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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 > June > 13 > Entry
Bailey is ‘hunting’ for answers
There are nearly a dozen flat screen HD TVs in the palatial confines of the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse and they all seemed to be tuned in to World Cup soccer early Sunday morning.
Homer Bailey sat at his locker staring at at a TV, the only one NOT displaying soccer. Bailey was watching a show on bow hunting.
“I knew you wouldn’t be watching soccer,” I said. Bailey smiled and said, “No way. Soccer is a communist sport. And I don’t care if you use that.”
Right now Bailey wonders what is going on inside his shoulder. He was scheduled for a throwing session Friday but couldn’t do it. He pitched a rehab game for Class AAA Louisville Wednesday and thought he was on a direct route back to the Reds starting rotation, probably today.
Instead he watched while Sam LeCure took his turn again.
“Wish I knew what was wrong,” he said. “I threw the rehab game and the next day there was some pretty weird soreness going on. Nothing went on during the rehab game - I was throwing 94 to 96 and I felt great. The next day I went to throw a ball and it didn’t feel so good.
“It hurts in places I never hurt before, all in the shoulder area,” he said. “I’ve never had arm or shoulder problems. So we’re trying to figure out what caused it and how to go about healing it. We’re just in that type of process. What makes it tougher is that I’ve never been through anything like this, so I don’t know.”
Bailey said he felt something was a bit amiss a few starts before he went on the disabled list and said, “I knew I wasn’t 100 per cent, but you have those little spurts of pain. It is a part of playing and a part of pitching. The game I pitched in Cleveland, stuff started grabbing at me and I knew something was going on.”
So now all he is doing is trying to strengthen it with three and four-pound weights and when asked if the dreaded word, “surgery,” has been mentioned and he said, “No, no, no. No, no, no.”
BRANDON PHILLIPS was scheduled to play Sunday, but was a late-morning scratch with leg problems.
“I don’t know if anybody else has noticed how Brandon has been stretching and limping the last 10 days to two weeks,” said manager Dusty Baker. “Today it was really bothering him, especially with all the running he has been doing. If you’re not hitting, you just run to first base, turn right, then go sit down. This guy has been running, stealing, going first-to-third, second-to-home, first-to-home.”
Phillips started the first 63 games of the season and is on a 15-day hitting streak during which he has hit .463.
“It’s like a cramp that won’t let go,” Baker said. “It’s not a pull, but like a knot in there. You don’t want it to pull and lose him for 10 days to two weeks.”
Baker said Phillips is available to pinch-hit, but told him, “If you have to run, just trot. If they get on you for not hustling, it doesn’t matter because you have to play in the future.”
“This is the ONLY time I give him permission not to hustle. I’ll go on record saying that one,” Baker said.
BAKER PROMISED a day off for Scott Rolen Sunday, so Miguel Cairo was at third base.
“With Rolen and Orlando Cabrera we try to decide like a week in advance when we might rest them,” said Baker. “I told Scot last Sunday in Washington, ‘Hey, man, we have six night games coming up and you give me all you’ve got for those six games and I’ll give you Sunday off.’ That gives him Sunday and Monday (an off day) off.
“As much ball as we’ve been playing and as hard as we’ve been playing, we still have 99 games left. That’s a long ways. Most people just see today. I have to see today, tomorrow next month and the ensuing months.
“You hate not to have some of your big boys (Phillips, Rolen) against Zack Greinke, but a man has to do what a man has to do.”
SOME FOLKS were incredulous that Baker used Arthur Rhodes and his sore foot and heavily-used arm Saturday in the seventh inning when the Reds led, 11-5.
“I wanted to squash any possible big innings because they (Kansas City Royals) are a big-inning team,” said Baker. “They had their big-inning rally guys coming up there. They had the top of the order and all their lefties coming up.
“You could tell he was still bothered, still hampered (no runs, but three singles). I’m hoping and praying that he can have two days off, too.”
JONNY GOMES pointed to his uniform hanging on a hook in front of his locker, calling attention to his number 31. “Love that number,” he said. “You’d be amazed how many times that number comes up in roulette.”
About that time, long-haired pitchers Bronson Arroyo and Mike Leake walked by and Gomes said, “There they go, Team Hair.”
