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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > June > 30 > Entry
Telling it as (like) it is
Out of the Mouths of Babes Department:
Ken Griffey Jr. was not in Monday’s lineup and he saw 9-year-old Darren Baker standing i n the clubhouse.
“Why am I not playing tonight, Darren?” asked Griffey.
“Because you can’t hit lefthanders,” said Darren, son of manager Dusty Baker. “And you’re old.”
“How old am I?”
“Fifty.”
“If I’m 50, how old does that make your daddy?”
Adam Dunn got in on it, too?
“You’re not playing tonight?” he said to Griffey.
“Good, solid benching,” said Griffey. “He figured it worked for you so he’s just giving me a jump start.”
“I didn’t get bench, I was a DH,” said Dunn.
“Same thing,” said Griffey.
And the real reason?
“Were the writers standing there when Darren asked Griffey?” said Baker. Told there were a few, Baker said, “Oh, man. Well, don’t ask kids, man.”
Addressing the issue directly, Baker said, “This guy is tough on lefties (Paul Maholm) and Dunn has hit him pretty good and Griffey hasn’t. Just trying to find a way to get some righthanders in the lineup and Griffey will be back in there tomorrow.
“The guy tomorrow (Zach Duke) has been tough on Dunn,” Baker added. “Like I said, I’ll be mixing and matching to have the best lineup in there for that day.”
Dusty must have been reading the numbers upside down: Griffey is hitting .278 (5-18) with a home run and five strikeouts against Maholm. Dunn is hitting .136 (3-22) with seven walks and nine strikeouts.
BY THE WAY, Pittsburgh manager John Russell batted his pitchers eighth in the order, making it three managers doing that, all in the NL Central. He joins Tony La Russa (St. Louis) and Ned Yost (Milwaukee).
Why? Don’t ask. It’s so much gibberish - same nonsense that comes out of La Russa’s mouth.
ADAM DUNN dumped a pile of bats on the floor and said, “That’s it. These are done. Batting practice only for these. I’m going back to ash.”
Dunn has been using maple but is tired of bats shattering in his hand. “I hit one right on the screws, right on the sweet spot, right on the barrel against C.C. Sabathia, and the bat was in pieces. Most bats late three weeks to two months, but not these. Back to ash.”
Dunn also said he was feeling some pain in his kidney after he was hit by a pitch Sunday. In fact, he was hit twice in a row by Cleveland pitcher Aaron Laffey. Before Dunn faced Laffey again, catcher Kelly Shoppach ran to the mound and said, “Please don’t hit him again. He’s bigger than both of us combined.”
“I wasn’t sore yesterday, but I am today,” said Dunn. “I know he didn’t do it on purpose, but I’m glad he was throwing 87 instead of 97.”
Griffey was uncarting packages of batting gloves and shoes sent to him by Nike.
“They finally got the batting gloves right,” he said. “They haven’t been paying attention. You’re at the bottom of their barrel when the Olympics roll around.”
As he unpacked the shoes, Javier Valentin said, “All-Star shoes, huh?” Griffey, who’d rather be in The Bahamas than at the All-Star game, is running second in the balloting, meaning he’ll start.
Can’t let this go without throwing Continental Airlines under the bus (can you throw an airplane under a bus?). I’ve nailed U.S. Airways, United and Delta, now it’s Continental’s turn.
Arrived at the Cleveland airport at 6 p.m. Sunday night for a 9:15 flight to Dayton. After dinner at Max & Erma’s (great burgers) I went to the gate and the plane was there - always a good sign.
But at 9 o’clock, came the dreaded announcement. “The plane is here, but the crew isn’t. The crew is on its way from Portland, Maine, and won’t be here until 10:01. Not 10, but 10:01. That’s when we were supposed to land in Dayton.
We boarded at 10:30. We blasted down the runway. We were just about to take off. The pilot applied the brakes. I white-knuckled the arm rests. The pilot got it stopped and mumbled something about a light glowing on the control panel. “And by the way we have to sit here for 15 minutes because now the brakes are hot.”
Got home past midnight, a couple of hours late. And changed my underwear.
