Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
New Miami graduation 2012
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 > June > 26 > Entry
O Canada, almost my native land
I almost became a Canadian citizen today - but that’s getting ahead of the story.
I went to bed after the game in Toronto at 1 a.m. and got up groggily at 4 a.m. for my 6:45 a.m. flight to Cleveland. After standing in line 30 minutes, when I got to the agent she told me, “Your flight has been canceled. The first flight we can get you on is Sunday.”
Sunday? I would miss all three games with the Indians. I asked her to check connections to get me to Cleveland before the afternoon and she said, “All our flights are overbooked. Everywhere. No seats. We can’t even get you out of here on Saturday because that flight is overbooked. We only have one flight a day to Cleveland.”
It was cold in that terminal, but I was hot. I stayed in front of her for 30 minutes as the line behind me lengthened. I wasn’t leaving. Finally, out of desperation to get rid of me, she said, “Air Canada has a direct flight later this morning, but we’ve sent other people over there for flights to different cities and they send them back. Won’t honor our tickets.”
What to do, what to do? I took the big gamble.
“Where’s Air Canada?” I asked. “Go outside and get on the red bus and go to Terminal 1,” she said. I waited outside for 20 minutes. No red bus. I figured it out. It was a blue bus. She was either getting even or she is color blind.
I walked up to the Air Canada agent (there wasn’t even a line) and plopped down my Continental ticket to Cleveland and the agent said, “That’s Continental and it’s two terminals down.”
“I know,” I said. “My flight to Cleveland was cancelled and I was hoping to get on your flight.”
She took my ticket and said, “No problem. We have seats.” And in 10 minutes, I was on Air Canada/Jazz Airlines (I didn’t see or hear Louie Armstrong). And the sad thing? There were about 10 empty seats that those folks who couldn’t get out of Toronto to Cleveland until Sunday could have used.
AFTER GETTING to Cleveland, I sat down in a park across the street from the hotel to let my blood pressure settle. A street person dressed in what once was a white T-shirt but was more black than white, a pair of baggy, threadbare jeans and scraggly sneakers, sat on the next bench.
“That a Cuban?” he asked about my cigar. People always think my cigars are Cuban. This was an Ashton Cabinet No. 8. Then the guy amazed me. He began talking about solar power, Will Rogers, global warming, Paul Brown and Watergate. The guy was intelligent and said, “I read the Encyclopedia Britannica when I was a kid.”
I finished my cigar and tossed away a small butt. He jumped from his seat and grabbed it, sticking it in his mouth. “When you don’t have what the monkey has, take what the monkey leaves,” he said.
I think I was insulted.
WALT JOCKETTY made a trade with the Chicago White Sox today, but it wasn’t for Jermaine Dye. It was for catcher Corky Miller, his second go-round with the Reds. Miller was never more than a back-up catcher with the Reds from 2001-04 and his career batting average is .179 over nine major-league seasons.
He was acquired because the system is short of catchers, especially at Class AAA Louisville, with Wilkin Castillo gone for the season. And catcher Devin Mesoraco, the Reds’ No. 1 draft pick in 2007 is progressing slowly.
Miller’s cost was outfielder Norris Hopper. Not surprising. First Ryan Freel, now Hopper. Last year when Freel and Hopper were on the DL most of the season, they didn’t endear themselves by spending most of their time at home instead of around the ballpark with their teammates.
Now they’re both gone.
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment |
Tweet
Comments
By Shelby
June 28, 2009 3:14 AM | Link to this
I have to admit, Hal’s travel travails are more entertaining than the Reds these days.
By Florida Buckeye
June 27, 2009 11:50 AM | Link to this
Gheesh…is it just me, or doesnt anyone else see the irony that BOTH Freel and Hopper were better in CF than either of the guys we have on the big league roster now…just because they were in Baker’s Doghouse?!? WTH? I thought the object of a Manager was to get the most wins per season for his team…not put his personal feelings in front of the team’s needs, or to play favorites, or make ‘project’ players a priority?!? I dont get it…
By Monty
June 27, 2009 8:25 AM | Link to this
Hey Hal…with all the flight troubles you seem to have, maybe you should go with that private jet that Thom B. advertises on Reds broadcast all the time! Maybe he can get you a discount!
By silverquill
June 26, 2009 8:04 PM | Link to this
Miller was picked up as insurance, nothing more, nothing less. If something happens to either catcher on the Reds, Miller is in Louisville with experience as a backkup. Mr. McCoy has written severala times that Hopper and Freel were in Dusty’s doghiouse for never showing up around the clubhouse when they were on the dl last year. Now they both have been traded.
By RC
June 26, 2009 7:23 PM | Link to this
Both of those things may be true - he might not be back next season, and if the Reds fall out of contention, he could be dangled. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Reds needed another catcher in the organization RIGHT NOW. But when your two good young pitchers don’t speak English so well, maybe Hernandez is someone you’d want to keep around. But I do think they coulda got something better than this for Hopper, even though he clearly wasn’t in the Reds’ future plans.
By MisterRedLegs
June 26, 2009 6:49 PM | Link to this
Hernandez will not be here next year. This is his last year of a contract. He will be traded before the deadline.
By Steve M.
June 26, 2009 6:48 PM | Link to this
Check out Lola’s for dinner one of the nights when you are there. Walking distance from the ballpark. Chef/owner is Michael Symon, of Iron Chef fame. Lola’s has been a fantastic Cleveland restaurant for about 10 years. My highest recommendation.
By RC
June 26, 2009 6:41 PM | Link to this
Nah. Don’t buy it for a second. They needed a catcher in Louisville, and Hopper’s in the doghouse. I think you Redlegses are way overanalyzing this. I think the Reds are reasonably happy with the two RHes.
By MristerRedlegs (oringinal)
June 26, 2009 5:45 PM | Link to this
I have to agree with my ballheaded friend/twin. But why trade Norris. He was Dusty’s kind of player who could of helped in CF/leadoff. This must of gone on behind Dustys back.
By MisterRedLegs
June 26, 2009 5:41 PM | Link to this
You know this means that one of the Reds catchers will be traded but for whom. My guess is Hernandez because of his salary. I will keep an ear to it.