A They are always hiring people to clean up Great American Ball Park after games but you might be underqualified. Or you could be a beer vendor, if you can stay away from the product. Is it Baker’s fault the rest of the division stinks? He and the Reds did what they were supposed to do — beat the bejabbers out of the downtrodden. And Baker deserves everything he received and should be NL Manager of the Year.
Q The last time the Reds were no-hit before this week was 1971 when Rick Wise did it, and he also hit two home runs. Which was the better effort, Michelangelo Halladay or Wise? — Gary, Bjerkvik, Norway
A I was not covering the Reds in 1971, but I covered that game as a backup because our beat writer, Jim Ferguson, was off that night. So I thought it was pretty special. But that was just another game. Wise’s two home runs made it an amazing performance, but it wasn’t on a national stage and Wise wasn’t nearly as masterful as Halladay. You said it yourself. Michelangelo. Wise was more like Norman Rockwell.
Q When is the deadline for voting on baseball’s awards? I know postseason play isn’t supposed to be considered, but won’t it be difficult to be influenced by what happens in the postseason? — Gerry, Dothan, Ala.
A Can’t happen. All votes must be in by Sunday of the last day of the season. I had votes for NL MVP, NL Manager of the Year and NL Rookie of the Year. Call me a homer, but I voted Joey Votto No. 1 for MVP, Dusty Baker No. 1 for manager and (call me a traitor, too) Jaime Garcia of the St. Louis Cardinals as the top rookie. If I had a vote for NL Cy Young I might, just might, have voted for Roy Halladay.
Q Jay Bruce’s home run ball that clinched the division bounced back on the field and I didn’t see anybody retrieve it. What happened to it and will it go into the Reds Hall of Fame? — Scott, Dayton
A During the pandemonium, somebody retrieved the ball. Bruce has it and, of course, the bat. He retired the bat and is keeping the ball so he can sit in his bedroom all winter and stare at them. He’s entitled.
Q I was surprised by manager Dusty Baker’s selection of pitchers for the playoffs — 11 pitches and 14 position players. Any of it surprise you? — Bill, Villa Hills, Ky.
A I would have added Albert Pujols, but I guess that isn’t legal. Baker selected the same 25 I would have picked if I had been asked. I wasn’t. I was surprised that Travis Wood wasn’t put into the rotation for the Phillies and it proved prophetic when Edinson Volquez didn’t make it out of the second inning of Game 1 and Wood came in to pitch 3 1/3 innings of no-run, one-hit baseball. And I was on record before that happened, so it isn’t second-guessing. It was first-guessing and, of course, it was just that. A guess.
Q Can you remember a Reds team that had so much power throughout the lineup as this year’s team? — Mark, Columbus
A The 2010 Reds aren’t even close to the 1956 Reds — five guys with 28 or more home runs (Frank Robinson 38, Wally Post 36, Ted Kluszewski 35, Gus Bell 29, Ed Bailey 28). Those were the Reds who wore sleeveless jerseys because Kluszewski’s upper arms were so big he couldn’t get them into a regular uniform. It was Robinson’s rookie year. And Gus Bell is the father of major-leaguer Buddy Bell and the grandfather to major-leaguers David Bell and Mike Bell. Quite a team and quite a family.
Q Do any of the major-league teams take infield any more, and when did teams not taking it start? — Bill, Dayton
A The Toronto Blue Jays of the early 90s, who were highly successful, quit taking it and it caught on. But teams do take infield practice — during batting practice. They just don’t do it separately, after batting practice, the way they once did. If a team started doing it again and won the World Series, it might be revived. Baseball people are great copiers.
Q What is going on with Scott Rolen, because his second half is night-and-day different — 17 homers versus three and his slugging percentage is way down and his strikeouts are way up? — Joshua, Dayton
A It is called fatigue and advancing age. Rolen has a bad-back history and the baseball season is forever. While he might not be injured, there is no doubt he is full of aches and pains. But his presence in the clubhouse and on the field is like a security blanket to this team. His nickname should be Linus.