THERE ARE 14 boxes of Joey Votto figurines in Scott Rolen’s locker and he said, “Not mine. I guess I’m storing them for somebody. Somebody put ‘em on my chair as a gag, I think.” It was Scott Rolen Bobblehead Night Saturday and on Sunday morning there wasn’t a single Rolen bobblehead in his locker. No ego there.
ORLANDO CABRERA, a native Colombian, was watching World Cup soccer Sunday and said, “I hate that sport. Know why? The media and fans are ruthless. I pity that poor English goalie who let the U.S. goal roll past him. I tell our guys in here, ‘We have it easy with the media and the fans.’”
Cabrera said he played soccer as a kid on the streets of Colombia, as every kid did, “But I didn’t like it because that sport takes everything away from every other sport in my country.”
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By cna training
July 1, 2010 10:25 AM | Link to this
Great information! I’ve been looking for something like this for a while now. Thanks!
By Mark
June 16, 2010 4:35 PM | Link to this
Somehow I like Homer Bailey much more after that spot-on remark about soccer. :)
By Brooke
June 15, 2010 2:57 PM | Link to this
Like most Americans, Homer Bailey has no idea what communism really is. Way to show what an ignorant fool you are, Mr. Draft Bust! Go Team Hair! I love Jonny Gomes. dude, I agree we have to get rid of Harang, but Arroyo is a keeper at this point. You can’t leave the rotation completely to the young ones-they need Bronson to eat some innings for another year or two until they all have some experience under their belts.
By Keith Brooks
June 15, 2010 2:49 PM | Link to this
Hal, I’m not sure you’re old enough to answer this but I’m running out of options. When I played in the late forties and early fifties we left our gloves on the field when we came to bat. I know they did this in the majors too, but I’m not sure when this stopped. Any idea?
By suckhole
June 15, 2010 1:26 PM | Link to this
Homer Bailey and Michael in Monterey are BOTH ignorant hicks.
By Michael in Monterey, CA
June 15, 2010 12:50 PM | Link to this
Homer is dead on- soccer is a communist block sport.
By Ignoramus
June 15, 2010 12:29 PM | Link to this
Homer Bailey is an ignorant hick
By Hopalong
June 14, 2010 11:28 PM | Link to this
First order of business: find bull pen help, inside or out of the organization, who can get ahead in the count and throw strikes under pressure.
By dude
June 14, 2010 7:10 PM | Link to this
We have alreday seen that a 6 run lead isn’t enough in some cases {Atlanta}. I have no idea what kind of help they could find for the pig pen right now. The clubs that have solid pens are gonna keep them. What would they do, trade a prospect for a prospect? I said at the beginning of the year, by the trade dead line, Harang and or Arroyo will be gone. That’s two hefty contracts and the Reds would probably have to eat part of their contracts to get a trade done. I have no doubt they have been looking to do something. But, short of giving up the farm what are they gonna do?
By Dr Zap
June 14, 2010 2:43 PM | Link to this
I would not hesitate to move Homer to the bullpen when he returns. Lecure in five starts has given the Reds more consistency from game to game than Bailey ever has. Groom Homer as a setup guy - pronto. Perhaps Norm Charlton is still around.
By StuttgartTim
June 14, 2010 12:48 PM | Link to this
Jack, Not sure I agree about DRay. Since I’m O’seas I listen to many different announcers and they ALL say that DRAy is more effective against righties. Dusty continues to use him as a specialist against lefties. And as for giving Rolen a day off the same time BP is hurt, what you can’t adjust your week old plan and say “sorry Scotty we need you in there and you’ll get Monday off”?
By Tom
June 14, 2010 12:42 PM | Link to this
Hal, After hearing Chris Welch and the cowboy explain the problems why don’t these two experienced pitchers fill in Baker and Walt. Maybe with their help the problems may be resolved. Keep up the good work.
By Aaron B.
June 14, 2010 10:54 AM | Link to this
On what hand you got Baker talking about pacing yourself for 100 more games this season… and on the other hand he is worried about blowing a 6-run lead and calling on an over-used set up man that is wearing down. Doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. If he has that little faith in the rest of the bullpen something must be done by the front office before Rhodes breaks down.
By Jack
June 14, 2010 10:20 AM | Link to this
Hal, when is the bullpen help coming? Little Danny needs a little time in Triple A.