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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 37th 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 > 2009 > July > 07 > Entry
From four guys (Reds) to Five Guys (hamburgers)
JUST FOUND out there is a Five Guys a few blocks from my hotel. That decides my lunch plans for Wednesday - best burgers and fries anywhere. There is now a Five Guys in Cincinnati and a Five Guys in Columbus. None in Dayton.
Maybe I’ll quit this gig and buy a Five Guys franchise for Dayton. Or I’ll start my own franchise. One Guy. Or Hal’s Hamburgers.
BEING A McCOY, there is one thing in Philly I refuse to eat. You’d have to stuff it down my mouth. It’s a Hatfield Phillies Frank (hot dog). My great grandfather would disown me and whip me with the barrel of his shotgun.
WHEN JOE GARAGIOLA wrote his book, Baseball is a Funny Game, he knew of what he spoke.
How does a team use the same lineup and the same order (different pitchers, of course) one night and lose 22-1, then win the next night, 4-3?
That’s what the Cincinnati Reds did, beating the Phillies, 4-3, Tuesday in Citizens Bank Park. And they spotted the Phillies a 3-0 lead. Well, Aaron Harang spotted them the 3-0 lead. And he had the bases loaded with no outs in the third, already down, 3-0, and everybody was thinking, “Here we go again. Get those double-digit lights ready on the scoreboard.”
Then a strange thing happened. Harang retired three in a row with no damage. The Phillies would not score again.
Then it was time for Brandon Phillips. First he hit a two-run homer in the fourth then a solo homer in the sixth to tie it, 3-3. It stayed that way until the ninth when Joey Votto led with a double. Phillips, 0 for 7 in his career against Brad Lidge, was asked to sacrifice bunt. And he did it. Perfectly. No muss, no fuss, no missing signs, just sound fundamental baseball.
Ramon Hernandez singled up the middle and the Reds had themselves a win after spending a day in Philadelphia feeling like British soldiers wear red coats and getting the bejabbers beat out of them.
That’s four guys contributing mightily - plus the bullpen of Arthur Rhodes, Davie Weathers and Coco Cordero all got out of minor problems during their one inning each.
As usual, Phillips was eloquent after the game.
“We deserved that butt-whipping we got (Monday) and I’m glad it happened. It was kind of funny and it really woke us up. We were just moping along after getting butt-whippings two games in a row (10-1, 22-1).
“We had to play Reds baseball, do the little things,” he said. “You have to learn to do the fundamental things, learn how to bunt to show the little kids in the stands that bunting is important in situations like that.”
ANYWAY, here’s some stuff from one of my favorite journalists, Jayson Stark. At one time Stark was the Phillies beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer and now writes for ESPN and is a must read.
-In his two innings of pitching in disaster relief, infielder Paul Janish has given up 11 runs. That’s eight more than he has driven in during his 33 at-bats.
-The Reds allowed 22 runs and 10 extra-base hits in their 22-1 loss to the Phillies Monday. No NL team had given up that many runs and that many extra-base hits in any game since Sept. 4, 1999, when the Phillies did it - against the Reds, of course.
-The Phillies did something the Philadelphia Eagles have never done - beat a team from Cincinnati by 21. The biggest margin of victory by the Eagles in a game against the Bengals was nine, in December 2000. Now that one REALLY hurts.
-The Reds have lost two games in their 19,000-game history by 20 runs or more - both of them to the Phillies. This game broke the previous franchise record, a 26-6 wipeout on July 26, 1892. I may have been there, but don’t remember it.
-Johnny Cueto became the first Reds pitcher in history to give up nine runs or more without getting at least three outs. And this was a guy who had never allowed nine runs in a game in any of the previous 47 starts in his career. Then he allowed nine in two-thirds of an inning.
