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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 > December > 07 > Entry
Breaking bread with Bunning, Lasorda
Indianapolis certainly is nice this time of year - or any time, especially if one likes to eat. And who doesn’t?
Within two square blocks of mid-town, near the palatial Conrad Hotel, I counted 14 restaurants, all seemingly doing stand-up business - including the big names like Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse, Morton’s of Chicago, the Capital Grille and several local steakhouses.
One could overdose on red meat.
I was in Indy over the weekend as a member of the Veterans Committee for the Hall of Fame voting and every time I go I am awed. I get to eat meals and rub elbows with Hall of Famers, most of the time during which I sit and listen with wide eyes.
This morning I had breakfast with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning and Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda.
Bunning, a senator from Kentucky, is only 79, but he has 40 grandkids from his 13 children. Lasorda asked him, “Do you know all your grandkids’ names?”
Said Bunning, “Yeah, if they are with their parents. If they aren’t with their parents, I struggle a bit.”
One of Bunning’s grandsons is Patrick Towles, a 6-5, 240-pound quarterback at Fort Thomas (Ky.) Highlands High School and the team’s runningback is Chris Collinsworth’s son, Austin Collinsworth.
“My grandson can throw the football 60 yards in the air,” Bunning said. Highlands won its 18th state title this year, going 15-0, and is ranked No. 6 in the country by USA Today. Collinsworth rushed for 176 yards - IN THE FIRST HALF - in the state title game.
Everybody knows that Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax went to the University of Cincinnti on a basketball scholarship, but Bunning said, “Not too many people know I coached against Koufax. I signed a pro contract when I was a freshman at Xavier and was ineligible to play baseball. So to help me out, they made my freshman basketball coach at Xavier and I coached against Koufax when he played freshman basketball at UC.”
HALL OF FAME knuckeball pitcher Phil Niekro plopped down at the table and his career at Bridgeport (Oh.) high school was brought up. In addition to the Niekro brothers, Phil and Joe, the same high school produced Ohio State/Boston Celtics basketball star John Havlicek, Cleveland Browns placekicker Lou Groza and his brother, University of Kentucky basketball star Alex Groza.
Lasorda asked Niekro, “How many games did you lose in high school?”
“Just one in four years,” said Niekro. “I lost one game, 1-0, to Tiltonsville. You know who pitched that game for them? It was Bill Mazeroski (Hall of Fame second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates) and he hit a home run to beat me.”
Lasorda, of course, has a million stories, all of which he’ll tell you if you care to listen. I do - even though most of them feature himself and features himself in a glowing spotlight.
Somebody asked him, “How many fights did you get into during your careeer?”
“With my team or with the other team,” Lasorda said with a smile.
Lasorda was the head coach of the 2000 U.S. Olympic baseball team that won the gold medal, beating a Cuban team in the finals, a team that had never lost an Olympic game.
“The night before the game against Cuba, I sat down with Ben Sheets (now with the Milwaukee Brewers) and said, ‘Kid, you may some day win 20 games in the majors. You may some day win the Cy Young. But you’ll never, ever pitch a bigger game than you’re pitching tomorrow. This will be the biggest game you’ll ever pitch in your life. You’re pitching for your country.’”
Lassorda said Sheets looked him in the eye and said, “OK, who are we playing?”
Sheets pitched a three-hitter to beat Cuba for the only U.S. gold medal in Olympic baseball history.
Seeing me sitting there, Lasorda launched into how he felt about the Big Red Machine. He wasn’t the Dodgers manager at the time, but was third base coach for manager Walt Alston.
“The Reds beat us by about 12 games in 1975 and by about 18 games in 1976,” said Lasorda. “I hated the Reds. Despised the Reds. I told our guys in ’77, ‘Don’t any of you are EVER walk into this clubhouse wearing red. Never.”
Lasorda said he was the one who started the practice of having the eight starting position players run together in the outfield to loosen muscles before a game.
He said Reds manager Sparky Anderson saw it while he was talking to Alston, and according to Lasorda, “Sparky told Alston that by season’s end those eight guys would be running in eight different directions.”
