Question of the week:
Q: The Reds strike out in nearly 24 percent of their at-bats. Does a team that strikes out so often really have a chance in the playoffs when the pitching only gets tougher? — Pastor Terence, Alpha
A: As the second half began, the Reds had struck out 670 times. A lot? A bit more than average. But the Washington Nationals struck out 686 times and the Pittsburgh Pirates struck out 689 times. The third-place Tampa Bay Rays struck out 694 times. It is the nature of today’s game — swing big, swing hard and miss a lot. Every team has the same pitchers for the playoffs, so the pitching doesn’t get any tougher, you just face them more often.
Hall-of-fame baseball writer Hal McCoy knows a thing or two about America’s pastime. If you’d like to tap into that knowledge, send a question to halmccoy1@hotmail.com. For more Ask Hal, log on to DaytonDailyNews.com/reds.
Q: Of the three contending teams in the National League Central, the St. Louis Cardinals had the most players in the All-Star Game, so might that be a good criteria for who might win the division? — Dave, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek
A: That’s like saying McDonald’s has the most stores so it must be the best restaurant. For you, that might be true (McDonald’s over the Oakwood Club), but it means nothing. Having the most All-Stars means nothing, especially when Tony La Russa is filling out the roster.
Q: Do the Reds have anybody ready in the minors to replace Drew Stubbs? I know Billy Hamilton is on the fast track, but don’t they need help now? — Keith, Brookville
A: The Reds don’t have Hamilton on a fast track, he is on his own fast track around the bases, stealing more bases than John Dillinger, Clyde Barrow and Butch Cassidy stole bank notes. There is nobody now to replace Stubbs in the Reds’ system, but instead of replacing him why not just drop him down in the order and see if that works. With his speed, he could flee a bank robbery without a getaway car.
Q: Bryce Harper is hitting .282 with eight homers and 25 RBIs while Todd Frazier is hitting .278 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs. Why is Harper seemingly the runaway choice for Rookie of the Year? — Mark, Columbus
A: Youth is served. Harper is a teenager, a kid playing in the majors when he isn’t even old enough to drink legally or rent a car. Check out how many stories have been written nationally about Harper and how many about Frazier. Todd has to save a guy’s life with the Heimlich Maneuver to gain attention and Harper gets it when he hits himself in the face by banging a bat against the wall. Fair? No, not really. But that’s the way the publicity ball (and bat) bounces.
Q: Fortunately I didn’t bet my house on your prediction that the Reds would be seven or eight games up by the end of June. Are the Pirates and Cardinals playing better than you anticipated or are the Reds not playing as well? — Mike, Mason
A: I did bet my house, and my tent isn’t very comfortable. You aren’t the first to point out my brash statement. Hey, at least I was bold enough, and dumb enough, to make it. I never thought the Pirates would hold on (and I still don’t) and I didn’t think the Cardinals could overcome their injuries. And it might have helped if the Reds didn’t leave the bases clogged with so many runners.
Q: Don’t you think home-field advantage for the World Series to the winner of the All-Star Game is too high-stakes and wouldn’t it be better to give the winner the choice of whether the DH will be used the next year in all interleague games? — Brad, Greenville
A: To me, home-field advantage should go to the team with the best record at the end of the season. Something that important should be determined by something other than an exhibition game. The DH? As I’ve said so often, I’m in favor of making it more rare than a baseball without Pete Rose’s autograph on it.
Q: Aaron Harang is having a solid year for the Los Angeles Dodgers, so why do you think he failed while he was with the Reds? Was it a case of the wrong ballpark for him? — Bill, Fairborn
A: Harang’s time in Cincinnati was far from a failure. He won 16 games in back-to-back seasons before losing 17 the next year. As a flyball pitcher, Harang for sure was hindered by the Great American Bandbox. He was 14-7 in 2011 for the Padres, helped at home by the vast expanse of Petco Park, and this year is 6-5 for the Dodgers with a 3.51 ERA. His is a case of a change of scenery helping immensely — like moving from New York tenements to a Hawaiian beach.
Q: It seems every coach carries a stopwatch. Can you enlighten me as to its various uses? — Tom, Dayton
A: Mostly they are used to time how long a pitcher takes to deliver a pitch from the stretch until the time it reaches the catcher for stealing purposes. The pitching coach or bench coach usually does that. Some first base coaches use them, too, to time how long it takes a catcher’s throw to reach second base, and sometimes he’ll time how long it takes a baserunner to go from home to first or first to third. Fractions of a second mean a lot. A scout once told me the first time he timed Drew Stubbs from home plate to first base he kept banging his stopwatch in his palm because he thought it was broken.
Q: Why is baseball reluctant to use replays when umpires miss calls on the field? Shouldn’t each out made on a ground ball be reviewed? — Steve, Kettering
A: They aren’t reluctant; they’re smart. Replays do nothing but promote trips to the bathroom by fans. Boring. Reviewing every play? Why not just get rid of umpires and let machines make the calls? Like ballplayers make errors, umpires make them, too, only a lot less. Why take the human element out and why add tedium to the game? My thinking? Do away with all replays.
Q: I read that official scorers are paid the princely sum of $150 a game and I’m betting the batboys make more than that in tips, so am I close? — Bill, Villa Hills, Ky.
A: Is your brother-in-law an official scorer and did he put you up to this? It is a lot of work and a lot of headaches for $150, but most of them have other jobs and scoring is a sideline for a bunch of guys who love baseball. Batboys did earn tips, but mostly for running errands. I used to see Ken Griffey Jr. hand a clubhouse kid a $50 bill and the keys to his Mercedes during spring training for a trip to McDonald’s for a carry-out breakfast and tell the kid, “Keep the change.” And the kid didn’t have to call a single play a hit or an error.
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