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Comments
By Reds Fan
July 9, 2009 1:06 PM | Link to this
… Actually FLORIDA BUCKEYE, I think Kyle pretty much had you tagged correctly on the Phillips stuff. You must be a lot less complex and deep than you think.By Reds Fan
July 9, 2009 1:04 PM | Link to this
Actually Bill from Florida, I think Kyle pretty much had you tagged correctly on the Phillips stuff. You must be a lot less complex and deep than you think.By Florida Buckeye
July 9, 2009 8:36 AM | Link to this
Kyle, not to be rude: but you dont know me, nor what I would think…comment on what I say, or what I’ve written; dont assume what I would, or would not say, or think…thank youBy Bob from Florida
July 8, 2009 10:05 PM | Link to this
For ROHO RADIO: Dickerson CF, Bruce RF, Philips 2B, Votto 1B, Hernandez C, Nix LF, EE 3B, Hairston SS.By Worn Cleats
July 8, 2009 10:01 PM | Link to this
Great effort by Homer. Poor batting effort by Dickerson. But, he’s still the best we have for Center Field. What a frustrating team to watch try to hit the damn baseball!By Mike-Dayton
July 8, 2009 7:30 PM | Link to this
If you ever played competitive sports, you have to laugh off a 22-1 baseball score because it is such a aberration that you know it doesn’t represent the difference in teams and is just a set of circumstance. If I was Baker, I would have walked into the clubhouse after Monday’s game and told the team - “I had Coco up in the 9th just in case we scored 21 runs in the 9th” … 162 game season - one loss at 22-1 - key is to move on and focus on the next game and not treat the game as if it is the end of the world.By nancy
July 8, 2009 5:32 PM | Link to this
Where is the Five Guys in Cincinnati? I want to try it!By Kyle
July 8, 2009 4:14 PM | Link to this
FloridaBuckeye, you’re making my point about BP. He smiles, laughs it off, does the interview, you criticize him. If he was still pouting around and carrying it around, you’d criticize him. Maybe that type of an attitude about it is why they bounce back.By Dawg_Pound
July 8, 2009 3:13 PM | Link to this
Hey Hal, when did you get your new job? They said on the MLB channel last night that you work for the Enquirer. Casey was on and didn’t bother to correct them.By Florida Buckeye
July 8, 2009 2:20 PM | Link to this
Hmm…Did anyone else’s eyebrow raise up when Phillips said the 22-1 buttwhipping was funny?!? Funny to whom? Not to I, nor to the rest of Reds nation I’ll wager…and then he followed it up by stating that the Reds have to start paying attention to fundamentals…Hmm…sounds like something we’ve all been writing for months, eh? Regardless…I like the way the Reds bounced back and came up with a Win last night…tells me alot about their character…By Roho Radio
July 8, 2009 12:47 PM | Link to this
Sorry RC and Gary. Protection for Bruce….that seems way too logical to me. Don’t think Dusty will go for that one. And Bill and/or Brian from Florida? Do you change your name every time you try a different line up? Will it be “Bob from Florida” next? Here’s an idea: quit thinking so much. We DON’T CARE about your lineups that you post every other day. Thank you and have a wonderful day!!By Brandon
July 8, 2009 12:38 PM | Link to this
I never, NEVER,thought I would be happy to see Bailey and Owings as the next two starters in a series. This is definitely a nutty year to be a Reds fan.By Gary Maloy Jr.
July 8, 2009 12:29 PM | Link to this
I agree, RC. If they’re not going to send him down to Louisville for some help in finding his stroke, then they should most definitely protect him.By Brian from Florida
July 8, 2009 11:31 AM | Link to this
Another line-up: Dickerson CF, Sutton SS, Votto 1B, Philips 2B, Gomes LF, Nix RF, Hernandez 3B, Hanigan C.By RC
July 8, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this
Let me play Devil’s Advocate with Jay Bruce for a minute. Jay’s problem seems to be swinging at too many bad pitches. Dropping him to the #6 slot in the batting order, therefore, is a really bad idea - the better the guy hitting behind him, the less likely he gets thrown garbage. (This is the same mistake the Reds made with Adam Dunn last year. He’s hitting .262 this year in the 4 hole for the “Natinals” - not fantastic, but 25 points more robust than what we saw in 2008.) AAA pitchers trying to impress their way to the bigs aren’t going to challenge Bruce, either. So if I’m managing this team, in an attempt to get my best power hitter better pitches to hit, I might just put Bruce in the cleanup spot, and maybe hit Phillips after him. OK, now you can throw stuff at me…By Bill from Florida
