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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 37th 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.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2009 > April > 20 > Entry
Hubcaps: Eat ‘em or wear ‘em
What you see on the streets of a big city is amazing.
On Monday afternoon in Houston, while sitting in McCoy’s Fine Cigars enjoying an Ashton VSG, a guy walked by the shop wearing a Buick hubcap around his neck, dangling from a large chain. That’s strange enough, but nobody gave him a second glance. And why Buick? Why not Mercedes?
And no it wasn’t a member of the Reds batting order trying something different to shake the doldrums.
SPEAKING OF HUBCAPS, I discovered a burger joint in downtown Houston called Hubcaps. It’s a dive of a place down a side street and the building is covered with old hubcaps and maybe that’s where the guy got his hubcap.
Anyway, the burgers are some of the best I’ve ever eaten and the french fries are scrumptious, too. I had a cheeseburger with jalapeno peppers (fresh ones). OK, so today everybody knows I’m coming from 20 feet away and my cholesterol is off the charts.
MANAGER DUSTY BAKER switched up the lineup a bit, finally benching Alex (.069) Gonzalez and inserting Paul Janish at shortstop. Ryan Hanigan also was in the lineup at catcher in place of Ramon Hernandez, but Hanigan is the catcher of choice for Bronson Arroyo. Hanigan started the previous two games Arroyo started.
And Darnell McDonald was in right field instead of Laynce Nix, who started the last two games in place of injured Jay Bruce.
Bruce hopes to play Tuesday in Chicago, where it is supposed to be 30 degrees with snow/rain/sleet — all that stuff postmen hate and all that stuff Wrigley Field’s Bleacher Bums ignore by going without shirts.
“At least they got the swelling out of Bruce’s (right) hand,” said Baker. “They’ve got some kind of miracle patch they put on and it works fast. They did it with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Willy Taveras. Amazing stuff.”
As for Gonzalez, the day off is part of a plan and has nothing to do with his close to zero batting average. As for Hanigan, “Bronson is 2-0 with him, so it’s a perfect time. And Gonzo? What’s he played, three games in a row? I’ll try to push him to four (three in Chicago and Friday night at home). We’ll give him Saturday off, a day game, and then we’ll push him to five or six games in a row.”
In other words, Baker has a plan to rest Gonzalez at periodically to rebuild the stamina he lost from not playing at all last season and not playing much in spring training.
“And tonight gives Janish a chance to play, and a chance to play in front of his home, in front of family and friends,” said Baker. “It means a lot for guys to play in front of the home folks.
“I just knew (Texan) Laynce Nix would play good Sunday (a double and a single in two at-bats) after having a bad game Saturday (0-for-3 with three strikeouts),” said Baker.
BAKER INSISTS he isn’t big on a pitcher selecting a personal catcher, but he heard Arroyo express concerns during spring training when catcher Ramon Hernandez was away playing in the WBC and they didn’t work much together.
“Hanigan and Arroyo work well together, plus Arroyo has a different set of signs,” said Baker. “I don’t like that designated catcher sort of thing, but the way things have worked out is good. Hanigan has caught everybody, but Ramon probably caught Arroyo the least amount of time from the time he got back to spring training.”
Of Arroyo’s spring training concern, Baker said, “I heard him. He didn’t say anything to me, but I heard him. It’s important. Very important that guys work together.”
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Comments
By Mr. Positive (Original)
April 21, 2009 3:10 AM | Link to this
Given the chance, Toothpick almost always makes the wrong decision…like the Reds did giving this yahoo 3 year $10 mil contract. Yes, please, push A-Gone all the way out of the line up and off he team. He’s a dud and he’s done. And for God sake, bench Hernandez and let Hanigan play! What happen to Dusty saying he plays the hot hand? Another of his windbag lies.By Wizard
April 21, 2009 12:39 AM | Link to this
BAKER INSISTS he isn’t big on a pitcher selecting a personal catcher, but…Is this because he the manager, can then make another of his WRONG decisions about who plays, and who sits? Seems this has been going on, for more than a year now!By Wizard
April 21, 2009 12:28 AM | Link to this
Considering our lack of hits, why would Dusty Baker want to play Gonzo/Bruce/Phillips/Ramon? I would suggest more people have confidence in Hairston-LF/Taveras-CF/ and Dickerson -RF/ Hannigan-C/ and Janish-SS! At least, these people make good contact most of the time. I will compliment Dusty on staying with Rhodes tonight; but his stubborness is frustrating in other areas!By Jimmy1Time
April 20, 2009 10:35 PM | Link to this
I don’t get? Give Janish a chance already? Gonzo can’t hit. And I’m tired of his drama at the plate. Throwing the bats, spinning and tossing them. Cut himBy Get Real
April 20, 2009 9:47 PM | Link to this
Ludicrous means: amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity - Hardly a definition of Bruce’s hand injury not healing quickly enough for Clint to “smell a rat” … the great “why is Bruce not playing?” caper. Perhaps Clint - and I just guessing here - Bruce is healing just a tad slower than they thought … or perhaps you “smell a rat” … sniff sniff sniff …By Y-City Jim
April 20, 2009 8:01 PM | Link to this
Bruce took batting practice tonight and is available for PHing. He is starting tomorrow at Wrigley.By Clint
April 20, 2009 7:24 PM | Link to this
Come on Hal, level with us. Our most exciting young player hasn’t played in three days. I think we’re starting to smell a rat. What is really going on here? First Bruce was “Definitely” going to be ready by Chicago series. Now he is “Hopeful but can’t say for sure”. This is just ludicrous.By Mister RedLegs
April 20, 2009 7:18 PM | Link to this
Please consider twitter. You know I want to be like you and I do follow you. If you would twitter I would know this about you.By Y-City Jim
April 20, 2009 6:41 PM | Link to this
Not a strange benching for Nix-he bashes RH pitching but struggles versus LH pitching. He K’ed three times against Rodriguez the other night. I think Dusty needs to push Gonzalez some more - right out of the line-up.By Steve M
April 20, 2009 5:46 PM | Link to this
Janish has started in all the same games as Hanigan - whenever Arroyo pitches. Nix has been hitting pretty well so far, a strange benching. I’m sure its a lefty/righty thing, but it’s not like our RH batters have hit well against LH pitchers so far.