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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 > July > 11
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Bruce’s immediate future not determined
I watched it as in unfolded and I watched it once on replay, then turned my head. The TV ghouls kept playing it over and over and over.
Well, maybe everybody isn’t as squeamish as I am. When I see somebody fracture a bone, I don’t want to see it over and over and over like a guy returning a touchdown 102 yards.
Jay Bruce tried to make a diving catch Saturday night in the first inning of a 4-0 loss to the New York Mets and Johan Santana. He landed on his gloved hand that forced his wrist to bend in the way wrists are not supposed to bend.
Snap!
Bruce fractured the hand and is to have an MRI in Cincinnati Sunday to see the severity of the injury and to see if surgery if required. If it is, Bruce is probably done for the season. If it doesn’t require surgery, you can wager he’ll miss several weeks.
For those expecting a Drew Stubbs appearance, don’t. Won’t happen. They just need a body for one game Sunday before the All-Star break. They’ll wait until they see how bad Bruce is before they make a post-All-Star break decision.
Enmeshed in a 0 for 14 slump, Bruce sat in the dugout the last two games, “Clearing his head and observing,” said manager Dusty Baker.
Baker had Bruce back in the lineup Saturday and had him batting second. He struck out against lefthander Johan Santana in the first inning, then trotted to right field.
Angelo Pagan led with a single off Cueto and Luis Castillo walked. Bruce was playing deep for David Wright when Wright lofted a shallow fly ball.
Bruce charged in hard and tried to make a diving catch, jamming his left hand into the turf and bending it backwards. He was in obvious deep pain when he stood up and his arm dangled in a grotesque manner.
Bruce left the game immediately, replaced by Chris Dickerson. He will be checked today in Cincinnati by team medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek for a prognosis on how long he will be incapacitated.
“Just trying to make a play,” said Bruce after the game, his arm heavily encased in wrappings. “I had the ball. I caught the ball. But when my glove hit the ground it came out.”
And that’s when he knew he was in trouble.
“I didn’t know it was broken, but I knew it wasn’t good,” he said. “It hurt pretty bad. I was some bad pain. Part of the game, I guess. I watched the replay and it didn’t look good.”
After Bruce left, Wright’s single filled the bases and with one out newly acquired Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur blooped a two-run single down the right field line. Francoeur was playing his first game for the Mets after he was acquired in a trade Friday for outfielder Ryan Church.
After a walk to Daniel Murphy, Cueto gave up a run-scoring singler to Omir Santos for a 3-0 lead.
The Mets made it 4-0 in the second on a triple by Pagan and a single by Castillo.
Cincinnati’s only early threat against Santana was in the first when Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips produced two-out singles, but Ramon Hernandez flied to the fence at the 415 mark in center.
After that Santana retired 16 of 18, giving up harmless doubles to Dickerson in the third and Edwin Encarnacion in the fourth.
Cueto was done after five innings worth of 101 pitches that resulted in four runs and nine hits.
Manager Dusty Baker, of course, was more concerned about the long-term prognosis for Bruce than the short-term failures on this trip of Cueto, who gave up nine runs in less than an inning in Philadelphia Monday.
“A bloop and Bruce ends up with crack in his wrist,” Baker said with a shake of his head. “That’s tough news. Seems like we get one guy back and we lose another guy. We’re being tested for some reason, but enough’s enough. We just have to keep pushing.”
Baker said a player would be called up for the final game today before the break, but last Saturday night he wasn’t certain who it would be.
“A tough blow, just a tough blow,” added Baker. “I didn’t even want to look at the replay because I saw it live and I knew something bad happened. That’s what happens when you can’t get your glove cleared out of the way. All your weight comes down in that very fragile area of the wrist and the hand. Another inch and he clears (the ground) and catches it and none of this happens — but that’s not the way it happened.”
Baker paused for a deep breath, fearing the worst, and said, “I just hope Jay is not hurt too seriously and let’s hope we don’t lose him for the season.”
Of the game, Baker said, “You give Santana a lead and he is extremely tough. He’s tough without a lead. Cueto’s ball were sinking out of the strike zone for walks and then he centered some balls over the heart of the plate, especially to Santos (three hits).”
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TweetBruce breaks right wrist diving for ball
Jay Bruce suffered a broken right wrist in the first inning Saturday night in Citi Field.
