the majors this year.
Baker told Valentin before Tuesday’s game to take some ground balls at third base, “Because I might have to use there again.” Baker used Valentin at third base for one inning Sunday against the Yankees, but he didn’t have a play.
“I’m going to wear my mask,” said Valentin. “Hey, I thought he was joking when he said I was playing third base tonight. When I figured out he was serious I said, ‘OK.’
“Hey, I don’t care,” said Valentin. “It gets me in the lineup and that’s all I want, to be in there playing. As soon as I get one ground ball I’ll be OK.”
Rogers Centre has an artificial surface and Valentin said, “That should help. No bad hops. The ball comes quicker, but third base is all reaction. I’ll react with the ball and I’ll be all right.”
The first thing Baker did today was check with the trainers to see if Bronson Arroyo is OK. Or maybe he wanted to make sure Arroyo didn’t jump of the old CN Tower after giving up 10 runs and 11 hits in one inning Tuesday - the most runs given up by a starting pitcher in one inning in modern times.
“Bronson told the trainers he feels great, nothing wrong,” said Baker. “I’m glad there is nothing wrong, but now we have to find out what IS wrong, why he is pitching this way. The umpire (Joe West) told me the Blue Jays were hitting his pitches like they knew what was coming. I never saw so many hard-hit balls squared on the bat.”
After talking about Halladay, Baker laughed and said, “Tomorrow we get to face a bat boy.”
Toronto pitcher Jesse Litsch is a former bat boy for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now it is just Tampa Bay Rays and man are they better without Devil in their name). When Aubrey Huff, who was in Tampa when Litsch chased bats, faced him recently as a member of the Baltimore Orioles he shouted at Litsch, “Hey, batboy. Wanna shine my shoes?”
He’ll probably clean the Reds shoes and their clocks tomorrow.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Bronson Arroyo, Daryl Thompson, Dusty Baker
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By Gary
June 26, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this
How come if Dusty wanted a mainly left-handed line-up in there how come wasn’t Bako in there instead of Ross then ???
By MAC
June 26, 2008 5:51 AM | Link to this
On Arroyo, Train Wreck might be a good nickname of late?
By MAC
June 26, 2008 3:56 AM | Link to this
HR came early and surprisingly they did a lot of little things right tonight…that always helps. Nice to see Valentine in the lineup even if it is @ 3rd. However, once again I have to ask why not behind the plate? Ross, one of our good? Def. catchers, couldn’t handle a pretty good throw Dunn and threw another into CF on the Rios steal; could Javy do any worse? Lastly with Harrang and Bronson showing their true colors, hopefully the Reds are considering swaping Griffey’s contract for Bedard’s? Likewise, why not try and package some players to Cleveland for a shot @ C.C.; both pitchers are said to be available and what we currently have are not clear shots at success. Even though things have improved, starting pitching continues to be an issue w/ this club.
By Gary Maloy Jr
June 26, 2008 2:00 AM | Link to this
D-Train? I like it. Given his tourist-like roundtrip of New York city, it’s a nickname that is based on something that actually happened instead of weak nicks like ‘Dunner’ and ‘A-Rod’ and ‘EdE’. I’ve become apathetic. It’s nearly come to the point where I don’t feel like checking out the results of last nights game. We b*h and moan about pitching for years and years and when we finally find 3 and 4 pitchers that are solid (and maybe a nr.5 starter, too), the 1 and 2 dudes suddenly go down the toilet. We’ve always been among the league leaders in offense the past years, to no avail because of the pitching. Now it’s the pitching that doesn’t get run support. I have to admit, I’m losing my patience. (PS. I’m writing this not knowing the result of Wednesdays game…)
By ohdave
June 25, 2008 11:43 PM | Link to this
If Thompson is D Train… Arroyo is Re-train.
By HuberTucky
June 25, 2008 11:00 PM | Link to this
Did Harang drink from Arroyo’s cup of whatever it is that Bronson drinks? And who is their dealer? Homer? What the hell virus do the Reds pitchers have, anyway? Gads, now Arroyo and Harrang can’t get it together. T-ball pitchers. Harumph! Reds win! Reds win…a nail biter.
By Red in Kentucky
June 25, 2008 10:26 PM | Link to this
D-Train for Thompson? Well as I remember, they called Dontrelle Willis that when he first came up…and now he walks 20 batters a game or something. Let’s hope better fortunes are in store for Thompson…or maybe we should find him a new nickname.
By fan_from_afar
June 25, 2008 8:30 PM | Link to this
Top of the 4th, a one run game, 1 out, men on first and second… and Jay Bruce BUNTS? He BUNTS??? He bunts into an out and Dunn promptly flies out. That is weak.
By Jim Maloney
June 25, 2008 6:43 PM | Link to this
Well, let’s see… I’m sure the Reds players have already decided they can’t beat Halladay tonight and they’re probably all scared like a bunch of little girls. And tomorrow, they’ll be afraid of the ex-batboy Litsch because we all know how the Reds simply can’t perform against a rookie or someone they’ve never seen before. Oh man, time to go rent DVDs for tonight and tomorrow. Wonder how many times our sterling .245 hitting DH will strikeout, pop out, ground out in these next two games. And wonder if .221 hitter Dunn will show Ricciardi who’s da man!