http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal column Get more from Hal Hal's e-mail newsletter is the only place you can get his weekly commentary on the Reds. Sign up en-us hmccoy@coxohio.com 2012-05-21T22:25:35-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/21/leake_shines_in_pitchers_box_b.html CINCINNATI — The attention-getter Monday night was the big, booming bats — four home runs by the Cincinnati Reds (back to back to back in the fourth inning, plus two homers by Drew Stubbs, as the Reds whipped the Atlanta... 17408885@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-21T22:25:35-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/21/is_chapman_the_closer_wellll.html CINCINNATI — There were five video cameras pointed at Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker and at least 12 microphones and digital recorders in front of his face when one media type asked: “Where are you on Aroldis Chapman as a... 17408877@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-21T17:54:50-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/20/just_call_aroldis_chapman_mr_c.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave after a great Saturday night doing Dayton Dragons TV with personable Tom Nichols and wondering why 9,172 people show up to see a last place team that lost 14-3 to the Great Lakes Loons.... 17408832@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-20T16:54:54-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/19/reds_survive_by_skin_of_arredo.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVARTIONS from The Man Cave, watching the Reds-Yankees before leaving for a guest commentary appearance tonight with Tom Nichols on a Dayton Dragons TV broadcast. FOR SURE, isn’t it time to look for a new closer for the Cincinnati... 17408814@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-19T16:30:18-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/18/ancient_andy_arroyo_pitch_dand.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering if this current Cincinnati Reds team is ever going to hit and they certainly aren’t going to be the hit-starved 1959 Go-Go White Sox because, unlike those White Sox, they don’t even try... 17408807@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-18T21:52:00-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/17/a_major_meltdown_in_flushing_m.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave while watching the Cincinnati Reds refuse to knuckle under to Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, building a 4-0 lead, then frittering it all away in a 9-4 disgusting defeat. And I can’t resist lecturing the... 17408742@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-17T16:28:55-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/17/chapman_is_where_he_is_needed.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave — couldn’t wait until after todays Reds-Mets game because the Aroldis Chapman discussions just keep coming and coming and coming. WHAT IS IT THAT some fans and peripheral media don’t understand about Aroldis Chapman... 17408720@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-17T12:30:25-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/16/komeback_kids_bite_the_big_app.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, wondering why Major League Baseball continues to snub Cincinnati for an All-Star game, which hasn’t been in the Queen City since 1988. The 2013 game will be in Citi Field, which opened after Great... 17408702@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-16T22:03:27-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/15/cueto_hits_a_crater_of_a_pot_h.html UNSOLILCITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, missing absolutely nothing about the trips I made to Atlanta — the stifling heat, the snarled traffic, the ball park with no personality and, for sure, that infernal ‘Chop Chant.’ Nobody said Johnny Cueto’s... 17408647@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-15T21:52:11-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/14/bailey_bullpen_work_some_magic.html UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave and while I write this I’mk watching the first-place Cleveland Indians (say what?) swcore in the ninth inning to beat the Minnesota Twins, the same team who in spring training looked as if it... 17408586@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-14T23:04:35-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/13/and_mighty_votto_did_not_strik.html CINCINNATI — Mighty Mudville prevailed. Mighty Joey did not strike out. And it was a mother of a day on Mother’s Day — nine hours at the ball park that ended as dramatically as any baseball game can end. Joey... 17408539@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-13T20:03:35-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/13/baker_swinging_at_first_pitch.html CINCINNATI — There is no doubt that the Cincinnati Reds are striking out enough to stir up their own tornado, or at least a windstorm. Amazingly, though, their 258 strikeouts entering Sunday’s game aren’t even close to being most in... 17408532@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-13T15:10:58-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/12/latos_reds_succumb_with_a_whis.html CINCINNATI — Matt Latos looked unhittable for three innings — 10 up, 9 down for the Cincinnati Reds’ tattooed titan. But he staggered through the fourth and fifth innings, needing 66 pitches to cover those two innings. Through it all,... 17408520@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-12T22:34:34-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/12/leake_stays_but_rolen_goes_to.html CINCINNATI — For now, defeat-plagued pitcher Mike Leake (0-5, 7.11) is expected to take his act to the mound on Thursday on Broadway — well, at least in Citi Field in Flushing against the New York Mets. For one thing,... 17408496@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-12T18:35:00-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/entries/2012/05/11/leake_has_turned_into_a_flood.html CINCINNATI — Brandon Phillips on Twitter: “This weekend we play Babe Ruth and the Washington Nationals.” And he probably didn’t mean Rick Ankiel, Adam LaRoche or even Ryan Zimmerman, did he? He was talking about 19-year-old super-rookie Bryce Harper, of... 17408487@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/cincinnatireds/ 2012-05-11T22:54:07-05:00 hmccoy@coxohio.com