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REDS NOTES
Hopper admits putting baseball in Freel's glove
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
What do you think about Hopper's admission?
HOUSTON — Ryan Freel is on the disabled list, and the truth is out.
Why wasn't Freel's catch of Humberto Cota's long drive one of ESPN's Web gems? Because Freel didn't catch it.
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Get latest headlines via RSS feedsWith evidence mounting, Norris Hopper confessed that he put the baseball in Freel's glove after they collided and Freel was knocked out and taken to a hospital.
Freel stayed at Cincinnati Good Samaritan Hospital overnight and was released Tuesday afternoon. He has an appointment today to see head and spine specialist Dr. John Brannan.
"It was like being in a car wreck, like a whiplash, is how it was described to me," said general manager Wayne Krivsky.
OK, how about Hopper shoving the baseball into Freel's glove while Freel lay still on the grass?
"I didn't have to touch Freel," said Hopper. "The ball was right there, inches from his open glove, and I just had to roll it in quickly."
Said Griffey, "That was smart. Saved Kyle Lohse an earnie (earned run)."
Griffey thought he had Monday off, but had to replace Freel in the third inning, and after the game said kiddingly to Lohse, who pitched a shutout, "Thanks for throwing that pitch that got Freel hurt and ruined my day off. I was in the clubhouse eating nachos."
Efforts by manager Jerry Narron, Griffey and Adam Dunn to reach Freel by telephone Tuesday were not successful, "Probably because he lost another cell phone," said Griffey. "He lost three of his own last month and one of Hopper's."
DeWayne Wise's contract was purchased from Louisville to replace Freel, but his arrival from Charlotte was delayed because he made it to Houston, but his equipment bag didn't and he had to wait at the airport for the next flight from Charlotte.
"He'll get some playing time, start some games," said Narron. "Right field, center field, left fields. He plays 'em all, has major-league experience, is a very good outfielder."
With an outfield shortage, Narron said Jeff Conine might find himself out there after playing nothing but first base so far this year.
Bailey's best
Homer Bailey refuses to be ignored down on the farm. The team's No. 1 draft pick in 2004 is now 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA for Class AAA Louisville over nine starts after he had another memorable game, this one on Memorial Day. He allowed just one run on five hits over seven innings with no walks and nine strikeouts in a 4-1 win over Charlotte.
Demoted relief pitcher Todd Coffey gave up the run charged to Bailey.
"Rick Sweet (Louisville manager) told me it was the best game, by far, that Homer has pitched this year," said Narron.
Best guess? Bailey isn't far away from wearing a Cincinnati uniform.
Mr. Bojangles
Josh Hamilton made his rehab debut for Louisville on Tuesday in Charlotte and Narron said, "He had lunch at Bojangles' — good country biscuits, chicken sandwiches and sweet tea. (Manager) Rick Sweet never heard of the place." Hamilton homered to left field on the first pitch from Shaun Babula.
Who's No. 1?
With Freel gone for 15 days, Hopper batted leadoff Tuesday, and when asked who other than Hopper might bat leadoff, Narron said, "I'll draw it out of a hat, like I always do. Scott Hatteberg got called a couple of times.
"It will be Hopper or DeWayne Wise," Narron added. "I know it won't be Brandon Phillips. I like him in a spot to drive in runs."
One-start promotion
Former Dayton Dragons pitcher Johnny Cueto made a cameo appearance Tuesday for Class AAA Louisville — a one-start promotion from Class A Sarasota.
"Kirk Saarloos (demoted Monday) isn't reporting until (today), and it was Cueto's turn, so why not in Louisville?" said Krivsky. "Let's see what he does in that environment. He'll go right back to Sarasota, unless he pitches a perfect game."
Quote of the day
Reds players were asked if any of them had Web blogs (none do), and when Adam Dunn was asked, he said with a serious look, "What's a blog?"
Comments
By G21
June 1, 2007 3:12 PM | Link to this
He cheated. Ball came out. He made a conscious decision to put it back in. He could’ve just as easily picked it up and threw it to second base. I guess its okay as long as Reds won, right? We should cork up the bats, inject the HGH, distract the infielders so they drop infield flies, whatever it takes to win as long as we don’t get caught. Give me a break.
