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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 > May > 18 > Entry
Votto still ill, examination Tuesday
The mysterious case of Joey Votto continues. It’s sad to see his face these days, so sad because he is unable to play due to continued dizziness and an inability to focus.
Votto twice left games on the six-day trip to Arizona and San Diego, both times when he became dizzy and reported an inability to maintain his focus.
He left last Tuesday’s game in the fourth inning in Arizona and didn’t play Wednesday. He underwent a battery of tests and nothing was found. He returned to the lineup Friday in San Diego and hit a long home run. On Saturday he hit two long fly balls to deep center field his first two at-bats, then again left in the fourth inning.
He didn’t play Sunday and was supposed to return to Cincinnati Sunday night with the team, but when he experienced light-headedness and was taken to the E.W. Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif., for overnight observation. He was to return to Cincinnati Monday and be examined by an internist Tuesday.
His case reminds me of Nick Esasky, a former Reds first baseman who later played for Atlanta, but not for long. He contracted Lyme disease and was quickly out of baseball. Votto’s symptoms are not the symptoms of Lyme disease, so thankfully that’s probably not his problem.
Votto is an extremely important player for the Reds, maybe THE most important. He is missed greatly when he is out of the lineup. More importantly, though, is his health and well-being. Let’s hope they find the problem, it is minor, they treat it and he gets back on the field, where he wants to be.
MEANWHILE, the Reds will make their expected roster move Tuesday when, as expected, relief pitcher Nick Masset goes on the DL - only the second roster move the Reds have had to make in their first 37 games - an extraordinary feat. The other move was when Edwin Encarnacion (cracked wrist) was placed on the DL.
The Reds are expected to recall pitcher Ramon Ramirez. While Masset is a relief pitcher, Ramirez was a starter for Class AAA Lousiville and was 0-3 with a 5.08 ERA in seven starts. Masset was lights out for the Reds - 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 11 appearances. In his last five, he had given up no runs and only one hit.
FOR SURE, RHP Edinson Volquez will take stairs one step at a time from now on. Volquez was moving quickly up some steps before the Reds went on their last trip and took them two steps at a time and felt something in his back. He left his start Saturday in the sixth inning with minor back spasms.
He received treatment Monday and reported no pain and is expected to take his regular turn Friday against the Cleveland Indians.
AND THE problems continue for lefthanded relief pitcher Bill Bray, who has had nothing but injury problems since the Reds obtained him July 13, 2006, in a massive trade with the Washington Nationals. Bray will undergo elbow surgery Tuesday from Dr. Tim Krermchek.
And that was some trade, eh? The Reds traded OF Austin Kearns (a No. 1 draft pick), RHP Ryan Wagner (a No. 1 draft pick) and SS Felipe Lopez (a No. 1 draft pick) for SS Royce Clayton, INF Brendan Harris, RHP Gary Majewski, RHP Daryl Thompson and Bray.
Kearns is still a Nationals regular. Wagner has spent most of his time on the DL. Lopez is now playing for the Diamondbacks.
And the Reds … Clayton played one year and was gone. Harris was briefly with the Reds in ‘06 and was quickly gone. Majewski was thought to be damaged goods when the Reds got him and never amounted to anything helpful and is gone. Bray is injury-prone and Thompson was up briefly with the Reds last year and is struggling this year at Louisville.
OK, I’M WRITING THIS blog at 11 p.m. Monday - because I JUST GOT HOME. Thanks again, Delta.
Here’s the latest odyssey - and that’s it. No more. Fool me once, your fault. Fool me a half dozen times and I’m the fool. Stealing a line from the movie “Network,” I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more. I’m telling my travel agent, “No more Delta. Never. Ever.” I’d rather take another airline and make three connecting flights than take one Delta non-stop because even making connecting flights I’d probably still beat the Delta non-stop.
I started Monday morning in San Diego at 7:45 for a flight to Atlanta. We were late arriving in Atlanta. No problem. I had plenty of time to make my connecting flight to Dayton.
