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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > August > 07 > Entry
Kevin Riley: As usual, Hal McCoy had it first
This column from editor Kevin Riley will run in Sunday’s Dayton Daily News.
If you follow the Cincinnati Reds, you don’t need me to tell you that Hal McCoy consistently comes up with the freshest, most insightful stories about the team — and always ahead of everyone else.
He’s looked out for Reds fans, whether reporting on the games or on the latest manager to get fired. Last week I got a strong dose of Hal’s instincts to give readers hot information as soon as he had it.
On Thursday, he announced on his blog at DaytonDailyNews.com that he was retiring.
Of course, these things are usually done in a different way — like letting the boss know first and planning an announcement. But Hal’s loyalty is to his readers, so he told you what he knew as soon as he knew it.
I admit it; I was taken aback. But, after I thought about the situation a while, I realized this was vintage Hal. He talks straight and doesn’t bury the news. If he finds out a player is retiring, he doesn’t wait for the press conference.
Earlier in the day, Hal and I had talked and I told him that, in the future, we wouldn’t be traveling with the Reds or sending anyone to spring training. Hal, who’s eligible for a voluntary early retirement program we’re offering employees, deserved to know the newspaper’s plans.
Obviously, he was disappointed.
Hal, who’s nearly 69, has been at his craft for 37 years. Covering a major league team is thrilling, but grueling, work. He, however, always focused on the exhilarating, not the hard parts. That was true even after his work became all the more difficult because of a problem Hal developed with his eyes that left him legally blind.
The tenacity and courage Hal has shown in dealing with that struggle humbled all of us who worked with him, as well as the players and coaches he covered.
Hal’s announcement was a hot item on the Internet, and media outlets were in a frenzy to catch up. Some — including a local television station that reported he was fired — got the facts wrong.
Many newspapers have cut back baseball coverage, and the Dayton Daily News is among the last to cover a major league team with a full-time writer even though the team is from a nearby city. Times have changed in the newspaper business, and with today’s economic realities and exploding media landscape, the expense is too great to have a person devoted just to the Reds.
That, of course, doesn’t mean you won’t get Reds information and coverage. You’ll learn about the games on our pages and at our Web site, but we’ll be providing it to you from multiple sources.
In response to the firestorm about his decision and the confusion about it, Hal was quick to set the record straight:
“It is MY choice to retire … I was not forced, coerced or threatened,” he wrote Friday on his blog.
I’ve had preliminary discussions with Hal about continuing to contribute to the newspaper and our Web site in his retirement. We’re hopeful about getting that worked out over these next few weeks.
Hal’s legendary work and career are nothing but remarkable, and his retirement is unquestionably the end of an era.
One of the dozens of commenters on Hal’s blog may have put it best:
“I’ve always enjoyed your insights, your excellent writing and especially your honest reporting of the Reds with your personal opinions/perspectives without the coach-speak or company spin. And I kept learning and learning about the game with each ‘Ask Hal’ column that you wrote.”
Permalink | Comments (28) | Post your comment | Categories: Columns, Kevin Riley, Local History, Sports and Recreation
Comments
By meh
August 7, 2009 6:19 PM | Link to this
nice job forcing Hal out of a job…nice going…he didn’t retire he may as well have been fired. DDN will be one less paper to read with Hal leaving.By Dave
August 7, 2009 9:03 PM | Link to this
Loyalty is a two-way street. If you show your employee no loyalty or respect, you should not be surprised when he tells others of his retirement before he tells you. Hal is a class act and he has always been an excellent communicator. Did you get the message, or stick your head in the sand?By Bayne
August 7, 2009 9:07 PM | Link to this
It would have been nice to have an explanation like this last night, instead of the article that was posted. The article last night made it sound like Hal came to the decision on his own, and the newspaper had nothing to do with his decision. I am worried though, if I want to read about the Reds or Bengals I can just read the Cincy paper, and if I want OSU coverage i can just read the Dispatch. I’m running out of reasons to pick up a DDN. How many others will come to this realization?By gregg
August 7, 2009 9:38 PM | Link to this
i’m in the newspaper business and the decision to stop covering the reds is very short-sighted. Writers such as Hal are the very reason many people continue to subscribe. when you start losing your voice, you’ve lost your audience. Sure, there will be other outlets to provide Reds coverage, but it won’t be Hal. The decision to silence Hal by eliminating home-town coverage pretty much forced Hal’s hand. did you offer him the rec league, instead?By Tippsyturvy
August 7, 2009 9:41 PM | Link to this
it would be thrilling if your webmeisters could be bright enough to post a link to Hal’s blog in the editorial.By ohio ex patriate
August 7, 2009 10:03 PM | Link to this
Nice column but sounds like editorial spin forced at gun point from the bean counters of which newspapers are all about. Hal is a class act and he covered your asses with his farewell.By Lili
