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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 > 14 > Entry
Casey: 1,500 and sadness
The day after, Sean Casey had tears in his eyes when he talked about the reception and ovation he got for his first at-bat Friday night with the Boston Red Sox from the Cincinnati Reds fans in Great American Ball Park.
Later in the game, he got his 1,500th hit and said Saturday, “I should have been all happy about it, but all I could think about was how I was traded by the Reds. I never got to say a real goodbye to the fans here. All I got was a 45-second phone call from general manager Dan O’Brien and manager Jerry Narron to tell me, “Sean, you’ve been traded to the Pirates.”
Casey’s hit was a blooper to left off Aaron Harang and after the game Harang sent Casey a baseball on which he inscribed:
“Congrats on your first hit off me. You really got ahold of that one.”
On the other side, however, he wrote a sincere: “Congrats on your 1500th hit. You’re still the best.”
Casey sent a ball back with this written on it: “Ranger: Thanks for letting me hit that rocket to left field off you.”
Modern-day ballparks, like Great American Ball Park, have massive medical facilities, a large training room with several tables on which players recline for treatment.
But on Saturday morning, there was Boston’s Manny Ramirez on the floor in the middle of the smallish visitor’s clubhouse, getting stretched by a trainer - another case of Manny being Manny.
I remember the days of old Crosley Field when there was no trainer’s room, just one table in the middle of the clubhouse and all the trainer had was a bottle of liniment and he drank half of that.
When Jay Bruce dropped a fly ball late in Wednesday’s game he wasn’t in the lineup the next day, but manager Dusty Baker called him into his office to explain, “You’re not out of the lineup because you dropped a fly ball. This isn’t punishment. Just a day off.”
Well, shortstop Paul Janish was 1 for 19 heading into Saturday’s game and he struck out four straight times Friday. But he was in the lineup Saturday.
“You don’t want to take a guy out after he strikes out four times because it looks like punishment,” said Baker. “I remember once when I struck out four times in Montreal against Bill Stoneman.
“After three strikeouts, I tried to bunt my fourth time,” said Baker. “I heard all these noises and it was coming from MY dugout, the guys yelling at me for trying to bunt. Hell, I wasn’t trying to bunt for a hit, I was just trying not to strikeout.
“Well, I struck out anyway and when I went back to the dugout I got a standing ovation. You know, ‘Go down like a man,’” said Baker.
While Baker doesn’t have many options at shortstop, he said he will play Jolbert Cabrera there on some days, “Depending on the pitcher - not theirs, ours. For defense. If a guy like Edinson Volquez is pitching (he gets a lot of ground balls) I want Janish on defense. With a fly ball pitcher like Bronson Arroyo I would be apt to play Cabrera.”
Makes sense to me.
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Comments
By Bart,Springfield
June 19, 2008 11:33 AM | Link to this
The fact that Adam Dunn still remains with this team reflects the flaws in Management’s thinking over the years that they have had ample oppourtunities to trade him when he was worth something. I never did like Dusty Baker and I like him even less now. You couldnt GIVE me tickets to watch this team and I stopped watching them on TV last year and stopped listening to them on Radio when Joe left. They stink.By Bart,Springfield
June 19, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
The fact that Adam Dunn still remains with this team reflects the flaws in Management’s thinking over the years that they have had ample oppourtunities to trade him when he was worth something. I never did like Dusty Baker and I like him even less now. You couldnt GIVE me tickets to watch this team and I stopped watching them on TV last year and stopped listening to them on Radio when Joe left. They stink.By Bart, Springfield
June 19, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
The fact that Adam Dunn still remains with this team reflects the flaws in Management’s thinking over the years that they have had ample oppourtunities to trade him when he was worth something. I never did like Dusty Baker and I like him even less now. You couldnt GIVE me tickets to watch this team and I stopped watching them on TV last year and stopped listening to them on Radio when Joe left. They stink.By michael
June 17, 2008 8:05 AM | Link to this
Another Dunn hater, huh? Keep Dunn, he leads the team in most Offensive catagories, and improving his defense. Griffey is the one who needs to go.By Monty
June 15, 2008 9:02 AM | Link to this
I too miss Casey being here terribly! He shouldn’t have been traded to start with, especially for what we received for him! He is a team player, a class act, and the one thing this team needs badly, a LEADER! I wish they would bring him back and put Votto in LF, after they trade Dunn, if they do so.By Coach
June 15, 2008 6:21 AM | Link to this
It is very difficult to understand Dusty Baker’s moves—most, all of them! His selection of relief pitchers seems to be mostly—miss. In my opinion, last year Weathers was utilized more frequently—and was more consistant—with 33 saves{11 less than Cordero had at Milwaukee}.This year Baker uses him much less frequently—thus the poor results.I agree that Burton is pitching well—and should be the setup guy—but if he is going to use Weathers—use him more OFTEN, before using Burton—in the seventh! Otherwise, don’t use him. Bakers method escapes me!The people he utilizes, and their timing out of the bullpen, looks like hit and miss—no rhyme or reason!By Stuttgart Tim
June 15, 2008 1:39 AM | Link to this
Hey Ellis, I don’t recall asking you to speak for me. Certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it is YOUR opinion, not “every Reds fan across the country”. As Hal already wrote, Dusty is somewhat handicapped by injuries.By Y-City Jim
June 14, 2008 10:54 PM | Link to this
If Dusty had managed the Big Red Machine: Geronimo, CF Concepcion, SS Griffey, Sr., RF Morgan, 2B Foster, LF Rose, 3B Perez, 1B Bench, C PitcherBy Ellis
June 14, 2008 10:28 PM | Link to this
Hal, I have no idea if you read these comments, but this is a plea from every Reds fan across the country. Please start holding Dusty accountable for his absolutely TERRIBLE management of this club. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed or not, but whomever plays CF and SS, is it really necessary for them to ALWAYS bat 1st-2nd in the lineup? It’s almost as if it’s written in the official MLB rulebook. If Dusty was managing Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and they were a CF and SS then they would be batting 1st-2nd. Seriously, Paul Janish in the 2-hole? And what about Phillips batting 4th! He leads the universe in GIDP and we have him batting cleanup. There are so many other problems to point out (Weathers pitching in ANY game that is +/- 2 or 3 runs) but those are the major points I’m going to present. This is nothing personal, but would some beat writer SOMEWHERE please grow a pair and confront the Toothpick about his ignorance in how to manage a MLB team. Thank you!By HuberTucky
June 14, 2008 6:59 PM | Link to this
He wasn’t the only one crying when the Reds traded him. Hundreds if not thousands of Reds fans (including me) cried because we knew what it meant and knew what and who we were losing — the team’s heart!By Emily
June 14, 2008 6:16 PM | Link to this
I still miss Casey dearly to this day. The day of the trade was the ONLY day crying was ever allowed in baseball. What a class act!By Ursula
June 14, 2008 2:38 PM | Link to this
I appreciate all the great Casey stories! He is still my favorite and will always be the mayor. I love reading your blogs. Thanks so much for writing them!