Badin vs. Versailles
Law Enforcement Memorial Day
American Idol 2012 finale
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 > 2009 > May > 04
Monday, May 4, 2009
Baker Nixes talk about Nix starting
For those of us (yeah, me, too) who would like to see Laynce Nix in the lineup, well, you (we) are not going to like what Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker said before Monday’s game with the Florida Marlins.
Somebody mentioned about the fans clamoring for Nix and he said, “The fans don’t make out the lineup card. The fans didn’t even know who he was until we gave him an opportunity to make this team.”
Just before the beat writers met with Baker Monday afternoon, he called Nix into his office for a closed-door session.
“I talk to all of my players,” he said. “I told Nix to just stay ready. I told him I still thought some day he would be an everyday player. But right now he is valuable coming off the bench. It is why we got him - to be our fourth outfielder.”
About Nix playing, Baker said, “Is he going to take Jay Bruce’s place? No. Is he going to take Willy Taveras’s place? No. That leaves Chris Dickerson in left field. Who has more talent than Chris Dickerson? Hey, last year the fans were clamoring for Chris Dickerson and he was the fair-haired boy.”
What the fans see is Dickerson’s .204 batting average and Nix’s .333 average.
“I let a guy play his way out of the lineup before I let a guy play his way into the lineup,” said Baker. “I ain’t no front-runner.”
Fans aren’t going to like this one, either.
Baker called Jerry Hairston Jr. (.159) into his office Monday to tell him he would be playing third base Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Adam Rosales (.417), “And I called Rosales into my office, too, to tell him,” said Baker.
MEANWHILE, tonight’s lineup is the basic one against the Marlins: Taveras, Dickerson, Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Ramon Hernandez, Rosales, Alex Gonzalez, Aaron Harang.
AIRTRAN CONTINUES to be my favorite airline. Not only did we arrive in Fort Lauderdale on time, we arrived 20 minutes EARLY. Unheard of. And my luggage almost beat me to the carousel.
THE REDS (and me) stay at the Trump International Resort Hotel in Sunny Isles, Fla., and the place is outstanding. Marble floors everywhere - including nothing but marble floors in the rooms, along with a washing machine (not that I’d ever use it). And because Donald Trump enjoys a cigar now and then, there are smoking rooms, which I was glad to accept, and there is a balcony attached on which to sit and watch the waves roll in on the Atlantic.
Baseball? Who needs it?
I do.
Permalink | Comments (35) | Post your comment |
Tweet