Lasorda paused for effect and said, “Sparky was right. We ran in eight different directions - to eight different banks with our championship money.”
Then he asked for another cup of hot water. His hot tea was ice cold.
NEXT: Dinner with Tony Perez, Eddie Murray and Bob Watson.
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By lipreader
December 30, 2009 1:31 PM | Link to this
“big names like Ruth Chris’s Steakhouse”? The name that is too stupid to get right!
By kmckeon
December 8, 2009 7:34 PM | Link to this
I’m from Norristown,Pa.I’ve meet Lasorda and he’s a cheap blow hard. I’ll bet Hal had to pick up the tab. I had a run him with him over the Reds and his Dodgers. I rather hear Hal’s stories than Lasorda
By Tony
December 8, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this
Sorry Hal, but the Groza brothers did not go to Bridgeport High. The went to Martins Ferry High (my dad’s alma mater) also in Bellaire county. in 1940 Lou Groze played on the Martins Ferry basketball team that beat Xenia High in the state finals.
By Cecil
December 8, 2009 11:27 AM | Link to this
I know Lasorda is full of “IT”. However, I do enjoy the stories. How about Jim Kelch doing the broadcasts. Good choice. I have listened often to him on the Louisville broadcasts.
By Steve F
December 8, 2009 10:46 AM | Link to this
The Reds really screwed up in 77’ trading Perez and letting Gullett go to the Yankees. I remember sitting in Riverfront watching the Dodgers run warm ups together. We all were laughing but I guess it worked. They did have a very good team.
By Joe
December 8, 2009 10:03 AM | Link to this
Who cares? Name dropping by reporters is useless. There is no news here except the fact that McCoy retired and is still working.
By StuttgartTim
December 8, 2009 9:27 AM | Link to this
Hal, You have a tough life my friend. Enjoy!
By ConradIndy
December 8, 2009 9:19 AM | Link to this
Hi Hal - We hope you enjoyed your stay at Conrad Indianapolis. Glad you liked the Circle City - we are pretty partial to it too! ;)Come back and see us!
By Indygeo
December 8, 2009 8:12 AM | Link to this
I’ve eaten at all the steak restaurants mentioned and add Shula’s and Mo’s in Indy, Chop House in NYC and Jeff Ruby’s in Cincy, but the best steaks in the world are at The Pine Club in Dayton. Beats ‘em all, hands down.
By rob in stl
December 7, 2009 10:42 PM | Link to this
Lasorda is the biggest bag of hot air on the planet. I can tolerate him now, but despised him when he was in the Dodger dugout.
By Gary Maloy
December 7, 2009 4:59 PM | Link to this
Hey Hal. Ask Big-Mouth Lasorda if he remembers the smart-assed 18-year-old Ohioan who asked him at Christmas time in 1978 about how the Yankees had whupped their butts.
By IndySteve
December 7, 2009 4:31 PM | Link to this
Add my welcome to my city to those above. Also add my recommendation for St. Elmo/Harry & Izzy’s to the list. Just had a great filet at H&I’s this past weekend. If you go, the shrimp cocktail is a must. It will clear up anything that’s stuffing up your sinuses!
By Mike
December 7, 2009 3:46 PM | Link to this
Welcome to the Circle City. Make sure you check out St. Elmo’s, or it’s slightly less formal brother Harry and Izzy’s. Awesome steaks at either spot.
By foxbase_alpha
December 7, 2009 3:38 PM | Link to this
Lasorda needs to check his facts. The Reds beat the Dodgers in 1975 by 20 games. Of course, blowhard Tommy never let the facts get in the way of a good story in his favor.
By dgw
December 7, 2009 3:31 PM | Link to this
Welcome to Indy, Hal! If you’re looking for something different and it isn’t too cold for you to walk a few blocks, check out Ta Ta’s Cuban Cafe. Authentic Cuban food, or so natives of the island tell me. It’s on the south side of Market Street between Capitol Avenue and Monument Circle. Maybe Tony Perez would feel at home there!