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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 > August > 10
Monday, August 10, 2009
Another one bites the dust (Cueto)
WHEN WILL it ever end (Isn’t that a song?). If the Cincinnati Reds don’t have player injury insurance, they’ll be bankrupt by Thursday. Their players keep falling like tin soldiers in a tornado.
Another one bites the dust (Isn’t that a song?) Monday.
Pitcher Johnny Cueto ran halfway to first base after hitting a ground ball to second in the second inning. Then he stopped. He pitched the bottom of the second, then left. The diagnosis was a tight left hip flexor. He’ll be checked tomorrow.
This isn’t a baseball team, it’s a MAS*H unit. They don’t inhabit a clubhouse, they inhabit an emergency room.
WHAT A THING to ask, especially from a pitcher making his first appearance the day he was recalled off rehab for shoulder weakness.
The Cardinals had the bases loaded with two outs when Jared Burton trotted in from the bullpen. Who could blame him if he got to the mound, looked to see who was batting, and sprinted back to the bullpen.
Albert Pujols awaited. The scoreboard showed for all to see that Pujols was hitting .800 this year with the bases loaded and five grand slams. Five grand slams??? The entire Reds team has one (1) grand slam and it was hit by a guy sent packing, Edwin Encarnacion.
Burton retired Pujols on a fly ball to right on his third pitch, then probably sprinted to the dugout to vomit.
SOME QUARTERS are making a big issue out of the fact that the Reds placed pitchers Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo on waivers. And they are making a big deal out of them clearing waivers.
Most team put most of their players on waivers at some time, just to see if there is interest. If another team claims Arroyo or Harang, the Reds could pull back the waivers between now and Sept 1 and keep them. Or they could let the claiming team have them and their contracts would go to that team.
Or the Reds can trade them now with no fear of a team claiming them on waivers.
So it is not surprising that no team claimed either one. Too much money. A trade could still be made, but with Edinson Volquez out for next season, it is more likely the Reds will try to deal Francisco Cordero and his fat contract than Harang or Arroyo.
Just remember. The Reds placed Ken Griffey Jr. on waivers nearly every year he was with the Reds and he never went anywhere until last July, and that was not a waivers trade.
NOW THAT David Weathers is gone, nobody makes noise in the clubhouse. The veteran Weathers could stir things up now and then, but I was astounded how quiet it was in the Reds clubhouse before Monday’s game in St. Louis - and the Reds have nust one two of three in San Francisco.
The last time the team was in St. Louis, several players were seated around a table, laughing uproariously as Weathers quizzed 22-year-old Jay Bruce about players from the past.
“Do you know who Rob Deer was?” No. “Do you know who Charlie Leibrandt was?” No. “Do you know who Rob Dibble was?” Yes, he’s the guy on TV and radio. “Do you know who Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell were? No.
They made great sport of Bruce, forgetting he is only 22 and wasn’t born when most of those players were in the m ajors.
Bruce was in the clubhouse Monday, but there was no frivolity or jocularity.
Oh, the game? Yeah, the Reds lost, 4-1.
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TweetMy life passing time on the tarmac
They are going to do me to the last day. Who? The airlines, of course.
On Monday, I sat at the gate in Detroit for 30 minutes while they replaced a couple of indicator lights, then we sat for another minutes on the tarmac, making us an hour late.
It was a Northwest (Delta in disguise) flight and it wouldn’t have been so bad except my seat was the last one on the starboard side. I know starboard from port because in baseball they always call a lefthander a portsider. Why don’t they call righthanders starboarders?
Anyway, I was right next to the starboard engine and it groaned and droned like my Aunt Nellie’s wringer washing machine.
Even though we were an hour late, I got to St. Louis in time to eat lunch at my second favorite Italian restaurant, Charley Gitto’s. I’ll have lunch there tomorrow, too. My favorite? Momma DiSalvo’s in good ol’ Dayton.
REGARDLESS what you think of David Weathers, traded Sunday to Milwaukee, the guy is first class and a pro. In his years with the Reds he did what they asked - and more. He started games, he pitched in long relief and he was the team’s closer when Danny Graves was released in 2007, remaining the closer until Francisco Cordero arrived.
And the 39-year-old Weathers was quick with passing wit and wisdom to younger pitchers.
Yes, he gave it up a few times. All relief pitchers do. And when he did, he stood in front of his locker and answered each and every question. No hiding, no excuses.
Yes, we had our moments. A couple of years ago when the bullpen was getting beat up, I wrote, “This isn’t a bullpen, it is a pigpen.” We were in Cleveland and Weathers came into the clubhouse waving my story and shouting, “So now we’re a pigpen?”
Weathers’ best friend was fellow pitcher Kent Mercker, who happened to be standing next to me. Said Mercker, “Stormy (Weathers), look at the stats. We ARE a pigpen right now. I just hope Hal lets me be the head hog.”
Thanks, Merck.
Weathers and I have been cordial since. He never held it against me, always answered my questions. And I stand by what I wrote - the bullpen at that time was a pigpen.
And now he’s gone - maybe at the right time. He won’t be in St. Louis facing Albert Pujols, who twice hit game-winning home runs off him, one a grand slam.
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