Q: In your estimation, when will Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand be brought up to the big club? — GEORGE, Raleigh, NC.
A: To borrow from Paul Masson, ‘No wine before its time.’ Yes, they are tearing it up at Class AAA Louisville. Rather than rush them and risk failure, let them continue to thrive and grow and learn at Triple-A. Why rush them into a losing environment? And you forgot Elly De La Cruz, the other Bats batsman fans are clamoring to see. In one game last week, he hit two homers (one from each side) and a double and they came off the bat at 118.8 miles per hour, 117.1 mph and 116.1 mph. No MLB team has hit three balls that hard in one game, let alone one player. Infielders cringe at his mere sight. You might say Elly comes from The School of Hard Knocks.
Q: What was the most uncomfortable confrontation you had with a player? — MAC, Fort Worth, TX.
A: As my mentor, Earl Lawson of the Cincinnati Post once told me, “They’ll turn on you at the drop of an adjective.” He was so right. I’ve had several confrontations, the worst being the time Joe Morgan told me, “Don’t ever try to speak to me again.” That lasted for 35 years. Johnny Bench and I had two or three. But he would shout at me and then would be fine the next day. Rob Dibble and I had our differences, but always made up.
Q: Do you think the Reds will ever honor Brandon Phillips in any way or bring him back to the team in some role? – JIM, New Paris.
A: B.P. was a magician with the glove and knew which end of the bat to use. But he was one of many outstanding Reds second basemen from Joe Morgan to Ron Oester to Bret Boone to Pokey Reese. While a fan favorite, Phillips was not a favorite of many teammates or of the front office. I would be surprised to see him play any part in the Reds’ future. I’m certain you can find him at some bowling establishment. He not only hit .300, but he can also bowl 300s.
Q: What is the sweeper pitch that Phillies Zach Wheeler and Taijuan Walker have been using? — B.J., Tipp City.
A: It isn’t a new pitch. It is a slider that breaks horizontally. It used to be lumped with the slider that breaks vertically … you know, a slider is a slider is a slider. But in this era of analytics, Statcast now separates the two for statistical purposes. Hey, remember when a sinker was a drop and a change-up was called a slowball and a spitball was called illegal?
Q: If the team is sold, would the Reds leave Cincinnati? – JIM, Vandalia.
A: There is no indication that the Castellini family is in the mood to sell the team. If a sale happened, it is doubtful the oldest franchise in MLB would be moved. MLB probably would intervene. Remember when Marge Schott hinted she might move the team to Louisville? MLB said, “Don’t even think about it.”
Q: What is your most memorable or favorite clubhouse story? — RYAN, Englewood.
A: Oh, so many, most of which don’t fit in a family newspaper. There was the Lou Piniella-Rob Dibble skirmish (which I unknowingly instigated), there was Tony Fernandez standing on a chair reciting Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream,’ there was manager Jack McKeon telling outfielder Curtis Goodwin, ‘Just go home,’ when Goodwin complained about playing time and there was Bret Boone imitating The Naked Cowboy by walking around the clubhouse in nothing but Jeff Brantley’s cowboy boots. I could easily fill this page.
Q: I am going to be visit PNC Park in Pittsburgh next month, so tell me some things to do around the park. — JIM, Ashland.
A: While PNC is, by far, my favorite baseball venue, there isn’t much to do around the park. Be sure to walk across the Robert Clemente Bridge. They close it to pedestrians only a couple of hours before game time. Check out the Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, Honus Wagner and Bill Mazeroski statues. That will take about two minutes each. There is a nice restaurant at the park with an outside entrance and a patio. Sean Casey’s father and I used to sit outside munching pierogies and talking baseball. Oh, the Andy Warhol Museum is only a block or two away if you like paintings of soup cans.
Q: What was your relationship like with the Reds broadcast team over the years and is there any conflict with the writers and the broadcast team? — CHUCK, Englewood.
A: No animosity, just jealousy over the money the broadcasters made. Just kidding. . .sort of. Worked with many broadcasters and liked them all. Really enjoyed sharing the second inning on radio with Marty Brennaman until Big Bob kicked me off for being too tough on the team. My favorite was George Grande and we ate many lunches together, a lot at Charley Gitto’s in St. Louis. Bill Brown was a tennis partner/opponent and, of course, Joe Nuxhall was everybody’s best friend.
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