Q: Having covered all of Pete Rose’s career, what’s the ultimate moment that defines The Hit King’s legacy? — DAVE, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek.
A: Way too many to limit it to one. Seeing him cry after his 4,192nd hit was startling. Hearing him complain about Gene Garber’s slider to end his 44-game hitting streak was curious. Watching him crush catcher Ray Fosse at home plate in the 1970 All-Star game was not surprising. His lasting impression on me was when he sent me a video a month before he died and he told me he loved me. I didn’t believe Pete Rose ever used those words.
Q: Should the Reds rename the stadium Pete Rose Field at Great American Ball Park so the sponsor is still satisfied? – GEORGE, Morton Grove, Illinois.
A: No, no and no. Isn’t a statue enough? Wouldn’t it be a slap in the face to Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and others. No baseball park carries a player’s name. Mostly ballparks are named for corporations that pay big bucks. Personally I prefer the antiseptic names like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Dodger Stadium.
Q: When Pete Rose’s name appears on the Hall of Fame ballot, will you get a vote? — JERRY, Springfield.
A: Rose’s name will not appear on the baseball writers (BBWAA) ballot, which is absurd. A player is eligible to go on the ballot five years after he retires, then has a 10-year voting window to make it. If he doesn’t, he is no longer on the ballot. Well, Rose never was on the ballot and he should get that 10-year chance to get voted in. Instead, Rose will have to make it through a veterans committee. And yes I do have a BBWAA Hall of Fame vote, but I can’t vote yes or no on Rose. Guess which way I would have voted (YES).
Q: Why was the Reds pitcher credited with a save when he entered the game in the ninth inning against Baltimore with a 24-2 lead? —ALAN, Centerville.
A: That pitcher was Randy Wynne and that game is the only one he appeared in for the Reds this year. He didn’t enter the game in the ninth. He entered in the seventh and gave up one run and three hits in three innings. The three innings are the key. If a pitcher enters the game with a lead, hold that lead and finishes the game, if he pitches three or more innings, no matter what the score, he gets a save. The score was 15-1 when he entered. I don’t know you, but I’m relatively certain you could have held a 14-run lead and earned yourself an MLB save.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: When Tony Santillan mows them down in the eighth inning, one-two-three, why isn’t he sent back out for the ninth? — ED, Kettering.
A: There is no doubt he would love to do it. But that’s not the way of the baseball world. It is the era of the specialist. Baseball teams are great copiers and if something works for a team, they all do it. Somebody came up with one inning each for three guys for the seventh, eighth and ninth. With the Cincinnati Reds it is Graham Ashcraft (seventh), Santillan (eighth), then closer Emilio Pagan (ninth). If the Reds are leading by one, two or three runs, that is the order of business. Why quibble? It’s working.
Q: The Reds seem to put a lot of pitchers on the injured list with shoulder impingements, a term I’m not familiar with, so what is it? —DAVE, Arcanum.
A: If you get it, you’ll learn what it is in a hurry. Back in the day when team doctors carried a stethoscope, aspirin and a short bottle of Jack Daniels in their bag, it was a sore shoulder or a stiff shoulder. Actually, it is when bones in the shoulder rub against or pinches the rotator cuff from swelling in the shoulder. It happens from the swollen shoulder and is much better than a torn rotator cuff, which means a visit with Tommy John.
Q: Will MLB ever convert to electronic balls and strikes? — ART, West Chester.
A: From what I’ve seen recently from the flesh and blood umpires, they should do it tomorrow. Their strike zones are so inconsistent it confuses both the batter and the pitcher. They are human beings and human beings make mistakes. Machines make mistakes, too, as they are discovering with experimental umpire robots in the minors. I kid about replacing human umpires tomorrow. Keep the living, breathing umpires, please.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: How are pitchers cheating now that umpires check them? — ALAN, Lexington, Kentucky.
A: It’s very difficult because when umpires spot check pitchers they do everything but ask them to disrobe. And if you notice, the umpires are not finding Vaseline or pine tar or creme cheese or pickle juice these days. It is a guarantee, though, that admitted cheater Gaylord Perry would have found a way.
Q: What do writers do in the press box during rain delays? — ALAN, Sugarcreek Twp.
A: A myriad of things. Sometimes card games break out. Newspapers appear. Some erudite writers open high-brow novels. Some just sit around and shoot the you-know-what. Some catch up on phone calls. Me? I see if I can set an MLB record for most hot dogs gobbled during a rain delay. I was the Joey Chestnut of the press box.
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