When I got to the gate, there was a long line at the podium. I asked a guy who had just left the podium, “What’s up?” He said they were kicking 20 people off the flight because they changed equipment from a 70-seater to a 50-seater. Guess who was one of the lucky 20?
How in the world can they sell 70 tickets and wheel up a 50-seat plane? Delta, all the way.
They put me on an 8:17 flight - a mere four-hour wait - but told me to hang around the gate in case something opened. About 45 minutes later, they called me to the podium and I was one of the lucky two to get on the flight originally scheduled for 4:15. Whoopie!
But the whoopie was premature. We didn’t leave at 4:15. They said they were waiting on the aircraft, but anybody who looked out the window of Gate C-50 could see a plane sitting there. Now it’s 4:45. Then they announced they were waiting for one member of the crew. They changed the time to 5:05. Then 5:30. Then 6 p.m. Then 6:30.
At 6:30 they announced, “There has been a gate change for Dayton. All Dayton passengers should go to Gate D-33.” They needed more than two hours to discover this?
Going from terminal C to terminal D in Atlanta means boarding a shuttle train. In the meantime I paid $10 for a ham and cheese sandwich that could have doubled for home plate in Great American Ball Park.
Finally, we boarded and left at 6:30, a mere 2 hours and 15 minutes late. And the weather was superb. Who I really felt sorry for were the three people in wheelchairs. They sat in those chairs at Gate C-50 for more than two hours. Then they had to be wheeled over to D-33, where they were forgotten. Everybody else was boarded before them.
Call me cranky. Call me curmudgeonly. But don’t ever call me for a Delta flight again. I’d rather ride an Overland Lines stagecoach.
LHP Bill Bray was examined today by Reds medical director Timothy Kremchek, who tomorrow will perform surgery on Bray’s left elbow. Bray has been on Louisville’s disabled list since April 16 with a strained left elbow.
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By phil
May 20, 2009 2:10 PM | Link to this
CAN YOU BELIEVE WLW? WHILE THEY WERE GIVING THE UP TO DATE MEDICAL REPORT ON JOEY VOTTO SOME INSENSITIVE JERK WAS PLAYING “DIZZY” BY TOMMY ROE, IN THE BACKGROUND.YOU CAN STICK WLW AND THEIR 45 MINUTE COMMERCIAL TIME PER HOUR UP YOUR * **!!!!!
By phil
May 20, 2009 2:09 PM | Link to this
CAN YOU BELIEVE WLW? WHILE THEY WERE GIVING THE UP TO DATE MEDICAL REPORT ON JOEY VOTTO SOME INSENSITIVE JERK WAS PLAYING “DIZZY” BY TOMMY ROE, IN THE BACKGROUND.YOU CAN STICK WLW AND THEIR 45 MINUTE COMMERCIAL TIME PER HOUR UP YOUR * **!!!!!
By Get Real
May 19, 2009 9:21 PM | Link to this
Aw Clint - shut up, you’re the moron who bad-mouthed Hal when he was sick because you felt he didn’t measure up to the sickness you had … jump off the blog pal.
By RC
May 19, 2009 9:03 PM | Link to this
Lighten up, Francis. Votto’s probably the only player that’s never been badmouthed on this blog, and I’m sure even those of us who’ve made little jokes are concerned and hoping for the best for him. Although I have heard he’s kind of a head case…
By Clint
May 19, 2009 7:47 PM | Link to this
I think its sick all the jokes that are going on in the comments. This is not a laughing matter. Honestly, just stop commenting. Some of you are just garbage morons
By god bless da preacher man
May 19, 2009 6:56 PM | Link to this
some preacher…cain’t even spell christ…oh well, whaddya expect from an ignert cracker from down’ta franklin. haymen.
By Mark in Sun Valley
May 19, 2009 6:47 PM | Link to this
I was wrong. Thanks Hal for correcting me. Never trust MLB.com.
