That was about the only relaxing McCoy did during the baseball season. And for that work, 37 years of covering the Cincinnati Reds for the Dayton Daily News, McCoy, who announced last month that he would retire at the end of the current Reds season, was honored before the Reds game against the Houston Astros on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Hal McCoy Night included an autograph session at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, a gathering with family, colleagues, former colleagues and friends and an on-field ceremony with broadcaster Marty Brennaman serving as master of ceremonies.
It was a night, those gathered said, well deserved for a reporter who dedicated those years to covering some of the most respected teams in Major League Baseball history — and also some stinkers.
During the ceremony, McCoy sat with his wife, Nadine, next to a podium while Brennaman and other speakers talked about his career and presented him with gifts. Then, before the game, McCoy threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former Reds and current Astros infielder Aaron Boone.
“It was my life and my passion,” McCoy said from the podium. “My wife Nadine hates it when I say this, but I love three things: Baseball, writing and traveling. I got to do all three for 37 years, and I got paid for it.”
A video tribute to McCoy noted that he has covered the Reds through 16 managers, nine general managers and six ownership groups, which is a resiliency, said Brennaman, that has made him one of the most respected people in or around the organization.
“The objectivity he has carried in his job all these years has been unwavering and uncompromising,” Brennaman said. “I think that’s the reason people have the respect (that they do).”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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