http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 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 column Get more from Hal Hal's e-mail newsletter is the only place you can get his weekly commentary on the Reds. Sign up en-us hmccoy@coxohio.com 2012-05-24T18:45:09-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/24/baker_chipper_davey_are_hall_o.html CINCINNATI — In an unusual, and extremely classy decisions, the Cincinnati Reds honored a retiring opponent before Thursday’s game, Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Before the game, a writer asked Reds manager Dusty Baker, “Do you see Chipper being... 17409039@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-24T18:45:09-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/23/this_could_be_the_year_of_the.html CINCINNATI — The smile on manager Dusty Baker’s face lit the room like a strobe light and through a broad smile he said, “Year of the 12, man, year of the 12. That’s what my wife and son told me.”... 17408988@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-23T22:46:17-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/23/tip_from_baker_jumpstarts_coza.html CINCINNATI — Rookie shortstop Zack Cozart played in 39 of the first 40 Cincinnati Reds games. And he felt it. Not physically. Mentally. So manager Dusty Baker gave him a Day of Rest in New York, some time to sit... 17408984@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-23T18:39:11-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/22/latos_discovers_the_seventh_in.html CINCINNATI — For the second straight night, the boom of the bats was eye-catching and eye wash for the Cincinnati Reds, but it was what happened on the mound that was more significant. The Reds hit three more home runs,... 17408931@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-22T22:37:19-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/22/chapman_speedy_on_and_off_the.html CINCINNATI — Aroldis Chapman was sitting in a large black chair in front of his locker late Tuesday afternoon and, fortunately, there was no steering wheel in front of him. Neither Chapman nor the Reds addressed the elephant in the... 17408919@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-22T17:48:10-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/21/leake_shines_in_pitchers_box_b.html CINCINNATI — The attention-getter Monday night was the big, booming bats — four home runs by the Cincinnati Reds (back to back to back in the fourth inning, plus two homers by Drew Stubbs, as the Reds whipped the Atlanta... 17408885@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-21T22:25:35-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/21/is_chapman_the_closer_wellll.html CINCINNATI — There were five video cameras pointed at Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker and at least 12 microphones and digital recorders in front of his face when one media type asked: “Where are you on Aroldis Chapman as a... 17408877@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-21T17:54:50-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/20/just_call_aroldis_chapman_mr_c.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave after a great Saturday night doing Dayton Dragons TV with personable Tom Nichols and wondering why 9,172 people show up to see a last place team that lost 14-3 to the Great Lakes Loons.... 17408832@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-20T16:54:54-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/19/reds_survive_by_skin_of_arredo.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVARTIONS from The Man Cave, watching the Reds-Yankees before leaving for a guest commentary appearance tonight with Tom Nichols on a Dayton Dragons TV broadcast. FOR SURE, isn’t it time to look for a new closer for the Cincinnati... 17408814@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-19T16:30:18-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/18/ancient_andy_arroyo_pitch_dand.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering if this current Cincinnati Reds team is ever going to hit and they certainly aren’t going to be the hit-starved 1959 Go-Go White Sox because, unlike those White Sox, they don’t even try... 17408807@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-18T21:52:00-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/17/a_major_meltdown_in_flushing_m.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave while watching the Cincinnati Reds refuse to knuckle under to Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, building a 4-0 lead, then frittering it all away in a 9-4 disgusting defeat. And I can’t resist lecturing the... 17408742@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-17T16:28:55-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/17/chapman_is_where_he_is_needed.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave — couldn’t wait until after todays Reds-Mets game because the Aroldis Chapman discussions just keep coming and coming and coming. WHAT IS IT THAT some fans and peripheral media don’t understand about Aroldis Chapman... 17408720@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-17T12:30:25-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/16/komeback_kids_bite_the_big_app.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering why Major League Baseball continues to snub Cincinnati for an All-Star game, which hasn’t been in the Queen City since 1988. The 2013 game will be in Citi Field, which opened after Great... 17408702@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-16T22:03:27-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/15/cueto_hits_a_crater_of_a_pot_h.html UNSOLILCITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, missing absolutely nothing about the trips I made to Atlanta — the stifling heat, the snarled traffic, the ball park with no personality and, for sure, that infernal ‘Chop Chant.’ Nobody said Johnny Cueto’s... 17408647@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-15T21:52:11-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/14/bailey_bullpen_work_some_magic.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave and while I write this I’mk watching the first-place Cleveland Indians (say what?) swcore in the ninth inning to beat the Minnesota Twins, the same team who in spring training looked as if it... 17408586@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-14T23:04:35-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com