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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 > 28 > Entry
Harang’s ride on the wild side
If any of you have driven I-70 between Pittsburgh and Columbus, you know how bleak it is. The scenery is truck stops, rest areas, a tree or two and exit ramps to nowhere.
It’s the first part of the route pitcher Aaron Harang and equipment manager Rick Stowe took last Saturday - Stowe at the wheel sweating cannon balls and Harang in the passenger seat holding his side.
“Every time Rick hit a bump, he’d ask, ‘You OK, you OK?’ ” said Harang, who was in the throes of appendicitis and the two were trying to make it from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati before his appendix burst or Stowe’s bladder burst.
Why not Pittsburgh? “The doctor there wanted to immediately slice and dice. They told me in Cincinnati it could be done by arthroscopy,” said Harang of the harrowing day.
It all started after Friday night’s game in Pittsburgh. At 11 p.m. Harang ordered a sandwich from room service, then went to bed. At 6:30 Saturday morning he woke up achy and bloated, with a sharp pain in his side.
“I took two Tums and tried to go back to sleep and it took me two hours,” said Harang. “I finally got up and checked the movie times, thinking I’d go watch a movie. But the sharp pains were still in my side by late morning.”
He called his wife, Jennifer, and she suggested he go see the team trainers to have it checked.
“I grabbed a couple of bagels at Bruegger’s and (trainer) Steve Baumann suggested a trip to the hospital,” Harang added. “That was about 5 o’clock Saturday. They diagnosed appendicitis and wanted to operate right away. I knew it was about a four-hour drive to Cincinnati and I wanted to go home.
“Rick Stowe said he would drive,” Harang said. “So off we went.”
Said Stowe, “I kept checking exits for Hospital signs. And I had to go to the bathroom but I wasn’t about to stop. Once we got to Columbus I knew it was only an hour to Cincinnati and if it got too bad we could go back to Columbus (for surgery or a bathroom break). They told me not to hit any bumps.”
No bumps? On Ohio interstates? You’d have to drive in the grass to miss bumps.
“We listened to the game on the way back,” Harang said. “We got to Good Samaritan Hospital at 11:05.”
Said Stowe, “Four hours from Pittsburgh, hospital to gurney.”
Harang said they IVed him up and 45 minutes later he was in the operating room.
“They asked me the difference between the Cincinnati Zoo and the San Diego Zoo and that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up,” he said.
Harang is walking gingerly around the clubhouse and was told he can’t do any twisting or bending for two weeks. Since twisting and bending is 85 percent (I made that figure up) of pitching, Harang won’t be doing any pitching the rest of this season.
“What are the chances?” Harang said. “I don’t get hurt on the field, I got something that is not even baseball-related. And you know the worst part? I asked the doctors what the appendix is for and they said, ‘Nothing.’”
Nothing but potential aggravation.
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By Cait
August 31, 2009 10:49 AM | Link to this
4 hours from Pittsburgh to Cincy? They were flying low. I’ve never made that drive from point A to point B, but as a Colubmus resident, I’ve been on all those roads (I-70/I-71). 5 hours might be doable at just above the speed limit (i.e. 70/75 mph), but 4 hours? Nice driving, Rick. Get well Aaron and hope you pick up in 2010 were you left off in 2009, with those last nice outings.
By Hangman
August 29, 2009 2:32 PM | Link to this
Uh, scientists are now saying that the appendix has a purpose in digestion. That’s a little disconcerting that doctors are saying it doesn’t do anything. As a quick reference: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21153898/
By CD
August 29, 2009 2:12 PM | Link to this
Wow Ken, bitter much? Harang may not be the pitcher he has been in the past, but he’s always been a class guy. As far as being a jerk, it’s not Harang. Just look in the mirror if you want to see a jerk.
By Dave from Louisville
August 29, 2009 1:57 PM | Link to this
Hal your one-liners are the greatest….you’d have to drive in the grass to miss the bumps, hilarious.
By You Betcha Ken
August 29, 2009 10:03 AM | Link to this
Except when they have to win the BIG game, huh Ken?
By Ken
August 29, 2009 9:17 AM | Link to this
Harang is worthless just like his appendix. He is lousy and the Reds were trying to dump him. I saw him pitch this year and he was too lazy TWICE to get over to first base. The guy is a jerk and a loser. So are the Reds. This franchise is a sham just like the Bengals. Cincy sports teams are a joke. Only one team in Ohio worth watching, is the BUCKEYES.
By Decker
August 29, 2009 5:09 AM | Link to this
Best wishes to Harang. He’s gotten the short end of the stick on so many of his quality starts and never let his aggravation show in public. I hope he gets well and has a great 2010.
By max
August 28, 2009 9:00 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe they let him out of the hospital. If that thing bursts and that fluid gets in your gut you have some serious issues. Too bad as Aaron was having some nice outings recently. I’m glad they didn’t trade him or Arroyro. If they had you could have probably wrote off 2010 as definite rathere than 80-20.