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5:58 PM Saturday, October 15, 2011

Hall-of-fame baseball writer Hal McCoy knows a thing or two about America’s pastime. If you’d like to tap into that knowledge, send a question to halmccoy1@hotmail.com. For more Ask Hal, log on to DaytonDailyNews.com/reds

Q The first round of the playoffs eliminated the two lowest payrolls (Tampa Bay, Arizona) and the two highest payrolls (New York, Philadelphia), so what can you bank on this? — Dave, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek

A Actually, Kansas City ($36 million) had the lowest payroll. Arizona ($53 million) had the 25th lowest, ahead of Cleveland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Kansas City, but we’re splitting pennies here. Yes, New York and Philadelphia are gone, which only shows that money talks, but winning games when it counts shouts.

Q Do the Cincinnati Reds fly commercial, charter or do they own their own plane, and who travels with them? — Joe, Dayton

A Now that Marge Schott doesn’t own the team, they no longer have to fly economy coach on Myrtle’s Airline and Roof Repair Company. The Reds have a working agreement with Delta Airlines to charter every flight. It usually is a roomy 757, a regular aircraft, but the relatively small traveling party gives every player three seats across if he wants them. The passengers are players, manager, coaches, PR people, traveling secretary, equipment manager, trainers, strength coach, traveling secretary and broadcast media. The print media flew with them years ago, but the poker games became way too expensive.

Q What is your take on Theo Epstein signing on as GM with the Cubs, and will this put them over the top? — Jeff, Troy

A To go over the top, a team has to make it halfway up the hill first and the Cubs have lacked crampons and pitons for years. Epstein is considered a near-genius in baseball circles, but he is leaving a crumbling mess in Boston. Personally, I often wonder if the Almighty could help the Cubs and their penchant for shooting themselves in both feet, both arms and the posterior.

Q If it is true the Reds can’t afford Joey Votto after his contract expires, how does owner Bob Castellini expect to fulfill his promise to bring winning baseball back to Cincinnati, and won’t it take at least a $100 million payroll to win at least one World Series every 10 years? — Ken, Miamisburg

A Nobody wants to win more than Bob Castellini and every defeat tears a hunk out of his heart. Nobody can promise anything in baseball and Castellini didn’t promise that. He promised to do everything in his power to put a winning team (winning team, not World Series champion) on the field. In baseball, one player (like Votto) doesn’t win titles. It takes a solid team that doesn’t always cost the gross national product of Haiti. See Tampa Bay. See Arizona. It can be done without robbing the Bank of America.

Q Isn’t every utterance and ploy employed by St. Louis manager Tony La Russa have one purpose: to capture the initiative and keep the opposite team on the defensive to create the impression that his team is always charging for the goal? — Michael, Arlington, Va.

A The St. Louis Rams and St. Louis Blues charge the goal and not very well. The St. Louis Cardinals charge home plate and do it very well. Yes, there is always a method to La Russa’s near-madness. Everybody who despises the man (and that’s nearly all non-Cardinals fans) have to give the guy credit, no matter how grudgingly. With all the injuries and his personal battle with shingles he may have done his best-ever managing job this year.

Q Ken Griffey Jr. and Barry Larkin are certain to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and rightfully so, but what was your take on the last day Jack McKeon managed the Reds, and both suggesting they had a feud with Trader Jack? — Rick, Trenton

A Whether it was miscommunication or deliberate, both players said they were given permission by then-general manager Jim Bowden to leave early. McKeon said Bowden did not tell him about the permission slips. There was no feud between the players and McKeon. It was between Bowden and McKeon. Knowing both players, neither would walk away on their own. That game was in St. Louis and the second-place Reds finished 10 games behind the Cardinals and I wished I could have gone with them.

Q Paul Konerko was considered as player/manager of the Chicago White Sox, so what are you thoughts about a team having a player/manager? — John, Springboro

A It’s tough enough to manage, let alone play and manage. Back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Cleveland Indians shortstop Lou Boudreau was player-manager and did both jobs extremely well. Believe it or not, there have been 221 player/managers in the majors, most of them before the 1930s. Ty Cobb managed and played from 1921-26. The best was center fielder/manager Harry Wright of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, baseball’s first pro team. He went 57-0. The last was Pete Rose, who managed from 1984-89, but he quit playing in 1986. Despite some, uh, distractions Rose had a string of second-place finishes. And here is what player/manager Joe Cronin said about being a player/manager: “I used to send myself up to pinch-hit whenever the wind was blowing out.”

Q Any chance the Reds could trade Joey Votto to Toronto for Jose Bautista, giving them a power-hitting left fielder and solving the Yonder Alonso dilemma? — Michael, Houston

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