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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 > 2012 > February > 28 > Entry
From hockey to baseball in one easy swing
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Donald Lutz doesn’t look like a baseball player. He looks like the Incredible Hulk at 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds.
He would look comfortable in a football helmet or maybe even a hockey helmet.
In fact, Lutz was comfortable in a hockey helmet until his older brother, Sascha, intervened.
Lutz, a 23-year-old outfielder, never touched a baseball bat until he was 15, never threw a baseball until he was 15.
HE WAS BORN in Watertown, N.Y., but his mother, Marlen, is German and when Lutz was a 1-year-old he moved to Regensburg, Germany. He grew up there, still lives in Germany in the off-season.
And until he was 15, he played hockey — an enforcer defenseman with whom nobody messed.
“One day when I was 15, my big brother, said, ‘Why don’t you come and play baseball with me and my friends, try it out. It is always beautiful outside, not cold like a hockey rink.’”
So Lutz gave it a try.
“I went down there and picked up a bat and started hitting right-handed because I throw right-handed. But it didn’t feel good,” he said. “I thought, ‘Well, I’ll try the other way (left-handed) because I play hockey that way.’ I started smashing the ball all over the place and thought, ‘This is awesome.’”
IT WASN’T LONG before he was playing for the German national team and it was incredible that he became so good so fast, especially since he only played 20 to 25 games a year.
Just a year-and-a-half after playing the game for the first time, he was one of 60 players from Europe and Africa invited to a special tryout camp in Italy, “Where I met Barry Larkin and Rod Carew, a bunch of big names.”
And that’s where Reds’ scout Jim Stoeckel signed him.
“When I signed with the Reds, I had only played the game 2 ½ years,” he said. “It went real quick. I became good real quick. The year before I signed I didn’t even know there was such a thing as pro ball and the minor leagues.”
Lutz, 23, played at low Class A Dayton last year and hit .301 with 20 home runs and 75 RBI. He has hit for the cycle twice in his three-year professional career.
Four years ago he didn’t know what a cycle was, thought it was something they rode in the Tour de France.
YOU KNOW WHO DatDudeBP is, righ? That’s Brandon Phillips on Twitter. But do you know who Kingpin Shawty is? That, too, is Brandon Phillips.
“It’s my bowling name,” he said. “Kingpin Shawty. That’s the only time I use it, when I’m the bowling lanes.”
Phillips, an accomplished bowler with several 300 games to his credit, bowls often during spring training.
A group of Reds people, mostly clubhouse personnel and front office people, went bowling at Peoria Lanes Monday night.
Phillips and new Reds infielder Willie Harris were there.
Everybody has seen Phillips on the baseball field making throws between his legs and behind his back. Well, he bowled a game Monday night between his legs.
“I bet Willie Harris that I could beat him by rolling the ball between my legs,” said Phillips. “He said, ‘No way.’ I bowled a 214.” Harris said he had never bowled, but his first game was 155, “And I was very proud of him. That’s real good for the first time.”
General manager Walt Jocketty was invited and said, “I might show up and observe,” but he didn’t. Said Phillips, “It would have been nice if he had come. It would have been nice to beat up on Walt. Show him I have skills.”
Phillips bowled 202, 239, 214 between his legs and finished with a 249.
“As Kingpin Shawty I do some dance moves on the lanes, put on a show, have everybody looking at us. I’m going to join the PBA (Professional Bowling Association) and do all my dances.’”
BRONSON ARROYO is making a charity public appearance with his guitar on March 13. He and some other baseball celebrities are appearing in a concert in Mesa with country star Toby Keith.
SO FAR the only camp casualties are infielder Juan Francisco, who has a sore calf that has prevented him from participating in drills so far, and pitcher Bill Bray, who has a groin tweak and can’t throw yet.
Poor Bray. It is like the old movie, “It Happens Every Spring.” Bray gets hurt and comes to camp hurt.
“There is no increase in his pain and he is progressing,” said manager Dusty Baker of Bray. “Billy Bray worked hard before he got here and that’s what is so disheartening. But at least it is not his shoulder or arm, but you want to take it easy with injuries to the groin area, especially with pitchers.”
BAKER WAS TALKING about Dioner Navarro, a non-roster player the Reds signed to a minor-league contract, a catcher. In 2008 he was an All-Star when he hit .295 for Tampa Bay. After that, he fell off the face of the baseball earth, never hit higher than .194.
“I remember him when he was good,” said Baker. “Now you try to figure out what went wrong so he can get back to good again.
“I remember him when he was with the Dodgers (2005-06) as a young kid,” added Baker. “Then he went to Tampa Bay and was an All-Star and then, bam, things happened. Why? You know if you do it once you can do it again. It’s in there. You just have to figure out how to get it back out of there. What went dormant?”
IT SEEMS the Arizona Highway Department wasted taxpayer money installing HOV (high occupancy) lanes on its highways, especially the 101 for the 35 miles between North Phoenix and Goodyear.
Every morning, Gary Schatz drives me those 35 miles and we whiz through the HOV lanes unimpeded. There must be two or more passengers in a car to use the HOV and there is a heavy fine for anybody driving alone caught in the HOV lane.
On most days, we encounter no more than one or two cars during the 35-mile drive, which is fine with us. It’s like we’re driving across the Bonneville Salt Flats by ourselves.
AND WHAT IS it with service at Phoenix-area restaurants. In the first nine days here, I have had good service at only one restaurant — the new Raoul & Thersa’s on Litchfield in Goodyear. A server named Michelle was outstanding. When we asked what menudo soup was and she quickly brought us small samples to taste. And she kept our chips basket full and our iced tea glasses full.
That’s it so far, though. We tried another restaurant Monday, The Sandbar in North Phoenix. Once again we sat for at least 15 minutes before we were waited on and 30 minutes before our soup and salad arrived. The place is aptly named. The food tasted like sand.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: It hadn’t rained in the Phoenix area for nearly six weeks until it sprinkled Tuesday morning and manager Dusty Baker said, “I woke up and it was raining and I thought I was dreaming.”
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By Happy Gilmore
February 29, 2012 10:48 AM | Link to this
I did it from hockey to golf. So what’s the big deal?
By Tim
February 28, 2012 7:56 PM | Link to this
Thanks Hal. Spring must be on the way.
By Bill in AZ
February 28, 2012 4:46 PM | Link to this
Nice article about Lutz. People don’t realize that the Minor Leaguers are here as well. They also play their own cactus league schedule. A few years ago the Angels minor league camp was here in Mesa, only a few blocks from my place. A, AA, or AAA games most every day in the Spring and it was FREE.
By Bill in AZ
February 28, 2012 4:45 PM | Link to this
Nice article about Lutz. People don’t realize that the Minor Leaguers are here as well. They also play their own cactus league schedule. A few years ago the Angels minor league camp was here in Mesa, only a few blocks from my place. A, AA, or AAA games most every day in the Spring and it was FREE.
By Tom
February 28, 2012 4:28 PM | Link to this
Hal, Glad you are back. We saw Lutz last year as well. Reminded me of Simone Peters and Willy Mo Pena. Sure hope he does better than those two. I remember back in 1992 I was in Amsterdam when My daughter played soccer in the Holland Cup I,went to the baseball field in the area and watched a few games some of those had some real talent. Goes to show how the National Pastime has progressed. Keep up the info on your blog. I am really excited with this years Reds.
By Gem&Heater
February 28, 2012 3:27 PM | Link to this
We watched Lutz in Dayton last year and he hit some balls as hard as I have ever seen hit. He looked huge but very athletic in the field and seemingly had a good feel for the game. Also seemed like a great kid as well so I wish him well.