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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > August > 04 > Entry
Don’t feed your suitcase
As a service to travelers, I have a warning. Your suitcase can grow in height. Really.
When I left Dayton for Washington on Airtran, my suitcase was fine. Passed muster and inspection.
Then this morning, the Airtran agent in Baltimore says, “That’s an extra $29.” I checked the scale and it said 47.5 pounds - well under the 50-pound limit.
“What for?” I asked.
“Your bag is oversized, two inches too tall,” she said.
So my bag grew two inches in three days in Washington. Amazing. I didn’t argue. I paid my $29.
While the Reds were on the road, a columnist wrote that the trouble with the Reds is the leather chairs and couches in the clubhouse and they should be removed and replaced with upright chairs.
That raised the dander of clubhouse Rick Stowe.
“Let’s see, Tampa Bay has couches in the clubhouse,” he said. “Milwaukee has couches in the clubhouse. The Chicago Cubs have recliner chairs all over the clubhouse. So I guess if you are in first place you can have couches and recliners. But if you’re in last place, you can’t have them?”
It does seem a bit ludicrous. I mean, I can’t recall the last time I saw a couch hit a home run or get picked off second base.
HOMER BAILEY still can’t get over his appearance two starts ago against Colorado when he gave up 15 hits - 14 singles one double and one walk in 4 2/3 innings.
“Fourteen singles,” said Bailey. “Seems like if anybody can do that, I can. Dick Pole (pitching coach) told me he has been in the game 40 years and never saw anything like that. I said I’ve been in the game four years and never saw anything like that.”
Speaking of couches, they didn’t take one out of Dusty Baker’s office, they put a new one in, “And I didn’t ask for it,” he said. “But (GM) Walt Jocketty likes it.”
About that time Baker spotted two quarters between the cushions, pocketed them and said, “Thanks, Walt. When I was a kid, my dad had a recliner and every time he got up and left the room I ran to it and dug out all the change.”
WHO DO YOU think should have been NL Player of the Month for July? Adam Dunn hit .310 with 12 homers and 26 RBIs. Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun hit .366 with nine homers and 23 RBIs.
Yeah, Braun won. Not only that, Milwaukee pitcher CC Sabathia was named NL Pitcher of the Month, “And the Brewers didn’t get him until July 5,” said Milwaukee writer Tom Haudricourt. But he was 5-0 for the Brewers.
A break for the Reds? During these three games against the Brewers they face neither Sabathia nor Ben Sheets. Of course, they face Dave Bush (5-9, 4.69) Tuesday and they’ll probably make him look like Walter Johnson.
WITH LEFT-HANDER Manny Parra (9-4, 3.93) on the mound Monday, Baker had an interesting lineup — Edwin Encarnacion batting third, Jolbert Cabrera playing right and batting sixth and Jay Bruce back in center field and batting seventh.
“This kid is tough, tough on left-handers, a tough little pitcher,” Baker said of Parra. “Young and good. And he isn’t far from where I’m from, just down the street actually.
“Trying to get some right-handers in there,” Baker added. “Bruce is going to hit third most of the time and third against some lefties, but I thought it would be better to put Eddie third against this kid, especially the way Eddie hits lefties.”
Is Bruce a No. 3 now or a No. 3 later?
“Depends on how he handles it and I think he can handle it big-time,” said Baker. “It’s now or later, but you have to find out sometime. You protect him sometimes against some lefties, like this guy.”
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go check my laptop computer bag to make sure it isn’t growing.