By Steve
May 19, 2009 6:43 PM | Link to this
Ross, These Reds are definitely not the same caliber of team as those Mets and Orioles teams, yet. My point is that not everyone on the team has to hit .300 and 30 homers for them to win. A shortstop can win as many games for you with the leather as he can with the wood. Prior to the ‘roid era most SS’s did not hit. Ripken, A-Rod, and Nomar were the first of the “big” shortstops that hit the long ball. If you go back to the 70’s, Concepcion, Ozzie, Bowa, Russell, Campaneris, Burleson, Dent, and so on, none of those guys were known for their bats. They all played great defense that helped their teams win.
By Shelby
May 19, 2009 5:53 PM | Link to this
Hal, Just curious, why didn’t you take the team charter? Crossing fingers and toes for my favorite Canadian.
By Real McCoy
May 19, 2009 5:50 PM | Link to this
No matter what you read on MLB.com, Micah Owings is NOT pitching Wednesday. Aaron Harang is pitching on normal four days of rest and Owings is pitching Thursday on normal four days of rest.
By b,j,
May 19, 2009 5:42 PM | Link to this
Ican’t believe the insensitivity of some of you! Illness of any kind is not a joke. Think about that when you get something terminal.
By Mark in Sun Valley
May 19, 2009 5:02 PM | Link to this
Hey everybody! Micah Owings is still listed as the probable starter for Wednesday night!. Let’s pitch the guy who had to be shut down with arm trouble last year twice in a row on 3 days rest! Can anyone say Aaron Harang part 2?
By Mike-Cinci
May 19, 2009 5:00 PM | Link to this
Everybody in the Wash/Cincy trade of a few years ago is awful. Lopez may be the best of a bad lot. Kearns signed a 4 year $28 million deal a few years ago and has become a .220 hitter. This deal turned out to be trash for trash but at one time they were all top prospects.
By ross
May 19, 2009 4:31 PM | Link to this
yes, jocketty is an idiot..why do you think St Louis fired him..Ramirez is a great call-up with a 7 ERA at AAA..we have enough AAA talent on this team already
By PF
May 19, 2009 4:17 PM | Link to this
I just want to know which one of you making the diagnosis’ stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I’m pretty sure we’ll have this thing nailed down if we can figure that out.
By Hangman
May 19, 2009 4:08 PM | Link to this
Actually, I don’t think Esasky had Lyme disease. He was treated for it, but I don’t believe it helped. He was eventually diagnosed with with vertigo.
By preacher franklin ohio
May 19, 2009 4:05 PM | Link to this
i pray for salvation and healing geter done for jesus not satan god bless everbody love in chirst preacher.
By RC
May 19, 2009 2:09 PM | Link to this
I pay good money to get dizzy and lightheaded. I’ll have what he’s having.
By Colgar
May 19, 2009 1:56 PM | Link to this
He shouldn’t be dizzy, he’s not even blonde! It’s probably a tumor.
By Nick W.
May 19, 2009 1:49 PM | Link to this
i once stood up to fast and got light headed i bet that votto just keeps standing up to fast all he needs to do is stand still for a second and he will not be light headed anymore. There i figured it out now he can come back and play tonight. who needs doctors when all he needs to do is read the comments on hal’s blog.
By George Carlin
May 19, 2009 1:35 PM | Link to this
The only time I feel dizzy and lightheaded is from lack of sex. Or, was it right after sex?
By BigRed
May 19, 2009 11:48 AM | Link to this
Hey People! None of you are a doctor so stop speculating on what Votto’s problem is. Just because “I had the same symptoms” does not mean that is what’s wrong with him. Let him go through his tests with the pros, and we’ll all find out later on.
By Brian
May 19, 2009 11:39 AM | Link to this
Delta D Driving E Every L Loyal T Traveller A Away Walt is not an idiot. I’m sure you know more about the reasons why this decision was made rather than a lifer in baseball. Really,this is a short term call up and Ramirez did ok in long relief with the Reds previously.
By Reed
May 19, 2009 11:34 AM | Link to this
That was a pretty bad trade, but perhaps the most successful player of that group is Brendan Harris. He’s made a nice place for himself as the Twins utility guy.
