The Real McCoy

About The Real McCoy

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, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.

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July 2008

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Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > July > 08 > Entry

Chicago clubhouse confidential

By Hal McCoy | Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 05:55 PM

Made a bad tactical error for this trip. Trying to save my wife, Nadine, from having to wash all my short sleeve shirts (OK, sometimes I do them myself) when I return from this trip and immediately leave for Aruba, I packed only long-sleeved shirts.

So here I sit in the Wrigley Field press box in a pool of perspiration, my glasses fogged up and my arm pits rated ‘R’ for rank.

The clubhouse isn’t much better. The Cubs keep the visitor’s clubhouse at about 80 and it is so small that players sit on top of each other. And sweat.

“They try to wear us out before we even play,” said Ken Griffey Jr.

Small? I’ve seen bigger broom closets. And the closets have more room, even filled with brooms, than the visitor’s have in their clubhouse. When the media is in there before games, it is a chore to stay out of people’s way. Or get run over.

A few years ago, former Reds pitcher Joey Hamilton was having a bad streak. I was standing as tightly up against a pillar as I could get, trying to stay clear, but Hamilton said, “Doesn’t the media have anything better to do than stand in here and get in the way?”

Hamilton and fellow pitcher Gabe White were inseparable buddies, but White went on my Good Guys list forever when he heard Hamilton say what he said and White said, “Hal can stand anywhere he wants. He can stand in my locker. In fact, he can wear my uniform if he wants.”

Thanks, Gabe.

MARTY BRENNAMAN rode the bus from the hotel to Wrigley Ton uesday, as he always does. But he had company, somebody from Reds security accompanied Brennaman - just in case.

When the Reds were here in April, Brennaman called Cubs fans the worst in baseball after they threw a dozen baseballs on the field after an Adam Dunn home run. Brennaman has received nasty e-mails and threats.

“Hey, I got here Sunday night and he wasn’t with me. I took my grandkids and Thom to the Navy Pier, walked all around,” said Brennaman. “Nobody said anything. At the Pier, though, when we got to the ticket window, Thom walked away and and the ticket-seller said, ‘Hey, I know him. Isn’t he a broadcaster?’ “

Told it was Thom Brennaman, the guy said to Marty, “That’s the guy who ripped on our fans.” Said Brennaman, “No, sir. That was me. You’ve got the wrong Brennaman.” Marty said they had a pleasant 15-minute talk.

Marty was wearing a bright red shirt Tuesday and Griffey said, “Why don’t you just paint a target on yourself?”

Said Brennaman, “That’s why I wore it. If they want a piece of me, they know where to find me. I offered to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame in the seventh inning, but they turned me down.”

Griffey laughed and said, “I’m no longer Public Enemy No. 1 here. Hey, they might even cheer me.”

Maybe I have a scoop for you. I heard the Cubs were about to announce a trade that they acquired Oakland pitcher Rich Harden for Matt Murton, Eric Patterson (Corey’s brother), Sean Gallagher and another minor-leaguer.

By 5:15 Chicago time, nothing had been announced.

“I talked to Jim Hendry (Cubs GM) last night and asked him if he is working on something to top Milwaukee and he said no,” Reds GM Walt Jocketty said with a laugh.

But Milwaukee getting pitcher C.C. Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians was no laughing matter to Reds manager Dusty Baker.

“Wish we could have gotten him,” said Baker. “And, hey, I’d still like to have him (Sabathia is a free agent after this season if the Brewers don’t sign him). I’d love to have him, for his bat as well as his pitching. I just wish they hadn’t traded him into our division. We still have a lot of games left with Milwaukee.”

And the Reds face him Sunday in Cheeseville. Or is it Brewtown?

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