A: That one perplexes me, too. Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton was constantly accused of scuffing baseballs for that reason, always in the same spot. Reds manager Sparky Anderson once collected a dozen balls that Sutton used and all 12 were nicked in the same spot. So if scuffs can help pitchers, why throw them out? I also shake my head when a pitcher gets a new ball from an umpire, looks at it, then tosses it aside and asks for a new one. Every baseball I’ve ever picked up feels exactly the same.
Q: Would you rate the addition of the pitch clock as the best of the rule changes? — GEORGE, Morton Grove, Ill.
A: I love it because it prevents batters from stepping out of the box after every pitch to hitch their belts, adjust both batting gloves, check the inside of their batting helmets and glance into the stands to see if their girlfriends are behaving. It also stops pitchers from studying the rosin bag and counting the 216 stitches on the ball. Some baseball people believe it has increased injuries to pitchers, but I fail to see that reasoning.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: It was news when the Houston Astros had to keep baseballs in a humidor before games because they dried out, so is it a routine for all MLB teams to maintain the same level of humidity? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: Actually the first humidor was used in Colorado’s Coors Field because it is a mile high and baseballs travel farther and the humidor helped reduce the distance. But in 2022 MLB ordered every team to keep game balls in a humidor to resist humidity. The Reds didn’t ask if they could borrow my cigar humidor.
Q: Executive Nick Krall blamed manager David Bell for the Reds’ poor play, but this year we learned that even a Hall of Fame manager like Tito Francona couldn’t make the playoffs, so will Krall be held accountable? — ERIC, Troy.
A: First of all, who says the Reds aren’t going to make the playoffs? The odds are getting slimmer, but they haven’t been mathematically eliminated... yet. It seems with the Reds accountability only exists in the manager’s office and not upstairs in the executive suites. No matter what happens this season, though, Francona is safe and so is Krall & Company.
Q: If the Hall of Fame said you could only vote for one between Vada Pinson and Dave Concepcion, which would you choose? — BLAKE, Knoxville, Tenn.
A: The Hall of Fame folks never would do such a thing. Both soundly deserve a plaque and when they were on the ballot I voted for both each and every time. Now it is out of the writers’ hands and is in the clutches of Veterans Committees, so I no longer have a vote. I have served on Veterans Committees a couple of times and tried for both, as well as former Reds executive Bob Howsam, but couldn’t muster enough votes.
Q: When Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson goes to the mound, why does he cover his mouth when he talks to the pitchers? — ED, Kettering.
A: If you’ve noticed, all pitching coaches do it and nearly all pitchers cover their mouths with their gloves. Why? With modern technology and TV close-ups, coaches and pitchers fear that their ultra-secret comments might be picked up by a professional lip-reader. And it wouldn’t surprise me if some teams employ lip readers that work in the analytics room.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: Why do they throw the baseball around the infield after outs when nobody is on base? — CHUCK, Troy.
A: There is no definitive answer to this one. As so many things in baseball, it is just tradition, something that’s always been done. Why? Who knows. Perhaps it is to give the batter who makes the out time to get back to the dugout. But they never include the first baseman and because I always played first base I felt left out. The first baseman would like to make a celebratory toss around the infield, too.
Q: With the cost of players salaries and the cost to fans to see games, isn’t it time to use electronics to help umpires call balls and strikes? — MAX, Fairborn.
A: Player and fan costs have nothing to do with the accuracy of balls and strikes calls. And not to worry, it is coming to an MLB park near you and it is coming soon. And while they are at it, I’m beginning to feel they need electronics and challenges for the check swing calls. It is a judgement call for the base umpires and usually a wild guess. Give a team four challenges a game on checked swings, two when the team is batting and two when it is on the field.
Q: What’s the most vivid memory you have about a last-minute re-write on a game story? — ALAN, Sugarcreek Twp.
A: It wasn’t a re-write, it was a short write. It was game seven of the 1975 World Series when Boston’s Carlton Fisk hit the walk-off home run off Fenway Park’s left field foul pole in the 12th inning to beat the Reds. It was 15 minutes until my deadline, 15 minutes to write about one of baseball’s all-time iconic games. The desk grudgingly gave me an extra 15 minutes. I wrote so fast and sent it without re-reading it, so I had no idea what I wrote until I read it the next day. It was, uh, decent.
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