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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > June > 11 > Entry
The view from down under
Time to face reality, Redlegs fans.
This is NOT a good baseball team. This is a baseball team that is in last place and could claim squatter’s rights. It is a baseball team sprinkled with some young talent that can be great one night and awful the next.
Or in the case of 22-year-old Johnny Cueto, semi-great one start and awful the next - like Wednesday night.
In the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals, he retired the first hitter, then walked two. Rick Ankiel homered. He walked another and Jason LaRue homered. Now it’s 5-0 and St. Louis starter Braden Looper hasn’t thrown a pitch.
Before the night was over, Cueto walked eight in five innings and nothing was pretty about this 10-0 game except the Reds cheerleaders - and this was the first night I even paid the least bit attention to them.
Cheerleaders in baseball? There should be no crying in baseball and no cheerleaders in baseball. Make that a rule.
And, of course, we know St. Louis catcher Jason LaRue, the former Cincinnati catcher. He was hitting .173 when he batted in the first. After he homered, a member of the St. Louis traveling party said, only half-kidding, “That might be the first ball he hit out of the infield this year.”
Hey, if former Reds like Jorge Cantu and Cody Ross can turn the screws, why not Jason LaRue.
The Reds are probably fortunated that Kyle Lohse isn’t facing them in this series. Lohre, gosh-darn-awful with the Reds before they traded him to Philadelphia, is now with the Cardinals and he is 7-2 with a 3.92 ERA in 14 starts.
Guaranteed. If he faced the Reds, he’d pitch a three-hit shutout. But the Cardinals didn’t need that. Braden Looper did it.
The Reds are in last place, 11 1/2 games behind the Cubs. Just hang a lantern on them. They’re the National League Central caboose. Aren’t most caboose’s red?
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Comments
By Sharon
June 20, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
Nice good blog!By jerm
June 12, 2008 6:57 PM | Link to this
All i ever see Jacoby doing is sitting on the bench with his legs crossed or standing in front of the bat rack. Pole sits there and gets up once a game when Dusty tells him to go make a mound visit. Somethings gotta change.By jerm
June 12, 2008 6:57 PM | Link to this
All i ever see Jacoby doing is sitting on the bench with his legs crossed or standing in front of the bat rack. Pole sits there and gets up once a game when Dusty tells him to go make a mound visit. Somethings gotta change.By jerm
June 12, 2008 6:57 PM | Link to this
All i ever see Jacoby doing is sitting on the bench with his legs crossed or standing in front of the bat rack. Pole sits there and gets up once a game when Dusty tells him to go make a mound visit. Somethings gotta change.By L-In Indy
June 12, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this
Anybody else think Phillips is killing us in the 4 hole? Griffey is doing the same in the 3 spot. Ship out EE and play Hairston and Kepp on the left side. Let Griffey bat in the bottom 1/2 of the lineup and just move Phillips out of the middle. He tries to hard to hit rockets instead of just trying to hit the ball back through the box. I can live with our pitching b/c they are young for the most part. Just please shake up the lineup!!!!By Brick
June 12, 2008 3:28 PM | Link to this
I believe someone has stuffed a double-dose of smelling salts up my nose…I think I’ve finally woken up when it comes to the Reds. Being the eternal optimist I’ve been convinced this organization was great and was just having some down times. I don’t think that anymore. I now think it’s one of the the downtrodden teams of MLB that other teams love when they see them on the schedule! It really hurts my heart.By Baffled in Bellbrook
June 12, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this
Baffled. I like that headline about “drop in Bailey’s speed baffles Reds” or has Reds baffled. That word baffled is PERFECT to describe this team from the bottom up — completely baffled. They way they pitch and don’t learn about opposing batters from year-to-year and give it up to the same guys time after time, baffled at the plate, baffled in the field, baffled in the dugout - manager and pitching coach and batting coach. Is the front office baffled as well? The farm system? The scouts? The team has been trash since Marge dismantled the scouts and farm and cheapo billionaire Lindner was too busy promoting his ego that to put any money in the team, the skinflinty of b@stard! The former Dynasty…that fits. This bunch is incredibly frustrating to watch isn’t it? Highs and lows. Last place. Again. Pathetic.By Crouton17
June 12, 2008 2:05 PM | Link to this
Shouldn’t the plural of caboose be cabeese?By Nick
June 12, 2008 11:07 AM | Link to this
did anyone really expect us to have a good year??before the year started everyone was saying that we were going finish first or second and might get in by the wild card..yea right.. i was waiting for this day to come when we show our true colors..i think next year ur gonna see a different team u no griffey won’t be back i think dunn will stay and u could see a batting order of freel/hairston/who ever playing center kepp at short bruce in right phillips dunn edwin then who ever we have at catcher..i think broson might be gone since we have so much talent at pitcher in minors could see a rotation of harang volquez cuteo thompson and hopefully bailey turns it around or maybe we trade griffey and get a good pticher..look at the rays they were horrible and they built up their farm system and now there hanging with boston we just have to be patient as cincinnati fans i think we are pretty good at that..im scared to see what boston does to us this weekend!!!By Nick