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Comments
By Biloxi Dave
July 1, 2008 8:09 AM | Link to this
Hal I continue to marvel at your travels as much as the trials and tribulations of the Reds. Keep it coming.By Jim
July 1, 2008 6:56 AM | Link to this
When are Reds fans going to realize that Griffey’s salary is not alot of money by todays standards.By Jim
July 1, 2008 6:55 AM | Link to this
When are Reds fans going to realize that Griffey’s salary is not alot of money by todays standards.By Brian
June 30, 2008 11:32 PM | Link to this
I had the same experience on that flight from Cleveland to Dayton. I thought I was actually going to get home ontime for once as we were taking off down the runway, and then the brakes came on. The good news (probably not really good news) was that they had us get off the plane and handed us meal vouchers, before taking off again.By pdolwick
June 30, 2008 11:28 PM | Link to this
I liked Griffey’s postgame comment. Refreshing to see someone not afraid to express an honest opinion. One can argue whether he’s been treated well in Cincy, but I don’t think anyone can begrudge Jr. his own opinion on the subject. Anyway, I guess that game is why we keep coming back … fun to yell at the screen w/ joy once in a while. Pat D.By HuberTucky
June 30, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this
Having Votto bunt in the 8th (considering he can’t bunt but hits .277 vs. lefties) seemed odd, as well as pinch hitting for Bruce. Lots of really missed seemingly easy run scoring opportunities in this game for the Reds tonight. They just plain lucked out. BTW, did anyone cathch Griffey’s attitude on the post game interview? He said he’d been upset with Cincy “for the past 4, 5 or 6 years but last year was okay?” I bet that didn’t prevent him cashing any checks. And he’s #2 in allstar out field voting and doesn’t really wnat to go. That’s not “The Kid” we used to know. Nice walk off, though!By Stuttgart Tim
June 30, 2008 10:50 PM | Link to this
Thanks for doing the fact checking on Dusty’s stats Hal. He seems to err on stats frequently. When I read what he says I think “Yeah, that makes sense” So thanks for not playing favorites and telling it like it is.By Y-City Jim
June 30, 2008 10:21 PM | Link to this
Sweet win tonight!!! Better kiss those bobbleheads!!!By Ohdave
June 30, 2008 9:25 PM | Link to this
There’s a good chance that there will be a massacre of my bobblehead doll collection tonight. I may begin smashing their little Red helmets on the back patio. Footage at 11.By ohdave
June 30, 2008 9:22 PM | Link to this
AGAIN WITH THE BUNTING FOR THE LOVE OF PETEBy ChicaGo-Reds
June 30, 2008 7:55 PM | Link to this
Do the Reds lead the majors in swinging at the first pitch for an out? Keep up the good work.By ohdave
June 30, 2008 7:28 PM | Link to this
Based on his horrible inning one atbat, Dunn should have been the one benched. First and third, no outs, no runs. Disgusting. This team is a joke.By HuberTucky
June 30, 2008 7:19 PM | Link to this
I remember years ago flying to Detroit from Dayton on the old Allegheny Airlines puddle jumper — looked like an old bus with wings. At one point we were flying very low, and following the path of I-75. The the plane was very very cold — no heat. In fact, the stewardess was wearing a parka! As I looked down at I-75 it was hilarious because the traffic was going faster than our plane. To top it off, the stewardess was wearing those cheap old seamed nylons and they were full of runners. So I know what you mean about having to change your shorts when you got home, Hal. Hahaha! That was a funny last line to your story.By Hal McCoy
June 30, 2008 6:49 PM | Link to this
Hey Y-City: If I weren’t legally blind and could drive a car, I’d make the drive from Cleveland to Dayton, but I fear right now I’d me a tremendous menace on the road. HalBy Y-City Jim
June 30, 2008 5:39 PM | Link to this
I glad to see Dusty is at least considering looking at stats even if he is reading them incorrectly. How long is it by car to drive between Dayton and Cleveland? Finally, bless Dunn for making the switch back to ash. I hope everyone follows suit. Maybe they could go with teakwood bats. Probably only $1000 a bat. :)