Bruce was making his first start after “observing” on the bench for two days, but was back in the lineup Saturday batting second.
He struck out in the first inning, then took his position in right field. Mets third baseman David Wright lobbed a shallow fly ball toward right and Bruce, playing deep, came charging in and made a dive at the ball.
His gloved hand jammed into the turf and his hand bent backward, breaking the wrist. He was in great pain as he stood in right field being examined and he left the game.
He will be checked further Sunday in Cincinnati by team medical director Dr. Tim Krenchek.
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TweetDid somebody move the Carnegie Deli?
A sad day in my life. I walked the 10 blocks from W. 45th to W. 55th, my mouth watering fro a Carnegie Deli salami omelette. Gone. The Carnegie is gone. Not there. Unbelievable. What is New York coming to, anyway.
I went to the Carnegie Deli web-page and it’s still there - as May of this year. If I just missed it, walked past it, I’m going to do something drastic. With my eyes, I could have missed it. But I walked by twice. Used to be a yellow awning.
I have such fond memories of the place. They had long banquet-syle tables at the Carnegie and you sat with strangers. They had hundreds of celebrity photos on the wall and I was sitting there staring at one of my all-time favorites, Helen Hunt. This was 15 years ago. Somebody brushed my back to get past me to a chair two seats down. I looked jup and it was Helen Hunt - in the flesh. My good got cold, but not my cheeks.
I’ve seen Tommy Lasorda in there, holding court at a loud volume, of course. Gone. Man, I can’t believe it. The space is now occupied by Applejack Diner. Since I was there, why not? What a waste of time.
I sat at the bar so I wouldn’t take up an entire table. I ordered and they sat a Diet Coke in front of and took my order. Next to me, there was stacking to-go bags, about 17 of them. Thirty minutes later, my drink empty and my food nowhere I sight, I asked for another Diet Coke. The waitress, with a disgusted look, took my glass. She filled it half way. Nice ice.
After 45 minutes, my western omelette was delivered. I’ve heard of three-egg omelettes and two-egg omelteets, but never half-an-egg omelette.
ON MY way back to the hotel I stopped at a Starbuck’s for vente non-fat latte - normally $3.50. In New York - $4.35. Welcome to the Big Apple.
NOT ONLY is Jay Bruce back in the Reds lineup tonight against lefthander Johan Santana after sitting out two games to clear his, he is batting second behind Willy Taveras. Santana is the kind of guy who can spin your head and fog it up for days. We’ll see about this move.
REMEMBER LAST year when I got off the subway after a night game in Times Square, where my hotel is? Somehow I ended up at the Port Authority bus terminal and took 45 minutes to find my way back. It was scary.
Well, isn’t it amazing how easy it is when you follow signs? On Friday night I got off the subway and looked at a sign. It had an arrow pointing to the right - 8th Avenue/Port Authorityy. It had a sign right next to it, with an arrow pointed left - 7th Avenue, 42nd Street. Now I know what I did. I went right when I should have gone left. Following the signs, I came out right where I entered earlier in the afternoon.
And two years ago I fell in Times Square and and tore the meniscus in my left knee. I was only on the DL for six days after surgery, but I can now tell you when it is going to rain. And when I get tired, my gait is amazingly similar to Amos McCoy - and if you remember that TV series you are getting up there in age, my friend.
THERE IS a walkway behind the hotel that goes about two blocks across Times Square. It is almost like a tunnel and one can avoid the humanity mass on Times Square by using it. Smoking is permitted, so that’s my spot late at night to destroy a cigar and read to mellow out after a game.
And it is a great place to People Watch, a pastime I love.
There is a huge mirror entirely down the left wall. And this is going to sound extremely sexist, but it’s true because I’ve observed it over and over and over. Young women walk by and they can’t resist looking at themselves in the mirror. I never see a man do it.
OK, here’s the lineup Johnny Cueto has behind him to score a run or two off Santana: Taveras CF, Bruce RF, Votto 1B, Phillips 2B, Hernandez C, Encarnacion 3B, Gomes LF, Hairston SS.
It isn’t likely this weak Mets lineup that is missing Carlton Beltra, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes will score nine runs in the first inning off Cueto, as the Phillies did, but let’s see what the Reds can do against Santana.
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