June 12, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this
did anyone really expect us to have a good year??before the year started everyone was saying that we were going finish first or second and might get in by the wild card..yea right.. i was waiting for this day to come when we show our true colors..i think next year ur gonna see a different team u no griffey won’t be back i think dunn will stay and u could see a batting order of freel/hairston/who ever playing center kepp at short bruce in right phillips dunn edwin then who ever we have at catcher..i think broson might be gone since we have so much talent at pitcher in minors could see a rotation of harang volquez cuteo thompson and hopefully bailey turns it around or maybe we trade griffey and get a good pticher..look at the rays they were horrible and they built up their farm system and now there hanging with boston we just have to be patient as cincinnati fans i think we are pretty good at that..im scared to see what boston does to us this weekend!!!By Dave Bristol
June 12, 2008 10:56 AM | Link to this
Last year when the team showed it was in full suck mode they brought in Pete Mackanin. Many of us thought he deserved to be kept on as manager this year. Just looking at results & W/L record before/during/after Pete and how much a 3-year Dusty contract cost the Reds, maybe they should have kept Pete, the ONLY Reds manager with a winning record sine Trader Jack in 2000. The team has turned worse, not better. The Deads — A Dynasty In Reverse.By bigdoc
June 12, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
Who would ever have guessed that folks would be saying,’Gosh, we miss the energy Jerry Hairston, Jr., brings to the line-up!’By Reds Fan
June 12, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
Last night might have been the end of the year. Why is it every year I get excited we might beat St Louis and then we get swept. We don’t have Volquez tonight so is it good or bad Bronson? Everyone is absolutely right when it comes to this club they are not built to “Manufacture” runs. I would love a boring team if it’s like the Cards and LaRussa if that meant winning. Cueto gets rocked in first, what do they do give Looper an 11 pitch inning. I don’t know who to blame partly I think it’s Jacoby and Pole. Why can’t this team work counts get on base and move them over and in. We could score 7/8 tonight but end result is Cards take 2 of 3. Changes need to be made and we have a young nucleus. I read an article about Percival and the Rays. He might be on the DL but he keeps the clubhouse loose and strict at same time and presides over kangaroo court. Boy wish the Reds had that. No leadership and I think that starts with Baker. We didn’t need a big name but coaches who teach things not rely on veterans. This stretch of games could put Reds out of it by end of Father’s Day.By Coach
June 12, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this
Don’t worry—we have everyone in the central division right where we want them!By Steven Ross
June 12, 2008 9:26 AM | Link to this
This team is awful. If it wasn’t for Volquez, we’d be 16 games out of first. Keep Bruce, Votto, Keppinger, Phillips and gut the rest. Dusty can go too. Another sad-sack losing season. Come-on Walt, makes the changes.By donb51
June 12, 2008 8:52 AM | Link to this
Hi Hal, I have a flock of ducks and geese down here in Virginia. Everynow and then, we have to pick out the young and strong ones and give away the older ones in order to keep the flock thriving. We also have to euthanize any lame or sick ones so they don’t affect the rest of the flock. If it works for ducks, could it work for the Reds? I’m just sayin’.By MAC
June 12, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this
I can agree w/ a lot of the most recent comments, but a lot of what I’m talking about are things I cover w/ my Babe Ruth and LL teams. Come on already; these are basic fundamental principals. Matter of fact, a lot of Cueto’s problems where covered by Jack Billingham in Walsh’s Tech talk moment. Stay in a straight line and finish balanced and in a fielding position and maybe he’d have some command of his pitches…duh? In other words pitch instead of just throwing as hard as you can and hope no one hits it. By and large the team has the same approach at the plate; swing hard in case you hit it. Do they teach anything to these guys in the minor leagues; Homer has already said no.By Mike-Cinci
June 12, 2008 7:47 AM | Link to this
I wish it was easy and we could change the manager and coaches and the Reds would win. That’s not the problem. Never has been. The Reds just don’t have enough good players. The Reds are paying the price for ignoring the farm system and player development for many years. We see a few young players in the farm system and we think they are going to fix things. Those young players tend to be over hyped and saddled with unrealistic expectations. Let’s face it the Reds are Kansas City and Pittsburgh in red colors. This will not get better until the team makes a big and consistent commitment to scouting and the development of many players not just a few. It is hard work. It takes years. They better get started soon. The Reds have wasted the last 20 years and it shows.By Mr. Redlegs (Original)
June 12, 2008 6:47 AM | Link to this
I agree coaching staff changes are probably needed, especially since Baker pretty much accepted last year staff with the exception of Hume-Hume Boom. But that’s just one element. The question is: Tear it down completely and hope to compete by 2010, or trade some parts—young and old—that have any remote value and eyeball 2009?By Richard
