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By Hal McCoy, Contributing Writer Updated 7:47 AM Monday, October 3, 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: To steal a quote, would you call the 2011 Reds season a Titanic Struggle? — Dave, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek

A: Obviously, you’ve been waiting for your ship to come in for a long time and it sunk. So, now you’re stealing Marty Brennaman phrases? While, indeed, 2011 was a massive struggle, there are plenty of deck chairs left for the Reds to put the pieces back together.

Q: Why weren’t the Reds more aggressive in trying to acquire Hunter Pence from the Astros at the trade deadline when the Phillies got him for prospects that don’t seem to be that good? — John, Springboro

A: Reds GM Walt Jocketty said he tried hard to get Pence and, in fact, thought he made a better offer than the Phillies. But obviously the Phillies’ offer was more attractive to the Astros. I’m told they wanted catcher Devin Mesoraco and that’s a no-no. Aroldis Chapman was out of the question, too.

Q: How would you grade the jobs Reds general manager Walt Jocketty and manager Dusty Baker did this year? — Dan, Dayton

A: I would grade on the curve, but the Reds had difficulty hitting curves this year. I’d give Jocketty a “C” for average because it is tough to grade what he did when he didn’t do much other than wear out I-71 between Louisville and Cincinnati. As for Baker, I give him a “B” because he did the best he could through injuries and underperformances by his players.

Q: The Reds once had a sidearm pitcher named Ewell Blackwell in the 1930s and 1940s. Where are all the sidearmers these days? — Carl, Kettering

A: Sidearmers are rare, unless you visit a pond and watch kids skip rocks. But they are still around, most of them relief pitchers like Mike Myers, Chad Bradford, Cla Meredith and Mike Koplove. And don’t forget our own Joe Smith, an Indians sidewinder from Wright State. The Reds also have had Ted Abernathy and Kent Tekulve. One of the all-time best closers was Kansas City’s Dan Quisenberry. It is hilarious watching batters try to hit those guys, most of whom don’t break 80 miles an hour.

Q: In a three-way race from home to third base between you, Nadine and Yonder Alonso, who would win? — Steve, Urbana, Ill.

A: That’s easy. Nadine runs 45 minutes nearly every day, at nearly full speed, on her treadmill. I’m 71 years old with a bum knee. Alonso runs as if he not only carries a piano on his back, but stops to play it between home and first. So, it’s Nadine first, Alonso second, me third — and if you added Sean Casey in the mix, I’d still finish third.

Q: Are the Reds the only team that has not had an Asian-born player on their roster? — Chris, Clayton

A: Not true. In 2004 the Reds had Korean-born pitcher Jung Keun Bong, but he was easily forgotten. They obtained him in a trade from Atlanta and should have heeded advice from many scouts who say, “Don’t ever trade with Atlanta for a pitcher because if the Braves don’t want him he probably can’t pitch.”

Q: The Yankees’ Russell Martin hit into an around-the-horn triple play last week, and every time I see that I am amazed how easy it looks to complete a 5-4-3 triple play. Are you surprised it doesn’t happen all the time? — Doug, Chillicothe

A: For that to happen, the batter must hit the ball directly to the bag so the third baseman can grab the ball, immediately step on the base and whip a quick throw to second. And there has to be no outs. That doesn’t often happen. In 39 years of covering baseball, I saw it in person only once, when Cincinnati’s Chris Sabo started a 5-4-3 triple play in Montreal. A slow runner from home to first helps, too. If there were four outs in an inning, Yadier Molina of the Cardinals could hit into a quadruple play — like 2-5-4-3.

Q: Would you have asked Bronson Arroyo if he wanted to pitch one inning of relief Wednesday to keep his streak of 200 innings every year going after he pitched Tuesday? — Alan, Sugarcreek Twp.

A: Absolutely not. Would risking a career-ending injury be worth extending a streak? Starting pitchers can barely lift their arms high enough to buckle their belts the day after they pitch more than five innings. Yes, Arroyo has a rubber arm and couldn’t break anybody’s nose with his fastball, but that would be a huge risk.

Q: A national commentator said it would be better if the Reds traded Joey Votto this offseason so that a team would have him for a year at a reduced price as opposed to trading him next year when he’ll make $17 million in 2013. Do you agree? — Terry, Dayton

A: It depends on if the Reds feel they can contend next year. If so, they need Votto. If they are, ahem, rebuilding, then they could trade Votto and put Yonder Alonso at first base. And since they want Alonso to work this winter on playing left field, what’s that say? Of course, they had him working every day for a month at third base and he played there one game — without getting a single fielding chance.

Question of the Week

Q: Broadcasters constantly say how important it is for a team to win the first game of a series, so how did the Reds do this year in that category? — Jim, Wilmington

A: I never understood that. What if a team lost every first game of a series, but won the rest of the games? What makes the first game more important than, say, the third game? In all series — two-, three- and four-game — the Reds were 24-28 in first games, then got progressively better by going 27-27 in the second games and 28-22 in the third games. They only played eight four-game series — and forget about them. They were 1-5-2.

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