By G-Lee
May 31, 2007 9:36 AM | Link to this
BTW, something I wrote on Daedalus’ blog - the night after Lohse blanked the Bucs - ” Lohse pitched a complete game shutout. The Reds score four. Encarnacion (3), Gonzo (1), Freel (1) and Hatteberg/Ross (1) show us unbelievable defense. A turning point? I certainly hope so. The NL Central is so weak, we’re not out of it yet, people. Hang tuff - all of us!! Gary M | 05.29.07 - 2:41 am | # “
I hope I wasn’t wrong, but it’s nice with a 3 game hattrick after writing that :-)
By G-Lee
May 31, 2007 9:26 AM | Link to this
As I was saying…. “if you watch the replay in mlb.com, you see a fan raise his arm in the ‘out’ motion as Freely hit the ground…”
So Freel probably did make an incredible catch, and Hopper made a heads-up play in time.
I see no problem in it.
Go Reds!
By G-Lee
May 31, 2007 9:22 AM | Link to this
Just a thought about those of you who believe it wrong to ‘cheat’ on the baseball field…
How many times does a runner run out of the baseline during a run-down, or trying to avoid a tag on the way down the firstbase line (after bunting), or sliding way wide at second base to interupt the shortstop attempting to turn a double play?
It’s part of the game, folks.
Another thing, if you watch the replay in mlb.com, you see a fan raise his arm in the ‘out’ motion as Freely hit the ground…
By Marvin
May 31, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this
I did not see the play, but assume the umpire did not make a ruling as to whether it was a catch until AFTER he saw the ball in the glove. If so, it was cheating. But we are taught to cheat nowadays. Shame.
By Marvin
May 31, 2007 8:39 AM | Link to this
I did not see the play, but assume the umpire did not make a ruling as to whether it was a catch until AFTER he saw the ball in the glove. If so, it was cheating. But we are taught to cheat nowadays. Shame.
By RedFan
May 31, 2007 8:32 AM | Link to this
So what if Hopper put the ball in Freel’s glove? A catch is a catch if the ump says so. Besides, I would much rather see that than read about those guys taking drugs to help them hit balls outta the park (aka Barry Bonds)
By BuckNut
May 30, 2007 11:26 PM | Link to this
Way to go Norris! Griffey was right, “That was smart. Saved Kyle Lohse an earnie.” I’ll take the outs any way you can get them! Can I hear a “THREE IN A ROW!” Keep on winnin Red Legs!
By Dave Rodes, 15
May 30, 2007 11:18 PM | Link to this
I agree with whoever said Hopper’s choice was heads up….it was a good spur-of-the-moment call and if he didn’t, the play could have led to a rally and the Reds coulda lost it. Good job to Norris Hopper. and by the way….im off my little strike of the Reds, finally the staff made a good decision…. Coffee is in AAA. lol.
By Dave Rodes, 15
May 30, 2007 11:18 PM | Link to this
I agree with whoever said Hopper’s choice was heads up….it was a good spur-of-the-moment call and if he didn’t, the play could have led to a rally and the Reds coulda lost it. Good job to Norris Hopper. and by the way….im off my little strike of the Reds, finally the staff made a good decision…. Coffee is in AAA. lol.
By Dave Rodes, 15
May 30, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this
I agree with whoever said Hopper’s choice was heads up….it was a good spur-of-the-moment call and if he didn’t, the play could have led to a rally and the Reds coulda lost it. Good job to Norris Hopper. and by the way….im off my little strike of the Reds, finally the staff made a good decision…. Coffee is in AAA. lol.
By Dave Rodes, 15
May 30, 2007 11:17 PM | Link to this
I agree with whoever said Hopper’s choice was heads up….it was a good spur-of-the-moment call and if he didn’t, the play could have led to a rally and the Reds coulda lost it. Good job to Norris Hopper. and by the way….im off my little strike of the Reds, finally the staff made a good decision…. Coffee is in AAA. lol.
By Dan
May 30, 2007 8:39 PM | Link to this
Kim, you are right with your rule statement except you forgot one key word, immediately. In Freels Case he technically he held the ball long enough to constitute a catch under offical major league baseball rules. No one knows how long freel had the ball he could have been laying on the ground when the ball rolled out.
By Dan
May 30, 2007 8:39 PM | Link to this
Kim, you are right with your rule statement except you forgot one key word, immediately. In Freels Case he technically he held the ball long enough to constitute a catch under offical major league baseball rules. No one knows how long freel had the ball he could have been laying on the ground when the ball rolled out.
