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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 > 2010 > March > 19 > Entry
Stubbs says, “Take that, scribes”
GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Can we call it the power of the press, or the new term, the power of the internet?
On Tuesday, Drew Stubbs was 2 for 20 (.100) and the worry flag was flying. One by one, each member of the Reds media on a trip to Tucson approached Stubbs.
First it was Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Than it was me. Then it was C. Trent Rosecrans of Cnati.com. In different ways, we asked, “Hey, pal. What’s wrong with your bat? Got lead in it? Is it warped?”
Stubbs patiently answered each query with a smile and patience.
Then he played the game that day and had two hits. Then he played the next game and had two hits. And on Friday night, in front of a near full house in Goodyear Ballpark (most of them Mariners fans) he had three hits.
In those three games he had four extra base hits - two doubles, a triple and a home run, with the home run part of tonight’s 6-2 win over the Mariners.
He singled his first two times. On his third trip, he bashed one off the right-center wall and flashed his biggest asset, raw speed. He circled the bases while Ichiro chased the ball, an inside the park home run.
Suddenly, the 25-year-old first-round draft pick in 2006 is hitting .276 and has refreshed his chances of being the Opening Day center fielder.
THE REDS trailed, 1-0, going into the fifth. Chris Heisey hit a two-run homer and Stubbs struck with his inside-the-parker. In the next inning. Brandon Phillips singled and Scott Rolen homered. Laynce Nix also homered.
Before all that happened, Aaron Harang pitched five strong innings, giving up one run and six hits while walking none and striking out six.
For the most part Chris Dickerson, who mostly shared left field last year with Jonny Gomes, has played center field this year and jumped way ahead of Stubbs, hitting .385. Baker talked in riddles when asked if Dickerson is more in competition with Stubbs for center field than with Gomes in left field.
“Well, I try to play them all together — Stubbs, Gomes and Jay Bruce - so they can get a cohesive outfield going, just like our infield,” he said. “It has worked out where Dickerson has played some left, some center and some right while Stubbs has played mostly center when he played. And one day I played Dickerson in left and Stubbs in center.
“Like I told Dickerson after his comments, ‘Let’s just play.’ At this point Stubbs has come on better but so far Dickerson has outplayed him,” Baker added.
That, though, was before Stubbs’ three hits Friday night.
“We still have a couple weeks to go and unless you are a 22-year-old like Jay Bruce or a guy in the Top Ten like Joey Votto, there is always competition,” Baker said. “The thing about this game is that until people know what you can do you are always going to have to prove yourself. And after you get to that point you have to prove you still have it. It never ends.”
So what can we deduce from all this? Not much - other than there are still two weeks to go.
OUTFIELDER CHRIS Dickerson proudly displayed his NCAA bracket after Thursday’s first-round games. He was a perfect 8-for-8 in the East, including calling the upsets of Cornell over Temple, Wake Forest over Texas, Missouri over Clemson and Washington over Marquette.
DUSTY BAKER on playing outfield in Arizona: “This place will make you look like you never played outfield in your life. How many you seen lost in the sun already, four or five? Looked like Jim Edmonds the other day never caught a pop-up in his life.”
BAKER ON judging pitchers in the dry air: “Breaking balls don’t break the same down here. So sometimes it is harder to judge pitchers overall. There is no resistance in the air. It is hard to judge sinkerballers because every ball hit on the ground has a chance to go through.
“And how do you judge a fly ball pitcher? Every ball hit in the air damn near goes to the warning track,” Baker added. “Somebody hit a home run off us and I was talking to one of their coaches and he said, ‘That ball had underspin,’ and I said, ‘Bull, that ball had windspin.’”
Because of the thin, dry air here, Baker marvels at what No. 1 draft pick Mike Leake did at Arizona State in Tempe - 40-6 with a 2.91 ERA (16-1, 1.71 his last year).
“This is unlike anything anywhere else,” he said. “How about the success Leake had pitching here, especially their first 15 to 20 games are at home because they play teams coming here out of the north or east.”
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May 2, 2010 1:22 AM | Link to this
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By grumpy
March 24, 2010 8:07 PM | Link to this
HEY!! Let’s just platoon everyone at every position, put a different lineup on the field every day. In one game a guy goes 3 for 4 and next game he is sitting on the bench. This club will have trouble hitting, just like last year. Dickerson’s biggest problem, he can’t steal a base. He looks like deer in headlights when he get’s on base. Stubbs stole more bases in 40 games than Dicerson did in 100.
