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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 > 2008 > March > 18 > Entry
A man and his dog
Dog Lover’s of America, listen up. You have a hero in Dusty Baker. He actually said this Tuesday morning — and he was wide awake.
Asked about being back in baseball after a year off, he said, “I enjoyed spending time with my son, my wife, my daughter and my dog. My dog is 11 years old and I miss my dog. That’s the best woman in my life.”
Baker’s 9-year-old son heard that comment and quickly said, “I’m going to call mom and tell her.”
“I love my mom, my sisters, my daughters, everybody, and it’s no slight on anybody, but my dog (Bailey, a German short-haired pointer) … well, my wife knows how I feel about my dog. My wife ain’t never run and got no pheasant for me. Best hunting dog I ever had and don’t they always talk about man and his dog? Ain’t no slight on any women in my wife.
“I’ll never have a male dog,” he said. “Bailey is loyal, most loyal dog I ever had. Oh, she’s loyal.”
With that out of the way, Baker went on to talk about his two young pitching sensations — Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez — and how he relates to them.
“These guys know what is at stake and they’re hungry and I like hungry guys,” said Baker. “Do you know the pressure that is on these guys? They’re from another country (Dominican Republic) and probably their parents and family don’t have much. It’s the first time in their lives they have a chance to make some money. There is something to hunger — and need.”
Baker reverted to his childhood.
“When I was a kid, we weren’t poor by any means, but we were fishing and hunting for the meat. We’d stay out there all day until we caught some fish or I’d walk all day until we got a pheasant or two. As I got older and more well-off, I started fishing and hunting for the sport. If you don’t get anything, no problem. I had to trick myself to going back to hunting and fishing, trying to say I need it for the meat.”
Then the subject turned to the fact that Baker took left-hander Jeremy Affeldt out of the rotation mix and plopped him into the bullpen, already crowded with left-handed candidates Mike Stanton, Bill Bray and Kent Mercker.
The possibility of three left-handers in the bullpen doesn’t faze Baker, and once again he turned to veteran manager Jim Leyland for an outlook.
“The Pirates always had three left-handers in the bullpen when Leyland was there and they were winning,” he said. “I’ve found that more left-handers can get righties out than right-handers get lefties out.”
With Affeldt out of the rotation pot, the Reds are without a left-hander in the projected rotation, no matter who survives.
“I’d prefer a left-hander, but again, you want the best man,” said Baker. “You’d prefer one, definitely. But as I recall, didn’t the Red Sox go to the World Series without a lefty?”
Just like his dog, Bailey, Baker was right on point with that one.
Comments
By Larry
March 19, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this
So if Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Volquez, and Fogg are in as starters, and Cordero, Weathers, Affeldt, Coffey, and Belisle are in the pen, who gets the last 2? Roenicke and Bray are pitching the best of the rest.
By mee
March 19, 2008 8:23 AM | Link to this
Shouldn’t that 9 year old son be in school somewhere?
By Gary Maloy Jr.
March 18, 2008 6:02 PM | Link to this
I hate to be the one to say it, because I really DO have faith in Homer…. But does this mean that Dusty Baker has two dogs named Bailey? Ouch. Sorry, Homer. Hal McCoy opened the door, I only walked through it. It was a joke that simply had to be written. I really do hope Bailey (Homer that is) gets his head in the right place and rounds out the starting five, because Harang, Arroyo, Cueto, Volquez and Bailey are one of the best front fives in baseball, if they all live up to expectations and previous results. Lets cross our fingers and hope the Reds can trade Josh Fogg and Matt Belisle before too long.
By jarrod
March 18, 2008 4:53 PM | Link to this
with bray pitching well thats a good thing but i hate to say i believe the odd man out will be mercker even though he has pitched very well. i wonder if he would be open to the ville for a while because you know it won’t be long till someone from aaa will be needed. i wonder if any of the writers have asked mercker this.
By steve
March 18, 2008 3:50 PM | Link to this
Please just the best pitchers possible. The righty lefty thing is overrated anyway.
By Deaner
March 18, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this
Hal, thanks for writing this great article and giving us Reds fans some insight into what a great person Dusty Baker is.