June 12, 2008 6:06 AM | Link to this
Different ones have said Cueto is still young and learning. Well quit teaching him ,he is getting worst. All these teams that are consistently successful have great managers and coaches. All our coaches suck and so does Baker.By KY Reds Fan
June 12, 2008 1:49 AM | Link to this
Listening to Marty & Jeff tonight, they make a valid point, and I’m not sure who to “blame” for it: with the exception of Volquez, the other 4 pitchers in the Reds’ rotation are just not getting any better from start to start. I realize Harang isn’t getting any run support, but he is still t-4th in the majors in homeruns allowed with 14. He’s also given up 105 hits in 94 innings. Regardless of run support, these are not Harang numbers. Cueto is t-1st in the majors with 18 homeruns given up, and Arroyo is t-5th giving up 13 long balls. With young talent comes inconsistency. Bruce and Votto will have their ups & downs with it being their first full season in the big leagues (Bruce’s first overall). Griffey is on the decline of his career, and Dunn, like all other power hitters, will strikeout. This team can’t play small ball. They can’t simply ‘manufacture’ runs, and rely too much on homeruns (which they can’t hit away from Cincinnati). This team will not succeed unless the pitching improves. Where the problem lies, I have no idea. But someone needs to do something about it, because like I mentioned earlier, no one…and I mean NO ONE, is improving!!!!!By MAC
June 12, 2008 1:23 AM | Link to this
Johnny Bench, Welsh, Daugherty on WLW and even myself can all see and have said what is wrong w/ Cueto. The question is how has this kid come so far so fast and still have no approach & fundamentally poor mechanics…Reds coaching? Welsh said it best, “Cueto was throwing and Looper was pitching; that was the primary difference.” Seriously, it’s time we all start looking much higher than Baker, Poole and Jacoby and start asking why aren’t the Reds’ players more fundamentally sound when they get to the ML level? That’s something the Reds have to fix on both sides of the ball!By Ol' brarhopper
June 12, 2008 12:25 AM | Link to this
The Reds are bi-polar. Either on a high (manic) or crawlin under the door dead (depressive). They need some doctorin’…maybe a team shrink is the answer. They sure ain’t cuttin it, consistently pitch the same crap to great hitters (how many homers does Ankeil have to club before they figure out what NOT to throw this guy?). And they get all psyched out over some new guy (time and again) or some guy who’s beat ‘em b4 and they just plain shrivel and shrink…like scared timid little girls. Gettin real sick of watchin this same bull for 8 YEARS NOW! How long we spose to root for a loser? Did Dusty inhereit these loser coaches? They suck — get rid or ‘em! I agree that Mazzoni would be a great hire. How about Pete Rose for hitting coach? is he allowed or not due to that stupid ban?By RLG
June 11, 2008 11:23 PM | Link to this
The team is inconsistent because they lack people who can consistently help manufacture runs, small ball. They are built for hitting it out or nothing, thus, the reason for so many games this year where they offense is anemic and they wind up with 5 hits. I think outside of Votto, Bruce, keppinger and maybe Phillips, come trading time, I would examine what direction we need to head for the future. The parts they have are not working. When you cannot produce runs consistently, it puts enormous pressure on the pitching staff, where they feel they have to be flawless…not a good prescription.By Mutaman
June 11, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this
This team hasn’t been ove .500 in the last 8 years, so now the solution is get rid of Pole and Jacoby. Boy, if we can just trade Corry Patterson, everything would be all right. If we only had Cantu and La Rue back. Don’t you just love fans.By Jimmy1Time
June 11, 2008 11:10 PM | Link to this
Well I have to say I don’t care for coaches that I have never heard of. Jacoby I remember, I had his baseball card when I was a kid. His best Hr year was 32jacks. Pole? I’m to tired from the gambling boat to look up his stats. But no matter, THEY BOTH STINK! JUST LIKE WELSH’S TECK TALK SEGMENT! Mabye we should invest in some great coaches. Listen I maybe just a barber. But I know baseball. And this team has talent. Joey just needs to stop over thinking his D-fense and just let it come natural. Johnny needs to stop acting like Edinson. With time Johnny will come great things. And Dunn, Jr., and Aaron one word “Atkins”!!!!!! I love this team right now, only some small changes might be in order. But not the writers or Marty and the Cowboy! Keep rocking Hal!!!!!!!By Vada P
June 11, 2008 11:06 PM | Link to this
WHAT in the h*ll is with these guys? They act like drug addcits…either really up or way down. Either kickin butt or gettin butt kicked. It’s like they have two speeds, exciting or depressed. Man o man, this team needs a heart transplant. They seem to get down on themselves collectievly in an instant. They give up…you can see it in their expressions and in their body language. You could see they had resigned themselves to a loss when they came to bat in the 1st inning. They’d already given up! It was so obvious! And worst of all, you KNEW before the night was out that Corey would bat.By HuberTucky
June 11, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this
Two words: Leo Mazzoni.By Y-City Jim
June 11, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this
Dusty and Walt need to take a good look at the coaching staff particularly hitting and pitching coaches. Are they being effective? While the players play the game, do Jacoby and Pole make any kind of positive effect on the players they work with?