A I’d say some of those guys named to the team already have campaign managers or they couldn’t have beaten out Votto. How else could some of them be chosen over Votto? Anyway, what’s wrong with guys expressing love for a deserving and disrespected teammate? If FoxSports asked me, I would have stood on my head and whistled ‘Joey’ by Sugarland to get him some votes.
Q Is there a rule that I’m unaware of that a manager must select a utility player for the All-Star team, or how else can the selection of Omar Infante be explained? – Jay, Dayton
A That one still mystifies me. The guy doesn’t have enough at-bats right now to qualify for the batting title, not that he’d ever win it. Maybe Votto should have been a utility player. I still wonder how Philadelphia/All-Star manager Charlie Manuel missed that big home run Votto hit against his team. Maybe he was busy checking Infante’s statistics.
Q We’re past the halfway point, so sharpen your pencil and gaze deeply into your crystal ball and tell us who will win the respective divisions and who will win the World Series. — Rob, Vandalia
A Guess I’m disqualified because I don’t use pencils and I left my crystal ball in an overhead bin on an airliner. But here are my guesses — pure guesses. Tampa Bay (Yankees collapse), Minnesota (Tigers can’t hold on), Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim (getting it together), New York Mets (getting healthier), Cincinnati (team of destiny), San Diego (best pitching). And the World Series winner is ... check back with me in late September.
Q Will the Reds make a deal for Cliff Lee, because while it seems to me the Reds are deep in pitching at this point they are an ace away from being a playoff/World Series contender. — Pat, Troy
A That ace is coming back after the All-Star break and his name is Edinson Volquez. While you never have enough pitching and I know the Reds have talked about Lee, what’s the price? GM Walt Jocketty is very wary about upsetting the balance of what is happening positively now. And he doesn’t want to disrupt the future by dealing too many good prospects. Personally, I believe they have enough to get to the playoffs right now, but I left my GM button in an overhead bin in an airliner.
Q With Jonny Gomes in a slump, how far away is Chris Dickerson’s return, and with his time off how effective would he be, or should the Reds go after another bat for the outfield? – Bill, Dayton
A Don’t make the mistake of giving up on Gomes so quickly. All players have periods of struggle. Taking away Gomes’ playing time right now wouldn’t be wise, not as long as this lineup is winning. And Dickerson is still struggling with his broken wrist, and who knows when he’ll be back? I left my diagnostic kit in an overhead bin of an airliner.
Q Who is the Reds’ emergency catcher if Corky Miller gets hurt while Ramon Hernandez is out with that knee problem? – Jerry, Venice, Fla.
A That would be infielder Paul Janish, who admits he has never caught but assured manager Dusty Baker that he is dumb enough to put on the tools of ignorance, as catching gear is known throughout baseball. Janish, though, is not ignorant. He’ll do anything to get more playing time. So he says, “If I’m needed, show me how to strap on that chest protector.”
Q As the non-waiver trading deadline approaches, any deals you would make? – Charlie, Dayton
A Tell me what the Reds need right now and I’ll propose a deal. I wouldn’t replace anybody in the starting eight because these guys like each other and all of them are playing extremely hard and they are winning. There is a delicate balance that involves chemistry and who knows what an outside interloper might do. That’s always a gamble, and I left my chips and playing cards in an overhead bin of an airliner.
Q When did the bench coach become commonplace, and what are the bench coaches’ primary duties? – Bob, Springboro
A It may have started when Joe Torre managed the New York Yankees and he had good friend Don Zimmer sitting constantly at his side in the dugout. When Jack McKeon managed the Reds, he had Harry Dunlop. Seems to me a lot of bench coaches are off-the-field dinner companions, theatre companions, race track companions and sounding boards. Most bench coaches stay right next to the manager to advise and consent, make certain the team doesn’t bat out of order, helps position the defense. Actually, he could be called an Assistant Manager because the bench coach usually takes over the team when the manager is ejected.
Q In all your years covering the Reds, who are your five favorite opposing players? Larry, Dayton
A I’ll not include former Reds playing on opposing teams because I have too many that qualify. Picking five is tough, too, over 38 years, but I’ll try. 1. Steve Garvey (because he remember my name months later after we were casually introduced behind a batting cage); 2. (tie) Mike Schmidt and Steve Yeager (both were from Dayton, so I got to know them closely); 3. Gary Carter (always polite, cooperative, smiling and incisive); 4. Willie Stargell (one of baseball’s all-time nice guys, Pittsburgh’s version of Sean Casey); 5. (tie) Juan Castro, Juan Samuel (OK, both played for the Reds, but they played elsewhere before coming to the Reds and were great guys to me before then and I lumped them together because they’re both named Juan).
Q With the Reds’ emphasis on defense this year, I wonder who were some of the worst fielders you ever saw who played only because they could hit? WalRuss, Dayton
A Wily Mo Pena was not good and I bring him up because one spring I wrote that he couldn’t get his glove through an airport metal detector. He was a very large man and I saw him reading the story the next day and thought he might unscrew my head and place it on his locker shelf. But he finished it, smiled at me, and said, “That’s funny.” So, he was a bad defensive player with a great sense of humor. I remember seeing Dick Stuart try to play first base and understood why they called him Dr. Strangeglove. Former Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent was one of those guys who should have listed his position as, “batter,” and not “second baseman.” I could go on, but I remember my defensive shortcomings when I played first base, so I can’t point fingers (most of ’em are broken, anyway).
Q What do the letters OPS stand for? My niece thinks I know baseball and asked me and I couldn’t answer? — Pat, Middletown
A Some might believe it stands for OverPriced Stars, but it doesn’t. Baseball statistical aficionados came up with it. It is called On Base Average plus Slugging Average, thus OPS (On-base Plus Slugging). It measures a player’s ability to get on base plus his ability to hit the ball for power, supposedly the measure of a real star. Check Joey Votto’s OPS and it spells ALL-STAR.
Q It is my understanding that players cannot argue balls-and-strikes calls, that it is automatic ejection. If true, what can the players say to the umpire when they disagree with the call? – Ed, Kettering
A They can say, “My kind sir, I do believe that the pitch you just called a strike was a bit outside, but I will accept it as part of the game and thank you for your hard work.” Umpires differ. Some have thinner skin than others and tolerate no dissent. Some will listen to quick complaint, as long as there aren’t words that got your mouth washed out with soap when you were a kid. But you can’t slam your helmet and scream. Joey Votto discovered that one.
Q Is The Man Cave available for wakes, weddings and birthday parties, or is it open only during baseball telecasts? — Bill, Villa Hills, Ky.
A The Man Cave is open to one and all — the garage door is always open. But the only ‘wake’ in it will be mine. And it is open for viewing Law & Order, Pawn Stars, Snapped and other TV classics. Admission is Yuengling, preferably cold.
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