By Reagan
May 19, 2009 11:19 AM | Link to this
Ryan Wagner retired yesterday after being hurt yet again. That trade is the worst trade in baseball history, hands down. I hear ya on Delta. Flying is so frustrating these days.
By Everyone is a M.D.
May 19, 2009 11:15 AM | Link to this
Everyone needs to quit trying to diagnose Votto. I hate to tell you guys that light-headedness and dizziness are common symptoms with just about every illness. Let the doctors decide what it is. illness. Let the d
By LTD
May 19, 2009 11:15 AM | Link to this
I went through the same type of thing about 4 years ago and was misdiagnosed several times, mostly calling it Lyme disease or an anxioty disorder. Wound up being after affects of a serious adult case of Mononucleosis. Mono or similar virus in adults can have long-lasting affects. The only treatment is time. It took me well over a year to fully recover. It might not be Nick Esasky, but this case reminds me of Casey Kotchman in 2007. He missed an entire season with post-mono disorder….
By jon h.
May 19, 2009 11:09 AM | Link to this
It’s clear that an interdisciplinary medical team should check Votto out thoroughly for all of the above and whatever else his symptoms and history may suggest to them.
By Pharrell
May 19, 2009 9:42 AM | Link to this
I once slipped on a roller skate, fell down a flight of stairs, banged my head on a stack of frozen vanilla custard, wandered into the street and was run over by a ’51 Hudson driven by Nick Lachey and afterward I experienced the same sort of dizziness as Votto so I hope they check him for that, too.
By DWC
May 19, 2009 9:26 AM | Link to this
Fire your TA. There were other available flts with less travel time and better routing available. Who books San Diego through Atlanta to get to Dayton. That is crazy.
By Bowshier
May 19, 2009 9:25 AM | Link to this
I read yesterday that Ryan Wagner has retired.
By doug havens
May 19, 2009 9:06 AM | Link to this
I had the same symptoms a few years ago and was seen by a neurologist. They diagnosed me with something called Menieres disease. It is where the balanceing organ in the ear produces too much fluid and causes dizziness, inability to focus and a few other flu like symptoms. It is very easy to treat with meds and you can live normally. I hope they think to check for that. It took my doctors a month too think of that and believe me it was not a good month. Any way just get healthy Joey. Your health is first and foremost.
By ross
May 19, 2009 9:03 AM | Link to this
ramon ramirez..jocketty is an idiot..this clown is getting rocked at AAA..no wonder the Cardinals had enough of jocketty..Reds headed south and its not because of the coaching staff..jock face does not give them a chance
By mechengr9
May 19, 2009 8:49 AM | Link to this
He is also experiencing exactly what I did when I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat.
By redscrazygirl
May 19, 2009 8:41 AM | Link to this
whatever his initial illness was is likely the cause of the dizziness, etc - I have had both the stomach and the respiratory “flu” going around in extreme form and had these symptoms myself. It takes literally weeks to recover from - I pray for his health and that this illness is aftereffects, as was mine…
By wood
May 19, 2009 7:58 AM | Link to this
He should also be questioned about having an anxiety disorder. I just went through this and its definately hard to detect but dizziness, no focus, and light-headedness were very common.
By w1dfuzz
May 19, 2009 6:31 AM | Link to this
we had a guy with like symptoms, meds did not help, 5 weeks, after the symptoms started, they found a cancerous brain tumor. They did surgery, but he only lasted for 2 months. He
By henry
May 19, 2009 4:39 AM | Link to this
I have a feeling that Votto is going to disappear like Joe Oliver did in ‘94.
By john
May 19, 2009 4:29 AM | Link to this
5 years from now Votto will attempt a comeback with the Blue Jays.
By tree
May 19, 2009 4:11 AM | Link to this
Nick Esasky redux
By Clint
May 19, 2009 12:42 AM | Link to this
Please hear me out. I have chronic Lyme Disease and dizziness, light-headedness, and the heart racing like Votto had in Arizona ARE symptoms of Lyme Disease. I hope that someone sees this and Votto gets tested for it. He is experiencing exactly what I did just before my diagnosis