August 7, 2009 10:16 PM | Link to this
As a former Daily News editor’s daughter, and having lived in several major American cities (Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago, as well as Dayton and Columbus) I know very well that other urban newspapers still have sportswriters who regularly cover the important major-league teams. Please don’t pretend otherwise. Talk to the sports reporters of the Chicago Tribune for information if you don’t happen to possess it yourself. As for Mr. McCoy, I first met him when I was 12 years old and am deeply saddened to see his hand forced this way. I’ve been even more deeply saddened to observe the drastic and precipitous decline of a newspaper that once had so much potential. While many papers are in trouble these days, I’ve seen no paper go from depth to dross quite so quickly and obviously as the DDN has. What a mess you people have made.By Brian
August 7, 2009 10:34 PM | Link to this
I will probably never read the DDN again. I am not saying that because I am planning a boycot, I just don’t have any reason to any more.By DaMang
August 7, 2009 10:44 PM | Link to this
This whole deal with Hal has really done it for me.Lets see,the DDN has gone up to 75 cents,changed the Life section to a different format,(not a good one),messed up the puzzles,moved to Franklin,and condensed the Mon.,Tues.,and Wed.papers til they are about as thick as toilet paper.I quit subscribing about a year ago,but still picked one up at the Quickie Mart about 4 or 5 days a week.Not anymore.I guess I’ll start getting the Cinti Enquirer,instead of the DDNBy Justin
August 7, 2009 11:10 PM | Link to this
@ DaMang: The Dayton Daily News did not move to Franklin. That’s the print center where the DDN, JournalNews, Springfield News-Sun and Middletown Journal are printed. @ Bayne: Really, you’re going to buy a Dispatch and Enquirer? In the same town? Have fun with that, especially since (in case you haven’t noticed) DDN has the rights to run stories from BOTH publications in print, as well as the Plain Dealer and Beakon Journal. Obviously you’ve just been mooching for free off of their site or you would’ve noticed that. Finally, @ Lilli: Kevin wrote that the Reds are nearby, not in Dayton. DDN still covers the Dragons with a staff writer and will continue to publish stories about the Reds. When you cite papers like The Tribune, you are talking about big media companies who are bleeding money. And by the way, the Bulls, Bears, Cubs and Sox are all actually IN Chicago while the Fire are in a very nearby suburb, so don’t use the CHICAGO Tribune covering CHICAGO teams as an equivalent to the DAYTON Daily News covering the CINCINNATI Reds. Cheers.By Tony
August 7, 2009 11:51 PM | Link to this
Justin, the proximity of Dayton to Cincinnati is not the problem. If it is, Hal’s the least of DDN’s issues. Seriously?!! The larger markets aren’t doing any better, financially, than anyone else, either. In fact, Tribune Company (the parent company of The Chicago Tribune) filed for bankruptcy in December of last year. Comparing the two cities, then, is perfectly legitimate. In these posts, DDN’s customers (or former customers) are actually speaking. Of course, you can’t please all of the people all of the time. But Hal did seem to be a buoy that helped this paper stay afloat. You can’t replace a buoy with an anchor, which is what DDN intends to do. There are also plenty of places to find a number of papers (both the Dispatch and Enquirer, included). Try visiting a bookstore, once, and you’d soon realize this. People will happily go to B&N instead of donating money to a paper that doesn’t listen to their customers. The DDN will eventually go down the path of newspapers and be exclusively on-line, so your point is entirely moot anyway. I don’t even particularly like Hal all that much, but he is a professional who deserves to be treated in a better manner. For you to justify the less-than-well-thought-out plans of a third rate newspaper with made up “facts”, is resoundingly mind-numbing. Congratulations and cheers.By the plain truth
August 8, 2009 12:01 AM | Link to this
Justin=DDN Flunky trying to score points with the bosses.By Danno
August 8, 2009 1:38 AM | Link to this
Marty, Joe, & Hal, icons of Reds coverage for my entire life. It wont be the same. Hal, you are one of the best, thanks for all the great reading.By oldtimer
August 8, 2009 8:10 AM | Link to this
I grew up in a home that subscribed to 5 daily newspapers and 2 weekly newspapers, so I became an avid reader. When I joined the staff of the DDN 52 years ago it was a good newspaper. In fact, those in the profession rated it #1 or #2 in the state. The other contender was the Akron Beacon Journal. I am saddened by how far it has sunk. Much of this is due to the changing reading (or non-reading) habits of the public. Too bad!By Dave
August 8, 2009 11:20 AM | Link to this
Leave it to Hal to try to be gracious, even as the DDN was effectively eliminating his job - and for the DDN to try to spin it to their advantage in the most painfully transparent manner. What a joke this paper has become. You have a Hall of Fame writer, and you throw him under the bus. Yeah, I understand, things are tough all over. Sure, it is expensive to send beat writers all around the country. News flash: (since the DDN couldn’t find a news story with a bloodhound to sniff it out): it costs money to run a newspaper. DDN, quit the spin. Be honest, & just say, “we are losing so much money we had to eliminate the job of the only writer that makes this rag worth reading. Fire sale to follow.” Hal: I for one would gladly pay a few bucks per month during baseball season for the pleasure of hearing your insights via blog or other medium. There have to be thousands more like me. This is just a transition. Stay with it. And if you do decide you’ve had enough (& you have earned the right to go out on YOUR terms), thanks for everything.By Eric
