Ask Hal on Baseball: Dave flunks his homework assignment
By Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News
You've got the questions, Hal McCoy has the answers. Visit DaytonDailyNews.com/reds for more "Ask Hal." To submit questions about baseball, e-mail hmccoy@DaytonDailyNews.com
QUESTION — You asked who on the Reds do I like and why? Well, I like a player who hustles, keeps his mouth shut, does not do performance-enhancing drugs, does not wear earrings, does not bare tattoos, does not drive expensive cars and does not wear his hat backwards. Do you see anyone on the Reds roster that fits my prescription? — Dave, Centerville
ANSWER — You flunked your homework assignment, pal. I see some guy in the Bible who fits your description. I see a lot of hustling players, nobody is required to not ever talk, I'll bet your wife wears earrings, I've never seen a tattoo inhibit a pitcher throwing a strike or a batter getting a hit. If you made $4 million a year, would you drive a 1974 Volkswagen? And do you even wear a hat?
Q — For the sake of your faithful readers, tell Dave from Centerville to get a life and his 15 seconds of fame are up. And I thought it was tradition for the Reds, being the oldest franchise in Major League Baseball, to throw the first pitch of the season. Greg, Kettering
A — Dave is my most faithful e-mailer. Sometimes I get five and six a day from him, just to make sure he makes it into this column. He didn't one week, and his friends and relatives were all over him. Oh, the embarrassment.
As for the Reds being the first game, that tradition was wiped out by ESPN a few years ago. They want to do a Sunday Night Game of their choosing, and they always choose the New York Yankees or some other East Coast team. Hey, money talks, so when ESPN says 'jump' baseball asks how high on the way up. The Reds do get to play Opening Day at home every year.
Q — If the Reds are 13 games out in late July, will manager Dave Miley be the lone sacrificial lamb? Or will we see another great purge like 2003? — Mike, Union
A — Dave Miley is more like a wolf than a lamb, and I wouldn't want to be the guy to try to shear him. If the Reds are 13 games out in July, I wouldn't be surprised to see some salary dumping ... again. All those relief pitchers are older veterans and expendable over the long haul, and they might bring younger players for the future if the Reds are out of it. But don't look for anything to be added if the team is within three games. The Reds' payroll is maxed out, and they say to add even another $1 million, they would need to draw 3 million fans. So gather your friends and neighbors, open your wallet the way Carl Lindner did, and go see a ballgame.
Q — Hope you are watching the excellent relief pitching by David Weathers and Kent Mercker. I know it is early, but statistics don't lie. I think I heard that from my favorite baseball writer. — Paul, Dayton
A — If you heard that statistical stuff from me, I think I stole it from Henry Chadwick, the baseball writer who invented the symbols for the scorebook. And statistics don't lie. But it is early. They don't call Weathers "Stormy" for nothing. Betcha he weathers the storm. And Mercker may be murky now, but he'll clear up, too.
Q — Runner tags up at third with less than two outs. Fly ball is hit to the outfielder. Does the runner have to wait until the ball is touched or caught? What if it is bobbled? Could it be legal for a fielder to juggle the ball and free the runner? — Joe, Dayton
A — The only way a baserunner is frozen is during a night game in Anchorage. Actually, once a fielder touches the ball, the runner can advance. They wouldn't even let a bowling pin juggler on the old Ed Sullivan Show try to pull that deceiving little trick.