A: Get over it, it is ancient history in the baseball world. You need the short memory that all good closers have and that is yesterday is gone and it’s a new day. Every closer blows games. If Gibaut’s misstep hadn’t been on Opening Day, it already would be forgotten. He has erased it from his mind and he has been reliable ever since in late relief. As Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux put it: “The best pitchers have a short memory and a bullet proof confidence.”
Q: How rare is a triple play in MLB? — CHRIS, Vandalia
A: About as rare as a one-string ukulele. There are 2,430 games played in a season and the average is five per season. There must be at least two runners on base with no outs for it to happen. Usually it involves a baserunning mistake in which a runner or two is caught in a rundown. An unassited triple play is the rarest thing in baseball, only 15 in history. That’s more rare than a perfect game. But right now, the Reds getting more than six hits a game is pretty rare, too.
Q: Does Reds manager Terry Francona have total autonomy to fill out the lineup card or does he have to run it by the front office? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: Francona never would have accepted the job without full authority. The lineups are his and his alone. He does check the statistics furnished by the analytics department, but he is old school and does most of the lineup-making based on the opposing pitcher, what he sees on the field and some gut feelings. And he has more guts than Audie Murphy.
Q: Why is the ’14’ patch to honor Pete Rose on the left sleeve of some players and on right sleeve of others, so is that because Rose was a switch-hitter? — BILL, Villa Hills, KY.
A: It has nothing to do with Rose and all to do with Kroger. And it is about television. The center field camera focuses on the pitcher and the hitter during at bats. They want that Kroger patch to be visible during at bats, so it goes on the left sleeve of righthanded batters and on the right sleeve of lefthanded hitters so the patch is aways facing the pitcher and the camera. It is the Reds’ message of “Let’s go Kroger-ing.”
Q: If Hunter Greene keeps pitching the way he is right now and gets some run support, will he change his name to Cy Young? — RYAN, Englewood.
A: No, but if he finishes anywhere near his record-setting 0.98 earned run average, they might change the award to the Hunter Greene Award. But it’s early and he will have stiff competition. Pitching for a winning team helps and a good won-loss record is imperative. If the Reds don’t start scoring runs for him, he might finish 10-10 with a 1.50 earned run average. Ask Mario Soto about that. For the 101-loss Reds in 1982, he was 14-13 with a 2.79 earned run average and finished ninth in the Cy Young balloting.
Q: You’ve mentioned you didn’t have a personal relationship with Sparky Andersson, so did he hang out with other media members or was it just you? —TOM, Beavercreek.
A: Sparky was very amiable and cooperative with me. He and some media members liked to lounge near hotel swimming pools on the road, but I was always playing tennis. And sometimes he and media members had breakfast together but I ate very early so I could hit the tennis courts. I did have great personal relationships with Lou Piniella and Jack McKeon because I had a lot in common with them. I guess it is all about personalities and how they mesh.
Q: MLB Network keeps mentioning Shohei Ohtani and Elly De La Cruz as possible National League MVPs, so does Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna fall into the conversation? — JASON, Beavercreek.
A: That’s one source’s opinion and narrowing it to those two is preposterous. Anybody can have a great or career year and win it, names nobody mentions. Yes, Acuna could win it if he stays healthy and the Braves start winning, but I also know you are a bit prejudiced because I’ve seen you wearing your Atlanta Braves hat.
Q: Is the recent resurgence of the Reds for real or just an illusion against the Pittsburgh Pirates? — ALAN, Surgercreek Twp.
A: If you noticed, the Reds won two of three in San Francisco against the potent Giants before sweeping the anemic Pirates at home. The Pirates scored five runs in three games then were so happy to escape Cincinnati’s pitching that they scored 10 in their next game against Washington. It is way, way too early for any rash judgements either way. Sit back, relax and see what unfolds over the next two months and we shall know for sure.
Q: Do you think the Savannah Bananas could beat the Cincinnati Reds? — ROD, Columbus
A: Only if the fix was on, only if the Reds would agree to play dead. Hunter Greene or Nick Lodolo would make them look the Bad News Bananas. Well, they might be able to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, but so would the Ajax Storm Door & Pizzeria softball team. The Bananas come with a label that says, “For Entertainment Only.”
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