QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Q: Is it better for a pitcher to work as a relief pitcher in the majors before becoming a starter or better for him to work in the minors as a starter until he is ready to start in the majors? — MICHAEL, HOUSTON
A: Depends on a lot of factors. Some very good starting pitchers began in the bullpen. Don Gullett pitched 42 games out of the bullpen in 1970 before the Reds put him in the rotation for good in 1971. It depends on a team’s needs. A current example is Cincinnati’s Tony Cingrani. He began as a relief pitcher in the minors. And now he is a starter, twice a stand-in for injured Johnny Cueto. Personally, I’d love to see the Reds keep Cingrani when Cueto comes back and work him as a left-hander in the bullpen until there is a spot in the rotation somewhere down the road. The Reds, though, probably don’t see it that way and want him starting every fifth day in Louisville. But he is so dominant in Triple-A I doubt he can do much there other than work on his off-speed pitches.
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 halmccoy@hotmail.com
Q: Any chance the Cubs might be moved to the American League, because their series last week with the Reds was boring and embarrassing? — DAVE, MIAMISBURG/CENTERVILLE/BEAVERCREEK
A: There already is one bad team from Chicago in the American League, the White Sox. And they already took away one patsy from the Cincinnati Reds when they moved Houston. What I’d like to see is something like what the English Premier soccer league does — drop the major-league team with the worst record down to Triple-A and move the Triple-A team with the best record up to the majors so some organizations would be forced to quit accepting mediocrity.
Q: The Reds may be able to get into the playoffs riding the wave of playing bad teams, but the last time I looked, teams in the playoffs have winning records, so can this team beat Arizona, Atlanta, Colorado or Washington in the playoffs? — VIN, FAIRFIELD, CONN.
A: Fans keep accusing the Reds of beating up the bums and losing to the elite, but is it their fault the schedule favored them early in the season? Good teams are supposed to beat bad teams. And the Reds haven’t yet played that many top-notch teams, other than the St. Louis Cardinals, who might be the best. How would you like to be a fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers ($216 million payroll) or the Philadelphia Phillies ($159 million payroll)? They can’t beat anybody during the regular season.
Q: Rookie pitcher Curtis Partch is a ginger, a redhead. I don’t recall another redhead playing for the Reds. Who is the last one you remember? — MARTHA, ENGLEWOOD
A: I can tell you that the last bleached blond was Dmitri Young, until manager Jack McKeon threatened to bury him in the dugout. A redhead? I remember two at about the same time and both, like Partch, were pitchers. Mike LaCoss was called Buffy, named after the little redheaded girl on the TV show Family Affair (why didn’t they call him Jody, after the little redheaded boy on the same show?). Steve Foster was famous for replying to Canadian customs agent when asked if he had anything to declare, “Yes, I’m proud to be an American.”
Q: Out of all the records in baseball, don’t you think Johnny Vander Meer’s back-to-back no-hitters is the least likely to be surpassed? STOCC, MIAMISBURG
A: Nobody will ever win 511 games to match Cy Young. Nobody will ever pitch seven no-hitters to match Nolan Ryan or match his 5,714 strikeouts. Those are records of endurance and talent over a long period. As for Vander Meer, any pitcher in any rotation has a chance to match that record over a 10-day period. Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver only pitched one no-hitter each in their entire careers. And no pitcher has ever thrown a no-hitter for the San Diego Padres. So my answer? No, I don’t think it will ever happen and, no, I didn’t cover Vander Meer’s back-to-backers in 1939.
Q: Am I right that after every pitch a baserunner has to tag up at the base? I recall being taught that, but recently I’ve seen games where that wasn’t done? CARL, KETTERING
A: That is a popular misconception, like some folks actually believe Columbus discovered America. If you read the rulebook, you will discover that there is no mention of a runner having to tag up after every pitch. The only time they have to tag up is on a fly ball if they want to advance a base. Some runners do return to the bag after every pitch, but it is more of a habit, a feeling of comfort because they can’t be picked off if they’re standing on the base.
Q: What is your opinion of the commercial that Pete Rose and his lady friend do on TV for the furniture store? — TERRY, CELINA
A: The Screen Actors Guild should sue Pete for impersonating an actor. An advertising publication placed it in its top five of the year’s worst commercials. Don’t blame Pete, though. He is just following a script somebody wrote for him. Is the furniture store happy? Probably so. Everybody talks about how bad the commercial is so the store’s name is remembered. But they don’t have any stock left. Remember? Pete bought everything in the store.
Q: In some ballparks the home dugout is on the first-base side and in others the home dugout is on the third-base side. Are there any guidelines or rationale to this? MIKE, OAKWOOD
A: When a ballpark is built they generally make the home clubhouse, which is always behind the dugouts, as spacious and as comfortable as possible and they make the visiting clubhouse as small and Spartan as possible so the visitors don’t feel too comfortable. As for which side the home dugout is built, it is something between the team and the architect. Doesn’t matter which side. And I’ve never seen a player absent-mindedly wander into the wrong dugout.
Q: Who is the best second baseman you’ve ever seen, Joe Morgan or Brandon Phillips, and why? — MARK, BLOOMINGTON, IND.
A: You are limiting my choices to two? Maybe I think it was Pokey Reese or Bret Boone or Doug Flynn or Johnny Temple or Don Blasingame? Actually, Morgan and Phillips are the best I’ve seen. Morgan, though has a complete resume and Phillips is still constructing his. At this moment, it is a split decision — Morgan on offense, Phillips on defense.
Q: How long can the Reds stay in contention with Ryan Hanigan batting under .200? — BILL, RABBIT HASH, KY.
A: Hanigan is worth his weight in throwing out runners and calling a game. Any offense is a bonus and his average suffered immensely when he played a long period with a bad hand. It will get better. A team can endure a light-hitting catcher if the rest of the lineup makes up for it. So far a few have a lot of making up to do.
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