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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 > August > 21
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Arroyo has a battle plan
Back on the north side with the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs after a one-day side trip to U.S. Cellular Field and the Chicago White Sox-Seattle Mariners.
Which is best to watch a baseball game?
That’s like choosing a diamond or a zircon.
Wrigley Field is the gem and U.S. Cellular is, well, a functional baseball stadium. There is nothing like the ambience of Wrigley and the eclectic neighborhood. U.S. Cellular just sits there by itself just off an interstate.
And talk about a home run park? Talk about Great American Small Park. The Chisox should call their little playpen U.S. Sail-u-lar, because baseballs sail out of their. They hit four Wednesday, including one by Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle hit one.
The White Sox have hit 188 this year, 20 more than Philadelphia, the NL leader. The Sox do have some punch in their lineup, but the park helps.
While I was on the south-side, Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo cranked up a beaut, one runs and three hits over seven innings in a one-run win over the Cubbies.
And Arroyo has a plan on how to make the Reds competitive next year, plus he didn’t need to send a babbling letter that makes little sense.
Here’s his plan. And it ain’t half-bad.
“The pitching staff is solid enough to win plenty of ballgames,” he said. “We really need a starting catcher — unless they are going to go with Ryan Hanigan and I haven’t seen him enough. We need a solid guy you can run out there five days a week, a guy who can hit a little bit, a regular guy instead of dividing it up between a couple of guys.
“We’re going to need two other guys who can hit, probably outfielders,” Arroyo said. “Our infield is decently set if (shortstop) Alex Gonzalez comes back. So we need a couple of outfielders to replace those home runs we lost (Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr.).
“We just need a lineup, from top to bottom, that feels the same when we pitch against the other team’s lineup, so we don’t have as many weaks spots.” Arroyo added. “I mean, with the Cubs I’m facing a seven-hole hitter like Mark DeRosa, who hits .280. That’s the feeling we need to project to other teams.”
DeRosa had two of the three hits Arroyo gave up over seven innings Wednesday in a 2-1 win. And Hanigan was Arroyo’s catcher, contributing a double that led to the Reds tying the game, 1-1, in the sixth.
“We have enough right now in our starting staff and bullpen to win this division, for sure,” Arroyo said.
Maybe Arroyo should have written that letter that management sent to the fans a frew days ago. At least he has something to say that would give fans hope. And I don’t know this to be true, but my guess is that letter was not written by owner Bob Castellini and/or Walt Jocketty (although both signed it, so they must believe it). That letter had PR schmaltz and spin all over it.
ASIDE TO A couple of malcontent posters:
Yes, I wrote early this season that Griffey would not approve a trade and would be with the team the rest of the year. That’s what I was told by some front office types. Griffey wouldn’t address it early in the season. Rather than lie (“I never lie,” he told me Wednesday and he has never lied to me), he said nothing.
The trade was not pursued by the Reds. Chisox GM Kenny Williams approached Jocketty just before the trade deadline and the deal was made.
Then Griffey told me yesterday that he told Jocketty in April that he wouldn’t stand in the way of a trade. You report what you hear and know at the time it happens. I’m not privileged enough to sit in on all the private and inside meetings. I try to give you what I know at the time. If some of you want to blame me for wrong information (at the time I thought it correct), then fire away. Your hindsight is always 20/20.
AND FOR THOSE who accuse me of talking only to Dusty Baker and Griffey because most of the Quotes of the Day came from them, well, NOT TRUE. We talk to Dusty EVERY DAY before games as part of our regular beat-writer briefings.
And he nearly always has good things to say. Same with Griffey. He was always available and always quotable. Some of the other players sit in off-limit areas of the clubhouse, eating or playing cards or watching TV or playing video games.
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