By MAC
March 22, 2010 11:25 PM | Link to this
I agree, why not platoon CD & Stubbs in CF so they both can play their natural position & relax AB…knowing they don’t have to try & do too much? Both would still get plenty of ABs & stand a better chance of producing IMO.
By Believe It Or Not
March 22, 2010 12:37 AM | Link to this
‘For the most part Chris Dickerson, who mostly shared left field last year with Jonny Gomes, has played center field this year and jumped way ahead of Stubbs, hitting .385. Baker talked in riddles when asked if Dickerson is more in competition with Stubbs for center field than with Gomes in left field.’ “Well, I try to play them all together — Stubbs, Gomes and Jay Bruce - so they can get a cohesive outfield going, just like our infield,” he said. “It has worked out where Dickerson has played some left, some center and some right while Stubbs has played mostly center when he played. And one day I played Dickerson in left and Stubbs in center. “Like I told Dickerson after his comments, ‘Let’s just play.’ At this point Stubbs has come on better but so far Dickerson has outplayed him,” Baker added. Sorry, but Baker is real difficult to follow. Say what you mean, man!Say: “I really want Stubbs in center, because I will look like I have poor judgment if Dickerson continues to lead him by nearly .100 points in all major categories of hitting.” “Don’t remind everyone about how well Dickerson played his normal position in center, when I gave him a few chances to do so, before sending him back to left or right—so I could return our heavy hitter, W. Taveras back into the lineup, in center.Dusty always talks in riddles, especially when he cannot explain some of his moronic moves.Prepare for the continued screwing of Chris Dickerson not getting to play in CENTER FIELD! He is the only CFer, out of three others,during the past two years, who has played in less than a dozen games, in his AAA position of CF,while with the Reds. Baker will find a way to screw him again—just watch…
By Harry the Horse
March 21, 2010 3:02 PM | Link to this
There really isn’t a competition in CF.. CD will trip over his shoes in the locker room and be out for a month and Stubby will then play in CF…
By Bruce
March 20, 2010 6:57 PM | Link to this
MAC, you always stay on point. I like that. It’s been almost six months and Reds fans quickly forget Dusty’s insistence on playing guys even when they’re striking out all the time and/or slumping. Dusty: Play the guys who drive in runners in scoring position. Play the guys with good averages and OBP.
By RC
March 20, 2010 11:38 AM | Link to this
Removing moisture from the air makes it more dense? Who knew?
By rob in stl
March 20, 2010 10:45 AM | Link to this
Hey Joey, What is this, science class?
By Todd
March 20, 2010 8:03 AM | Link to this
You cant gid rid of Hal! He’s just doing the blog on here. More stuff on foxsportsohio.com
By what's up
March 20, 2010 7:35 AM | Link to this
I thought Hal McCoy got fired. How come he’s still writing stuff? Doesn’t he know what that means?
By MAC
March 20, 2010 6:08 AM | Link to this
No doubt good news about Stubbs; I’m pulling for him & the team. BUT, the K’s still remain; same thing for Bruce & article on Francisco…see Dunn & EE prior to this. Lack of plate discipline, more K’s than walks, lack of productive outs…it seems to be systemic throughout the organization…why? Drafting wrong type of players or bad teaching w/in organization? Maybe a little of both? IMHO, those R fair questions that the organization needs to be asking & answering…IF…they truely want to improve via young player route! Votto seems to be the exception.
By Joey
March 20, 2010 5:47 AM | Link to this
FYI: Drier air is more dense than humid air at the same pressure and temperature. So to say pitches aren’t breaking as much because the air is dry does not make physical sense. Air pressure is really what matters most in this situation.
By redsfandownunder
March 20, 2010 1:15 AM | Link to this
Deja vu. Please keep those “Stubbs is overmatched” articles coming. With all due respect…you wrote a similar article in 2009 just before he caught fire.
By Tyler
March 20, 2010 12:40 AM | Link to this
Stubbs seems like a really good guy, I hope he continues to have success. The Reds could use some of that speed that we had hoped for in Taveras, maybe Stubbs can provide that.