A: I haven’t heard that much talk about it and only once have I heard him say he’d love to play for the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers. And in this case, talk really is cheap because De La Cruz won’t be a free agent until after the 2029 season. Reds fans can enjoy him through the 2029 season because until then he is going nowhere and will be wearing his gaudy shades, unbuttoned jersey and oven mittens for the Cincinnati Reds.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: Do switch-hitters use the same bat from both sides of the plate? — KEVIN, Oxford.
A: I once asked Pete Rose this question and he said, “No, I have a left-handed bat and a right-handed bat.” And he said most switch-hitters use different bats and it depends on the pitcher and how the hitters are going, as in a lighter bat if their swings are too slow and a heavier bat if they need to slow down their swings. It’s a batty dilemma.
Q: What is a quality start for a pitcher? — JESSE, Richmond, Ind.
A: If a pitcher goes six innings and holds the opposition to three runs or fewer, he is credited with a quality start. It was invented by Detroit Free Press baseball writer John Lowe, once a good friend. I disputed it and still do. Three runs in six innings is a 4.50 earned run average. That’s not good. I told him it should be two runs over six innings, an acceptable 3.00 ERA. Lowe has not spoken to me since.
Q: Have all the speed-up the game rules implemented by MLB had any bearing on attendance? — ROY, West Carrollton.
A: Attendance keeps going up for MLB games and last season was a seven-year high. It is doubtful the length of games has anything to do with it. Games are a bit faster, but just by a few minutes and that probably doesn’t influence anybody to say, “Hey, games are five minutes faster then a few years ago, so let’s take in a game.” As far as I know, MLB hasn’t conducted any surveys to check it out.
Q: Has Joey Votto disappeared from the face of the earth? — JAKE, Muncie, Ind.
A: It is more like the former Cincinnati Reds superstar first baseman is all over the earth. He spent a couple of months in Japan learning how to properly prepare sushi. And he is studying on-line to get a degree in Spanish. Did he need all this when he said after he retired he was going to be a school bus driver? His hometown Toronto has a population of 3 million. He is back in Toronto and was walking down a street when he spotted a woman wearing a Joey Votto t-shirt and yelled, “Hey, that’s my shirt,” and posed for a picture. What are the odds?
Credit: David Jablonski/Staff
Credit: David Jablonski/Staff
Q: On scorching hot days like the Reds encountered in St. Louis, could the pitcher take off his uniform top and pitch in a t-shirt? — BILL, Dublin.
A: I assume you read that I wrote Andrew Abbott should pitch in a t-shirt with ‘Stopper’ printed on the front. No, they can’t. MLB rules say all players must wear the full uniform top and all players must wear identical uniforms that include the jersey. OK, how about if the entire team wore t-shirts with their numbers on them? How about some originality?
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: Ned Garver won 20 games (20-12, 3.73) for the last-place 102-loss St. Louis Browns in 1951 and came in second in the AL MVP voting. Has any pitcher on a last place team ever won the Cy Young or MVP? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: Never. Not once. Those awards usually go to players on successful teams. But Andre Dawson of the last-place Chicago Cubs won the 1987 NL MVP and Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) won the AL MVP for the last-place Texas Rangers in 2003. That just shows what incredible seasons those two put together.
Q: Do you see MLB changing the five innings pitched to qualify for a win rule with teams using openers and pitchers not going five innings? — JIM, Dayton.
A: I never understood the reasoning for five innings. But now that it is in place it won’t be changed. It would foul up all the past records and baseball doesn’t like to do that. I mean, why should a relief pitcher who faces one batter qualify for a win but a starting pitcher who goes 4 2/3 innings doesn’t. Makes no sense, but neither do a lot of baseball’s idiosyncrasies.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: Former closer Goose Gossage is extremely critical of today’s players and game, so is he jealous of the money or is he correct? — RYAN/ELVIS, Englewood.
A: Yes and yes. As are many back-in-the-day players, Gossage resents the big money players make today, even though he made more than $1 million a season for five years late in his career, very good money in the mid-1980s. His criticisms about today’s game, though, the way it is played and the latter day rules, are in agreement with mine.
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