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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 > 13 > Entry
He quit baseball over $200 (what a hoser)
A man standing near the Cincinnati Reds dugout before Friday night’s game in Fort myers against the Twins caught the attention of AP correspondent Gary Schatz, especially when he heard the guy say, “Ed Bailey.”
Turns out the guys name is Buddy Gilbert? Who? Didn’t he start a pizza chain in Cincinnati? No, that’s Buddy LaRosa. Is Gilbert road in Cincinnati named after him? Nope.
If you know Buddy Gilbert and you know he played for ther Cincinnati Reds in 1959, you’re warped. He only played in 1959 and only played from September 9 through September 27. He was 3 for 20 and two of the hits were home runs.
And he whipped a baseball card out of his wallet to prove it.
“After the season, I asked general manager Gabe Paul for a $500 raise. He offered $300. I held out and he didn’t budge, so I quit,” said Gilbert.
He gave up baseball for $200??? Ouch.
AS I WAS writing the above, I heard an explosion of wood bashing baseball. Loud. Very loud. One needn’t look up to see where that baseball was heading. I just looked to see who hit it. Jonny Gomes. Home run no. 3 this spring, to lead the team. And his 10 RBIs lead the team.
The home run came off lefthander Francisco Liriano. And it was the only run of the game in a 1-0 Cincinnati victory.
Not only is Gomes pushing hard to win the fourth outfield spot (and he leads Jacque Jones and Norris Hopper and everybody else by leaps and bounds and hops and skips, the guy is stating a case to be the starting left fielder.
In his second at-bat, Gomes faced righthander Jesse Crain and drilled an opposite field single to right field. I like this guy more and more every day.
Gomes if famous for a couple of fights he was in last year defending his Tampa Bay teammates, but few people know about the near-fight he was in with the Cincinnati Reds two years ago.
In the ninth inning of a game one team led by about 11-0 - and nobody rememnbers who was leading - the Reds brought in a pitcher they brought with them from minor-league camp. His number was in the high 80s and his name was not on his jersey.
Scared? His pitches were all over the place and Tampa Bay players were ducking. When he threw one near Gomes’ noggin, Gomes yelled at him and started for the mound - in a meaningless spring training game. Yeah, I like this guy.
Whoops. Gomes just got picked off first base. Bet Dusty didn’t like that.
Meanwhile, Micah Owings continues his majestic flight toward winning the No. 5 spot in the rotation. On Friday, he held the Twins to no runs and two hits over four innings and has given up two runs over his 14 2/3s innings this spring.
Following Owings was Edinson Volquez, just back from the World Baseball Classic, trying to wipe away the foul taste of two Dominican Republic defeats to the Netherlands. It was like The Falklands defeating Great Britain - not once, but twice.
But Volquez returns to discover he is the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation, behind Aaron Harang and ahead of Bronson Arroyo.
“That’s a big honor for me,” he said. “Last year I was No. 5 and now I’m No. 2. Volaquez pitched three innings and gave up one single while striking out three.
Happy?
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I was throwing strikes, a lot of first-pitch strikes. That’ll let me go deeper into games and that’s what I’m working on.” In his three innings, he threw only 36 pitches and thought his day was done, but when he walked to the clubhouse, pitching coach Dick Pole said, “Uh, huh. Thirty more pitches in the bullpen.”
And Owings keeps mowing ‘em down, to the delight of catcher Ryan Hanigan.
“I like everything,” said Hanigan. “He doesn’t waste his pitches. Every pitch has a meaning. Every pitch sets up his next pitch. Guys can’t sit on pitches because he has so many weapons. With one of his first two pitches, he usually throws a quality strike. Then he can elevate or bury both his slider and his changeup.
“He does what he does to get out and he doesn’t just pitch one way,” Hanigan added. “He makes pitches, all the time.”
It was the first night game for Owings and he said, “That felt weird, but it was fun getting back out there. I’m just focusing on trusting my stuff and throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters.”
And shortstop Alex Gonzalez passed another test.
“I feel good. No problems,” he said. “I’m much better each day. Each day is another step.”
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By Ted Lawson
March 16, 2009 9:53 PM | Link to this
Hal, I remember Buddy Gilbert and for whatever reason I maybe warped. Also, a life long diehard Reds fan.
By tom
March 14, 2009 1:02 PM | Link to this
Gomes could be the clubhouse leader we haven’t had since Greg Vaughn in 1999.
By HuberTucky
March 14, 2009 12:25 PM | Link to this
E3 is an ongoing concern. I can just see that dead expression on his face and he sails another one over the 1st baseman and into the dugout. The guy’s head just never seems fully in the game. Like having a zombie at 3rd. I worry about EEE.
By a-yo
March 14, 2009 9:47 AM | Link to this
Gomes can bring this team together like he did for Tampa last year. He didn’t play well last year, but the brawls he started with the Red Sox set the tone for the whole year. WAR Gomes!
By ARgee
March 14, 2009 6:22 AM | Link to this
Guy on Fay’s blog was at the game. He said the scoreboard’s radar gun clocked a Voltron fastball at 96 followed by a 75 change. Nasty stuff. He also said EE side armed a throw for an error. Some things never change.