Q Who gets World Series rings, bonuses, T-shirts and caps — just the guys on the postseason roster or everybody in the Tri-County, including beat writers? — Tom, Reno, Nev.
A Anybody on the team for a full season gets a full share of playoff money, depending upon how far a team advances. Before the season ends, the veterans have a meeting and vote on how much of a share will go to players who weren’t with the team all year. So it pays not to make enemies. World Series rings, if a team wins it, go to all players who appeared during the season, front office people, support staff (trainers, clubhouse personnel) and scouts. Beat writers? We get a free box lunch.
Q We never did hear your take on CigarGate — the complaints by some people when the Reds were spotted smoking cigars in the clubhouse after they clinched the division. — Scott, Bellbrook
A That’s like asking George Burns, Groucho Marx or Fidel Castro. I never met a cigar I didn’t like, especially the free ones. I smoke four a day, whether I need them or not. I was given a cigar that night in the clubhouse, but didn’t smoke it. I did nothing to deserve joining in the celebration. My prejudiced reply is that it was done in the privacy of their clubhouse, where nobody without a pass can enter. It is like their bedroom and bathroom. What they do there should be their business.
Q Who do you think had the biggest collapse of 2010, the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or the St. Louis Cardinals? — Tom, Washington Court House
A That’s a subjective question and depends upon where you live — San Diego, Anaheim or St. Louis. My vote goes to the Padres, who were 6½ games in first place on Aug. 25, but didn’t even win the wild card. But at least San Diego fans have the beach, the weather and excellent restaurants to help them forget. What do Anaheim and St. Louis have after Disneyland and the Arch?
Q Do you think the Reds will trade any of their young pitchers like Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Homer Bailey, Travis Wood or Aroldis Chapman to acquire a starting shortstop and/or left fielder? — Wilmonger, Independence, Ky.
A Yes, the Reds have an abundance of young starting pitchers — and when has anybody been able to say that about the Reds? And the cliché is, “You never have enough pitching.” That said, if the Reds have a chance to land a premier shortstop or a lethal left fielder, they could trade at least one. I’d say the most vulnerable would be Bailey, Volquez or Cueto.
Q Because of all the missed calls so far in this year’s playoffs and the strike zone for Roy Halladay’s no-hitter, fans are chanting for instant replay. What do you think commissioner Bud Selig’s reaction will be? — Paul, Fairborn
A Most baseball people — managers and players, not just umpires — are against replays. Count me among them. Baseball has survived a century-and-a-half without it. Games last long enough without managers strewing the field with red flags (or yellow or blue or pink) and umpires peering into TV monitors. Besides, what would TV talking heads have to talk about if it weren’t for blown calls? MLB does have a meeting scheduled after the season and they didn’t invite me, probably because they know I’d say, “No, no, no — a million times no.”
Q What are some of the gems you’ve seen where a pitcher was as dominant as Roy Halladay was against the Reds? — Tony, Indianapolis
A I saw Tom Browning’s perfect game, I saw Tom Seaver’s no-hitter for the Reds, I saw Randy Johnson strike out 20 Reds. But the most dominant game I ever saw pitched was in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series when Minnesota’s Jack Morris pitched all 10 innings of a 1-0 victory. He gave up seven hits, but because he pitched 10 innings of a 0-0 tie, staying in when manager Tom Kelly wanted to take him out several times, it was the most incredible pitching performance I ever saw.
Q Why didn’t the Reds try to bunt against Roy Halladay and why didn’t they shorten their swings and try to hit the ball the opposite way? — Mike, Houston
A The way Halladay was pitching the Reds probably couldn’t have got the bat on the ball to bunt. Hit it the other way? They couldn’t hit it any way. Just chalk this one up to a pitcher being King of the Hill and move on. It would have taken about eighth successful bunts in a row for the Reds to even tie this game.