By Coffeyfan
May 30, 2007 6:33 PM | Link to this
Hof writer McCoy unfairly characterized Todd Coffey’s effort when he wrote “Demoted relief pitcher Todd Coffey gave up the run charged to Bailey.” The facts are that Todd has given up only 1 basehit in the three games in which he has appeared for the Bats. And that hit came in a different game. And Todd has 5 strikeouts in those 3 appearances. This run scored while an out was recorded, hardly “given up” by Todd Coffey. Keep fighting Todd, you’ll be back in the Bigs, soon
By Fred
May 30, 2007 3:15 PM | Link to this
What message does this send to young sports fans? It’s OK to cheat as long as you win? As a Reds fan, I’m happy for the win, but I’d be happier knowing that our players behaved ethically and did the right thing, even at the expense of a win. It’s a sad day when we’re so desperate for a win that we don’t care if our children see us cheat to get it!
By Paul
May 30, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this
I think it was a heads up play. Besides, the Pirates still would have lost Monday.
By Paul
May 30, 2007 10:51 AM | Link to this
I think it was a heads up play. Besides, the Pirates still would have lost Monday.
By Anni
May 30, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this
Bud, generally when a player or any other person is being quoted on a controversial issue the responsible journalist will preface that quote giving it something called credibility. This quote you mention in the 7th paragraph has none. No preface, no indication of when and where it was said, no confirmation, (anywhere on the web and the organization does not acknowledge it exists). The responsible reader realizes this quote may as well be from a spring training game of catch!
By nate
May 30, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this
Hopper’s play was heads-up and any player who says they wouldn’t do it is lying.
By Philip Buckles
May 30, 2007 10:01 AM | Link to this
It doesn’t matter if Hopper put the baseball in Freel’s glove or not. It is like every other call in baseball, it is a catch when the umpire says it is a catch.
By ken
May 30, 2007 9:58 AM | Link to this
If anyone thinks that the Pirates wouldn’t have done the same thing in the same situation, then they are sorely wrong. It was a great heads up play by Hopper to do and make it look like he never touched the ball.
By Mike
May 30, 2007 9:33 AM | Link to this
Hopper caught the ball, and put it in Freel’s glove after he went over to see if he was OK. It’s an out , period. Where is the controversy? As for Hopper’s motivation, he (Hopper) just got his bell rung. I’m sure he wasn’t thinking clearly. He probably wanted Freel to have a souvenir, but more than anything, he probably just wanted Freel to have something to show for his effort other than a concussion.
By kim
May 30, 2007 9:09 AM | Link to this
It doesn’t matter how long you have the ball. A catch is completed upon the act of removing the ball from the glove. The rules state that if a fielder makes a catch and then runs several feet and then collides with a player, wall , or hits the ground and the ball comes out , it does not constitute a catch. If the ball rolled out as he hit the ground , it wouldn’t be a catch.
By Bud
May 30, 2007 8:38 AM | Link to this
Big deal - baseball is all about cheating. Just look at the wide-spread use of performance-enhancement drugs that MLB chooses to ignore. Compared to steriods and HGH, this is child’s play. Besides, this is competition. You do whatever it takes to win the game. “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” BTW, Anni - Hopper admits it here in graph 7, so stop trying to blame the media/journalist(which is ironic since you’re active on a journalism website).
By Anni
May 30, 2007 8:22 AM | Link to this
Where exactly is the quote where Hopper states he did this and why has the MLB not investigated it if it’s true. Watching the replay is more conclusive than this article, which appears to be another case of irresponsible journalism. Go to mlb.com “Bucs Comment on Freel Situation” for another. Freel just can’t get a break can he?
By Art
May 30, 2007 7:55 AM | Link to this
I think Hopper was honorable in admitting what he did but my question is, At what point did the ball roll out of Freel’s glove? I watched the replay scores of times and from two different angles. Freel did catch the ball and indeed have it in his glove when he hit the gound. The ball has to leave your glove at some point or another. Anyone know the rule as to how long a ball has the remain in your glove before it’s ruled a catch?
By Dave
May 30, 2007 7:37 AM | Link to this
Hopper is jealous of Freel and wanted to take away Ryan’s thunder. I am sure it was a catch all the way.
By Michael
May 30, 2007 7:12 AM | Link to this
Hopper must have been sneaky fast about it. I watched it over and over again on my DVR the day it happened, and I never saw the ball out or Hopper move it. The worst thing about it: It shatters my illusion about Ryan Freel making the play no matter what.