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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 > 2008 > June > 26 > Entry
Cleaning up in Toronto
It is a seven-block walk from the Toronto Harbor Castle Hotel to the Rogers Centre, home of the Blue Jays.
On the walk to the park today, I was determined to find a scrap of paper on the ground. Any scrap. I was not successful. This city is cleaner than your mother’s crystal wine glasses after she rubs them down.
Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker noticed, too. He opened a stick of gum and was about to throw the wrapper on the ground, but noticed there is no litter on these streets and tucked the wrapper into his pocket so he could deposit in his hotel room trash basket.
I did the same thing with a cigar wrapper as I sat on a park bench near Lake Ontario, reading, watching the scenery and smoking. The wrapper went into my pocket.
Before Thursday’s game, some of the Reds were watching the Baltimore Orioles beat up on the Chicago Cubs on the clubhouse television when a broadcaster said about a certain player, “He has a hole in his swing on up-and-in pitches.”
Reds relief pitcher Jared Burton heard that and said, “Oh, yeah. Up and in.” Scouting reports can be wrong. Pitchers can make the perfect pitch and watch it spiral out of the ball park.
“Ask Bronson Arroyo,” said Burton. “We had a scouting report that said Alex Rios couldn’t hit a pitch up and in. Catcher Paul Bako even stood up on the pitch to hold a high target. Arroyo threw it right there.”
And it landed in the left field seats.
Jerry Hairston Jr. was activated Thursday and was leading off and playing shortstop. He’ll wear some protection on his fractured left thumb and said it still hurts a bit, “But guys with worse injuries than this play and I’ve had worse and played.”
With Hairston in the starting lineup, the Reds are 18-12 and Baker said, “I’ll take that.”
The casualty is Paul Janish, optioned to Louisville after going 3 for 34. He took it well and said, “I was actually here longer than I anticipated. It was a good learning experience and a lesson on how everything works.”
Janish took extra batting practice early Thursday and Baker said, “He was looking real good.”
Said Janish, “Ironic, isn’t it. That’s the best I felt in a week. Dusty was real positive with me. I know I can hit. I was hitting at Louisville and hitting when I came up here.”
Said Baker, “Sometimes you come up here hitting good and the scouting reports catch up to you. He needs to work on offense. Defense? He is good. He is very good.”
As they begin Thursday’s game, the Reds are 3-2 on the trip (2-1 in New York, 1-1 in Toronto) with a game left here and three in Cleveland.
A chance for a winning trip? They’ve come home with losing records in 20 of their last 21 trips and Baker said, “The law of averages are with us on this one.”
Maybe, maybe not. Having watched this team, I’d say the chances are better of me finding a gum wrapper on Yonge Street than the Reds having a winning road trip. We’ll see.
What Baker wants by the end of this trip is for his team to climb out of the dregs of the NL Central. “We have a chance to get out of last place,” he said. “There are a couple of teams real close to us, only 1 and 1 1/2 games ahead (Houston, Pittsburgh).”
Ken Griffey Jr. was the DH for the sixth straight game Thursday, but he’ll play in the field Friday and Saturday in Cleveland, said Baker. Adam Dunn becomes the DH.
“It was good for Griff’s legs to rest because you do all your running on defense,” said Baker. “this should keep him fresh to the All-Star break.”
I’ll be fresh, too, after a trip to Aruba.
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By luv2jog
June 27, 2008 10:35 AM | Link to this
Actually, the Reds record is 19-19 when Patterson starts. I forgot to include last night’s game.
By luv2jog
June 27, 2008 10:27 AM | Link to this
The Reds record is 19-18 when Patterson starts.
By Y-City Jim
June 26, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
Hal, what is the Reds record in games that Crappy Patterson starts?
By ohdave
June 26, 2008 9:01 PM | Link to this
The only garbage in Toronto is wearing a Reds uniform. And it stinks. I’m thoroughly convinced that our advance scouting is woefully deficient compared to other teams. Our hitters never seem to have a clue as to how to approach other pitchers; meanwhile as with Arroyo the other night the opposing hitters seem to know exactly what’s coming.
By Mandy
June 26, 2008 8:54 PM | Link to this
What about pronouncing the American “Hairston” as “Harriston”?
By redfuture
June 26, 2008 8:28 PM | Link to this
There is absolutely no reason to throw a gum or cigar wrapper on the ground regardless of pre-existant trash. I hope you guys take that new attitude with you where ever you go from now on.
By nllspc
June 26, 2008 8:27 PM | Link to this
Hal, Tell that jackass Grande to stop pronouncing every Canadian player’s name with a french accent and that they only speak French (primarily) in Quebec.
By Pat
June 26, 2008 6:26 PM | Link to this
It was a good experience for Janish. Let’s hope he improves his offense down in L’ville and we get to see him in cincy again someday. I hope you and Dusty would pocket your trash even in a dirty city. I’m sure you would, you were just making a point.
By Y-City Jim
June 26, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this
Maybe the streets of America would be cleaner if they emptied public trash cans once in a while.