August 8, 2009 2:36 PM | Link to this
In my opinion the DDN should be hanging on to the little content that they have left that is compelling to the readers. In this internet society, the readers have many sources for information. However, the paper and it’s website were the only place to get superior reds coverage. Not after this year. It makes me wonder if the paper is no longer relevent. I’m not sure if I should continue to subscribe to a paper that has very little original content, that only passes on AP and Enquirer stories. I always thought the DDN was a major league paper in a minor league town. Now It appears that the paper is going back to the minors. Maybe it’s time for it’s unconditional release.By Ice Bandit
August 8, 2009 4:25 PM | Link to this
The theme to these comments confirm my suspicion: since the DDN traded objectivity for far-left advocacy years ago (thereby antagonizing half the population every day) the only reason many buy the DDN was for sports. The Ice Bandit pleads guilty of this charge. And the one sterling aspect of the DDN was its sports coverage. Gary Nuhn, Marc Katz and Tom Archdeacon, along with Hall of Fame Writer (and hall of fame great guy) Hal McCoy kept us informed and up to date in the world of sports. I loved Greg Simms coverage of my beloved Ice Bandits, and Debbie Junowicz coverage of the Bombers. This was the heritage of great scribes that started with Si Burick and Ben Garlikov, who not only knew the sport, but the athletes as well. Live long, Hal McCoy. Enjoy you well-deserved retirement. And know many DDN readers will retire with you……By WASasubsciber
August 8, 2009 9:19 PM | Link to this
The DDN is now dead. My subscription is canceled. I have no reason to read it anymore.By Fred Swanson
August 8, 2009 9:55 PM | Link to this
I know that local papers are in deep financial trouble just like the big guys. Cutting off your nose in spite your face is just the most stupid, to borrow a word, thing to do. You need to grow the readership! Your mentality is to cut costs. What are you going to do with the big budget savings you got by pushing Hal out? It better be good because you are headed down the TUBES!By gatur
August 8, 2009 10:40 PM | Link to this
No, you did not fire Hal or force him to retire. You just told him that the paper would no longer travel with the Reds or cover them in Spring Training. So, what would Hal’s job be? I have, regrettably only been reading Hal for a few years. I am sorry I missed all those years of insight. I have followed the Reds since the late 60’s and early 70’s (I was born in 1962). I wish I had those years of Hal’s writings to go along with Marty’s and Joe’s comments. I have missed alot. Hal’s book (I hope) should be a best seller.By Schmedlap
August 8, 2009 10:51 PM | Link to this
I think that Eric pretty much read my mind. I predict that DDN will be out of business within 6 months due to the lack of relevancy. Reporting old news from a liberal perspective and over use of unsupervised public comment that degrades into uneducated pissing matches are additional examples of what is wrong with DDN. Before they go rid of Hal, I think they also got rid of actual editors who made decisions about appropriate articles and reviewed them for spelling and accuracy. Hal, you are too good to work for the DDN.By ironmyke
August 9, 2009 12:59 AM | Link to this
Nice try at changing the spin, but it doesn’t accomplish anything. Bottom line is McCoy’s job is being eliminated as the result of a business decision to cut costs. We readers will just deal with it as it is.By Dan
August 9, 2009 8:43 AM | Link to this
I started out as a kid reading Si Burick & Ritter Collette in the Dayton papers about the Reds. When Hal came along I first was upset about him critisizing my team. over the years I learned that you could love a team and still point out it’s faults. Reds coverage was 90% of why I read the DDN. along with saying goodbye to Hal I can say goodbye to the printed word.By Daniel
August 9, 2009 10:38 AM | Link to this
Very classy DDN. Didn’t dump Hall, just eliminated his job. Whoever believes that might buy a bridge in Arizona.By Kevin
August 9, 2009 1:44 PM | Link to this
And you think your paper is struggling because of a lack of subscriber right now. Hahahaaaa!! To all DDN employees with families to feed, Id suggest dusting of those resumes because this paper will surley die within a year. Youve just lost most peoples only reason for buying it.By Jim
August 9, 2009 1:57 PM | Link to this
Sorry, trying to tell us that the DDN will still cover the Reds by using different “sources” isn’t really “coverage.” It’s just reporting the scores, stats, etc., without any commentary or actual reporting. This column just seems like another attempt by the DDN to make us believe they had nothing to do with Hal’s decision. Sorry, not buying it. Hal leaving means I really have no use for this newspaper anymore. It’s on to the Enquirer.By bobby
August 10, 2009 9:57 AM | Link to this
Mr. Riley, Hal’s response to you was the equivalent of a one finger salute and you know it!By Madness
August 17, 2009 8:43 PM | Link to this
Ol’ Rit would be ashamed of what his sports department has become.