July 8, 2009 10:28 AM | Link to this
My line-up: Dickerson CF, Philips SS, Votto 1B, Gomes LF, Nix RF, Hernandez 3B, Hanigan C, Hairston 2B.By Bill from Florida
July 8, 2009 10:25 AM | Link to this
One last issue: Jay Bruce. He’s in good pace for HR (36) and RBI (82) but for only .212 BA and .288 OPB. Obviously the guy is struggling and killing the few opportunities to make rallyes. Send him back to AAA for a short period until he gets his stroke back or replace Brook Jacoby. GO REDS!!!By Bill from Florida
July 8, 2009 10:16 AM | Link to this
I beg GM to take care of the following issues: Do not platoon anymore at the leadoff spot, that chosen player has to play everyday. Dickerson has BA .277 OBP .375 in 177 AB. Taveras has BA .244 OBP .287 in 270 AB. Furthermore, Dickerson’s defensive is far better than Tavera’s. The starting rotation performance is fundamental given the poor offensive. Owings, Harang and Bailey look good. Have to wait and see on Volquez rehab results and Cueto’s next outing. Make a decision on Arroyo, DL or trade, 4 of his last 5 outings has been a train wreck!!!. There are Maloney and Lehr also in AAA. Left side of the infield, what a headache!!! Reds ran out of decent players for SS and 3B. Zero. What a shame when you remember Concepcion, Larkin, Sabo or Bell. Encarnacion, Janish, Hairston, Rosales, Richard, Gonzalez. None of them, for different reasons, are capable. I have no suggestions better than let Richard and Rosales grow-up more in AAA, send Janish back to the minors to learn to hit, do not use Hairston as an everyday player, release Gonzo at the end of the season and send Encarnacion back to Louisville for the rest of the season. To be honest, I think the Reds could do much better meanwhile with Hernandez at 3B, Philips at SS and Hairston at 2B until they got a decent player ready from the minors or via trade. GO REDS!!!By Slydog
July 8, 2009 8:43 AM | Link to this
“Smashburger” much better than Five Guys - perhaps Ohio doesn’t have Smashburger locations. 22-1 game history so let’s move on please. Nice how they bounced back and won. Let’s focus on positives, flush the negatives.By Kevin McKeon
July 8, 2009 8:27 AM | Link to this
Hal, Dalessandro’s Steaks are the best. Jim’s can be fatty sometimes. Dalessandro’s is in Roxborough right off of Henrey Ave. 215-482-5407. Federal Pretzel on Federal Street for the best Pretzels( use the brown mustard) 215-467-0505. In Norristown were famous for our zeps. Thanks, I read you everyday. Go Reds! Detective Lieutenant Kevin McKeon Criminal Investigations Division Commander Norristown Police Department 235 E. Airy Street Norristown, PA 19401 610-270-0482By Jimmy
July 8, 2009 8:18 AM | Link to this
Five Guys is awesome! We just got one in Lexington, KY. They have more fries spilled in the bag than you get at any fast food chain. Cannot beat their burgers either. As for the Reds, despite the roller coaster, they are still .500 with more than half of the team struggling at the plate. I don’t think they are contenders for the title, but a few small moves could set them up nicely for 2010. No need to mortgage it for 2009.By Moosie
July 8, 2009 7:03 AM | Link to this
Didn’t the Reds have a pitcher who gave up nine runs in the first inning against the Royals a few years ago?By Colgar
July 8, 2009 2:19 AM | Link to this
And give credit where it is due. I watched the entire game Monday night. Am I a glutton for punishment? No. I am stubborn and never give up. I wanted to see how the Reds responded but ended up being impressed by the Phillies. In spite of their big lead, they didn’t give up any at bats. Shane Victorino hustled down the line on a FC with a 16-1 lead. That is a winning habit. That is why they won the Championship. In a 162 game season they could have conserved energy and taken their easy win but they played all 27 outs. I hope the young Reds took notice.By Colgar
July 8, 2009 2:13 AM | Link to this
It is a funny game. It is also much more unpredictable than any other. A tip of the cap to Dusty and the young Reds for fighting back the right way. Don’t mope like Marty Brennaman has been doing incessently this year. Shake it off and got get em. A hard fall means a high bounce if you’re made of the right material.By Sig
July 8, 2009 1:44 AM | Link to this
Great win tonite,i really think with the way Homer and Micah has been pitching lately,they COULD take 3 of 4.Any thoughts??