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Hal McCoy will still write in retirement

Fan favorites ‘Ask Hal’ and ‘The Real McCoy’ blog won’t go away.

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Staff Report Updated 1:06 PM Sunday, October 11, 2009

Hal McCoy is retiring at the end of October, but he’s not done writing.

McCoy, the Dayton Daily News’ hall-of-fame baseball writer, has agreed to continue working for the DDN in a freelance capacity. McCoy, who covered the Cincinnati Reds for 37 seasons, will continue to write his popular Ask Hal column on Sundays. He also will continue to interact with fans through his blog, The Real McCoy, on DaytonDailyNews.com.

“Now that I have retired from working full-time, I am delighted and gratified to be able to continue writing for the Dayton Daily News,” McCoy said. “Doing blogs is something I love to do and I receive more comments on Ask Hal than anything I’ve ever done.”

In addition to blogging year-round and writing Ask Hal during the baseball season, McCoy will work on special projects.

“Hal’s voice is the equivalent to comfort food for thousands of our readers, and I’m thrilled that he will continue to entertain and inform readers in the Dayton area,” DDN Sports Editor Brian Kollars said. “He’s a legend and I’m proud to say that he’ll remain in our lineup.”

McCoy, who has won numerous state and national writing awards, started his career in Dayton in 1962. He left briefly for a stint at a Detroit newspaper in the late 1960s but returned after less than a year in Michigan.

“For 46 of the last 47 years, The (Dayton) Journal Herald and the Dayton Daily News have been my journalistic home, the last 37 covering the Cincinnati Reds for the Daily News,” McCoy said. “It was a cushy comfort zone, and although I had several opportunities to leave for bigger markets, I stayed and never regretted it.”

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