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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 > 2009 > March > 01
Sunday, March 1, 2009
A bizarre day in a wind tunnel
It rained hard, washing out on-the-field batting practice, but the sun broke through at game time and it was 60 degrees with a brisk wind blowing out to left. A wind. Seemed like a hurricane.
The New York Yankees brought most of their thoroughbreds while the Reds countered with some standardbreds because half the regular lineup left for World Baseball Classic workouts.
But eight homers whistled out of Ed Smith Stadium, five by the Reds, two by Chris Dickerson, and the last one by catcher Craig Tatum, a grand slam in the eighth that gave the Reds a 13-11 victory.
A-Rod, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano were in the Yankees lineup even though they are WBC participants.
Tlhere was a breeze blowing out that had the flags straightenedd out, suggesting lots of home runs. And, oh did it happen.
Reds starter Aaron Harang retired the first hitter, but the next four reached base for a couple of runs. Jeter beat anl infield single, Mark Teixeira singled, A-Rod doubled for a run and Cano single for a run.
A-Rod received a mixed reception - loud boos mixed with cheers from a crowd heavily populated by Yankee fans in the Reds’ Ed Smith Stadium.
The Reds countered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Adam Rosales walked, stole second and scored on a two-out double to the left field corner by Brandon Phillips, then Dickerson drilled a two-run homer over the right field wall.
Yonder Alonso, in the lineup so his good friend A-Rod could see him play, led the second with a well-smacked double up the left-center gap.
Dickerson struck again in the third, driving a single to left field that scored Phillips (walk) from second with a run to put the Reds ahead, 4-3.
David Weathers replaced Harang for the fourth and Cano, the first batter Weathers faced, cleared the right field wall with a game-tying home run, retired a batter, then gave up another homer.
It turned into the Theatre of the Absurd.
Weathers gave up two runs, three hits and two homers in one inning. Arthur Rhodes gave up three runs and five hits in one inning. Francisco Cordero gave up three runs and four hits in one inning.
Homers? There were seven in the game: two by Chris Dickerson, one by Joey Votto, one by Laynce Nix and Tatu’s grand slam. The Yankees hit three, one by A-Rod.
In their last two games, the Reds have given up 27 runs and 39 hits while losing 16-5 to the Red Sox and beating the Yankees, 13-11.
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TweetBailey: ‘Snow, Florida in same sentence?’
It was 67 degrees when I left the condo at 8:45 this morning, but it was raining and the forecast was for a cold front to move in this afternoon and drastically reduce the temperature.
In fact, snow was predicted for the tip of northern Florida and as Homer Bailey walked into the front door of the complex he said, “I learned today that snow and Florida can be used in the same sentence.”
THE REDS were scheduled to play the New York Yankees this afternoon and manager Dusty Baker said, “Man, I’m sure they don’t want to lose this sellout crowd for the Yankees.”
Baker’s lineup included Yonder Alonso as the designated hitter and said, “I put him in there so A-Rod could see him play.” A-Rod and Alonso are close friends and work out together in the off-season in Miami.
“Excited? Yeah, hell, yeah,” said Alonso. “That’s great. I’m really pumped. I saw him the day before spring training began. We met in Tampa. We talk often on the phone.”
Not only did the Yankees bring A-Rod, they brought Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano.
BAKER IS HOPEFUL that shortstop Alex Gonzalez can at least be a designated hitter Wednesday when the Reds play the Netherlands national team from the World Baseball Classic.
“I hope he can, we’ll see,” said Baker. “He still has to pass some tests, like baserunning and cutting. He’ll never pass all the tests until he plays. We’ll try to DH him against the Netherlands and go from there.”
CENTERVILLE’S Jeff Kennard made his Reds exhibition debut Saturday night in Fort Myers against the Boston Red Sox - one inning, three runs, four hits. But he wasn’t the Lone Ranger. The Reds lost 16-5 and gave up 20 hits and seven walks.
“No command of my fastball,” said Kennard. “I had velocity, but no control. Probably didn’t matter because we could have bounced pitches up there and they would have hit them.”
Kennard and Kate Yanko, a medical student in Columbus, announced their engagement Sunday.
BAKER ON what cleanup hitter Brandon Phillips must do to get better this year:
“He needs to be more selective, especially with runners in scoring position. That comes with concentration. Sometimes it seems he has made up his mind to swing before the pitch. Then he gets that reputation and pitchers are not going to throw him his pitch.”
ALL BUT Joey Votto are gone to join their World Baseball Classic teams, but Votto remained, “Because he wanted to play,” said Baker.
Votto only has to go up the road a few miles to Dunedin, Fla., to join the Canadian team, “because his point of destination is a lot shorters. The Dominican players had to report to Lakeland, Fla. and Jerry Hairston Jr. had to join his Mexican team in Arizona.
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