A Dr. Kremchek is offering you a free lobotomy, but realizes somebody beat him to it. Blaming a doctor for injuries is like the Greeks killing a messenger bearing bad news.
Q Twenty-five years from now, who will be the most remembered J.B. in Reds history, Johnny Bench, Jay Bruce or Jared Burton? — Quan, San Jose, Calif.
A You forgot Jack Billingham, Jeff Branson, John Bale, Joe Black, Jimmy Bloodworth and the immortal Jim Bluejacket. And how could you forget Jeff Brantley when he talks to you about ice cream every day? I’ll go on record and say nobody will surpass Johnny Bench, and be sure to check out the exhibit in his honor at the Reds Hall of Fame & Museum.
Q Bud Selig has stepped down and you have been given 100 percent authority to run the game as you see fit, so what’s your first move? — Alan, Sugarcreek Twp.
A I don’t want the job. Wait a minute? For $17 million a year? I’ll take it. My first move would be to hire Bob Costas to run the game. I’d do away with the DH, do away with interleague play and put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame. That would be done in one day and I’d relax and say, “Bob, you handle the rest. Where do I pick up my pay check?”
Q You have several readers overseas — Norway, Germany, Australia, Japan, Singapore. Have you traveled overseas, and what cuisine do you prefer? — May-Lis, Bjerkvik, Norway
A I’ve crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico, does that count? And Montezuma got his revenge. Never been anyplace else other than Aruba and once on the beach in Haiti. My favorite cuisine(s) are Italian (never been to Napoli), Chinese (never been to Peking) and steak (but I have been to the Outback). I’d love to visit Norway, though.
Q A few years ago there was a big push for catchers to wear the hockey-style mask and most joined the trend. I noticed in games this week that most are back to the old style and wonder why the trend didn’t continue? — Joe, Manhattan, Kan.
A Maybe it took too much time to paint those ugly pictures on them or maybe they felt too much like Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th slasher films. Some catchers complained they were too hot and some said they limited vision and some said they were too heavy and some said all three things.
Q I just read the book, ‘The Last Boy,’ and I wonder if you ever had any contact with Mickey Mantle. — Ron, Rio Rancho, N.M.
A What a great book, right? I read it, too. Ol’ Mick wasn’t much with personal relationships other than his ‘fun’ times with Whitey Ford and Billy Martin. He was before my time (if you can believe that) and I never met the man. Did eat in his restaurant a couple of times in New York. He wasn’t there, the food was abysmal and the eatery no longer exists.
Q If Dusty Baker sticks with Drew Stubbs at leadoff, how many games do you think it will last, and I’m saying 15 games? — Deck, Beavercreek
A Did you check the Opening Day box score? Home run. Double. One strikeout in five at-bats. Would you say Bobby Bonds was a good leadoff hitter? In six full seasons with the Giants he never struck out less than 134 times and had back-to-back years of striking out 187 and 189 times. When the Reds make the playoffs this year Stubbs still will be batting leadoff. Right now there are no alternatives and Stubbs is my pick to click this year — and I said that before Opening Day.
Q Have you ever seen an Opening Day game delayed by snowfall? — William, Kansas City
A No, but I do recall one year that it snowed during Opening Day at old Riverfront Stadium. No delay, but they had two Zambonis sweeping snow off the AstroTurf between innings. I was amazed. I thought Zambonis were only used to resurface hockey rinks and suck water out of the AstroTurf. And my wife, Nadine, still wants to ride the Zam-bon-ee.
Q Is Bronson Aroryo going to be ready for his turn? I had mononucleosis decades ago as a freshman at Northeastern University in Boston and I lost 30 pounds in two weeks and it can become serious if not taken care of properly. — Carl, Centerville
A Kissing all those Northeastern coeds, eh? Arroyo did lose some weight and he already is skinnier than a foul pole (and almost as tall). But he pitched last week in a spring training game and did well. The Reds have a fantastic medical staff that knows how to deal with mono, so Arroyo will make his scheduled start this afternoon — with his belt down a notch or two.
Q In your 40 years of covering baseball, how has the nature of sports journalism changed, and what do you think about blog sites that allow amateur writers to express their opinions? — Mike, Houston
A Social media changed the landscape and left large gouges. With blogs and Facebook and Twitter, anybody can post what they want. The problem is that these people don’t have inside information, don’t attend games, don’t talk to GMs, managers and players, so there is a ton of misinformation out there. Everybody is entitled to their opinions, but I wish some of them would keep it to themselves. We professionals screw it up enough.
Q Retired umpire Terry Croft told me that George Scott was to sing the national anthem at Fenway Park and didn’t know about the P.A. system delay. After singing his first line and not hearing the P.A., Scott tapped the microphone and 30,000 fans heard him say, “Is this (expletive) working?” True or apocryphal? — Doug, Chillicothe
A Oh so true, which added a special legend to Boomer’s otherwise illustrious career. There has to be a video out there somewhere. And it still beats the screeching rendition by Roseanne Barr at a Reds-Padres game in San Diego that I was unfortunate enough to hear. My stepson, Chad, was at that game and San Diego TV happened to interview him in the stands and asked what he thought about it. Said Chad, “She should stick to trying to be funny on TV.”
Q With your cutback in Reds coverage, is there a chance your coverage of Dayton Dragons game could increase? Having a Hall of Famer covering the Dragons could do nothing but enhance the team. — Bill, Dayton
A Hey, Bill, I am r-e-t-i-r-e-d. Well, semi. I still cover all the Reds home games for my Dayton Daily News blog and FoxSportsOhio.com. That leaves little time for much else without angering the household franchise. And Sean McClelland does an outstanding job covering Dragons home games. Hey, I will be on a Dragons TV telecast in August.