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Comments
By nkzvbfsq vjycgiobf
October 3, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
cymvlfaqd kvgna jcsyt gklvpw izlhsrbv iszuq qosacBy nkzvbfsq vjycgiobf
October 3, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this
cymvlfaqd kvgna jcsyt gklvpw izlhsrbv iszuq qosacBy nkzvbfsq vjycgiobf
October 3, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
cymvlfaqd kvgna jcsyt gklvpw izlhsrbv iszuq qosacBy William
August 6, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this
Gee Hal, I suppose I should pack light for a 9-day trip to the east coast next month. That’s a rather tacky way for an airline like AirTran to impose a fee on you.By William
August 6, 2008 11:05 AM | Link to this
Gee Hal, I suppose I should pack light for a 9-day trip to the east coast next month. That’s a rather tacky way for an airline like AirTran to impose a fee on you.By dodacrazy
August 5, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this
Hows does it feel to be last ? If that does not make you mad have Scott write your story’s!By dodacrazy
August 5, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this
Hows does it feel to be last ? If that does not make you mad have Scott write your story’s!By brian
August 5, 2008 5:37 PM | Link to this
Why did the Reds build a bandbox (GABP} with no flexibility to alter the dimensions? Even Crosley field had the goatrun for big Klu. It just reflects the lousy decision making that touches every aspect of the Reds.By wizard
August 4, 2008 10:26 PM | Link to this
Yes, Mike-Cinci—that is why I say it often looks like individual stats are more important, than a hit for the team.By Mike-Cinci
August 4, 2008 10:01 PM | Link to this
Wizard, I agree with you on Phillips. He needs to move out the clean-up spot but I’m not sure it will help. He’s trying to have another 30-30 year and is swinging for the fences. He could be so much better by just making contact. He will get his HR’s.By HuberTucky
August 4, 2008 10:01 PM | Link to this
Don’t forget that Braun hit .366 to Dunn’s .310 (that’s 56 points higher) and could mean he had some clutch hits in clutch situations. Hard to know just looking at the numbers. I was hoping Dunn would get it because we all saw how hot he was. Then again, when they vote for MVP at year’s end they usually give the edge to a guy who had the greater impact on his team’s standing. Hard to ignore that Brewers are in 2nd and Reds in the cellar. Plus, Bronson looked real good tonight.By wizard
August 4, 2008 9:43 PM | Link to this
Someone told Brandon that he was a homerun hitter, by placing him in the #4 position—and it is ruining his ability as a hitter. He was trying to go yard tonight in the 8th—and looked like he made up his mind, last week that he would do so.This team, often looks more like individuals, than a team. We will win, it looks like—but there are many problems to solve!By pat
August 4, 2008 6:54 PM | Link to this
Braun and Dunn had similar numbers. Both contributed 30 runs to the teams offense. But, Brauns team won 4 more games. Braun deserved it more. It doesn’t matter if you rest on the couch, if you get your work in on the field. You can be just as lazy in an upright chair. If you don’t believe it, stand up, look over the flimsy partition called a wall and see everyone else in your office playing solitaire on the computer. Having no couch won’t make the Reds a better team.By HuberTucky
August 4, 2008 6:24 PM | Link to this
I had to stop and figure out who Eddie is. Then I realized it MUST be Edwin Encarnacion. Duh! BTW, Hal, better watch your spelling…I’ve already been called on the carpet by Matt for a typo (among most everything else). Heads up, buddy!By BIRDIE41
August 4, 2008 5:56 PM | Link to this
If Adam Dunn was on any other team than the Reds he would have won the July player of the month.It is as simple as that!!(maybe he will win it next year with another team if all of the Dunn Bashers get their wish).I doubt that he will want to sign with the Reds after this year’s fiasco.(Marty & Brantley will be happy for sure!)By BIRDIE41
August 4, 2008 5:48 PM | Link to this
I agree with Y-city Jim.Dusty not only tinkers with the line up he usually has it all wrong.we have seen enough of him already to last 3 years or whatever his contract length is.Next move by Walt J. should be his removal of Dusty.We now know why the Cubs got rid of him and my “Die Hard Cubs Fan” son in law in Aurora,Il agrees!By Y-City Jim
August 4, 2008 5:28 PM | Link to this
Does anyone else think that Dusty just tinkers too much with the line-up? If he was knowledgeable about sabermetrics it would be one things but he is clueless in that regard. Maybe the biggest problem with this team is simply confusion.By Matt
August 4, 2008 5:15 PM | Link to this
Hal, I read the article by Daugherty on Sunday about “the couch” in the clubhouse. In my humble opinion, the point he was trying to make about it is that a losing team such as the Reds shouldn’t be getting comfortable or complacent. Removing the couch is a symbolic message of that. This team doesn’t need to be relaxing on the couch, they need to be working their tails off every single day to be the best team they can possibly be. This team, especially the younger players, need to be hustling and grinding it on every play. This team needs to have a get up and go attitude, not a sit back and chill one. One of this team’s problems is that they need a fire lit under their butt. Dusty is capable of that.