A: Oh, so many. Nearly every hitter has his own stance. Former New York Yankee Gil McDougal was so wide open he nearly stood facing the pitcher. Pete Rose had his peek-a-boo stance, peering over his shoulder. Did you know that Hank Aaron batted cross-handed early in his minor-league career and they changed him? The most unusual, though, was Stan Musial’s stance. He was so bent in a weird contortion he looked like an Auntie Anne’a pretzel waiting for mustard to be applied.
Q: Should baseball ban the intentional walk? — ALAN, Lexington, KY.
A: What a fabulous idea and I wish I had thought about it first. If I’m a fan paying half a week’s salary to take my family to a game, I want to see Elly De La Cruz, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani hit 450-foot home runs, not trot to first base on an intentional walk. The intentional walk is almost cowardice. Show some competitiveness. Pitch to everybody, try to get everybody out. A pitcher can be careful pitching to those guys. They say nothing in life is free, but baseball’s intentional pass is as close as it gets.
Q: Is it hypocritical that Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose are not allowed in the Hall of Fame when MLB now makes millions from betting site advertising? — LARRY, Pique.
A: Yes, I can see it, the signage all over ballparks and the in-game advertising. Baseball believes it gets around it by continuing to prohibit players from betting on baseball. I can see why MLB is in bed with gambling sites because sports wagering is legal all over the country and it is a huge money stream. And they have to prevent players from betting to preserve the integrity of the game, which is why Rose and Jackson remain on the outside looking in at Cooperstown, except for Rose selling autographs in a Cooperstown shop during induction weekend. They can keep Pete out of the Hall of Fame, but they can’t keep him out of Cooperstown.
Q: Do you abhor teams tanking so they get high draft picks but still stick it to fans with the same high ticket prices? — GEORGE, Morton Grove, IL.
A: Since you are from northern Illinois, I assume you are referring to this year’s Chicago White Sox. In the past teams could tank because the team with the worst record would get the No. 1 pick in the next year’s draft. They stopped that. Now several teams are involved in a lottery to determine draft order, so tanking won’t do a team much good. I don’t think the White Sox are tanking. They are just awful, a product of poor management. What I abhor is the prices poor White Sox fans pay to watch a Double-A team, although the vast emptiness of their park should send a strong message to ownership.
Q: Should Hunter Greene throw up during every start on his way to the Cy Young award? — CODY, Miamisburg.
A: Greene has vomited on the mound several times this year and he might be auditioning for a Pepto Bismol commercial. And it seems to happen on days he is pitching lights out. Oh, that’s about every time, isn’t it. They say it is because he has troubled hydrating. A Gatorade commercial? As for Cy Young, he is in the top five but has tough competition from Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler, Paul Skenes and Dylan Cease.
Q: How much longer do they stick with David Bell as manager? — GLENN, Elk Rapids, MI.
A: That’s the Flavor of the Day question and the more vociferous fans want him gone. I’m not one to try to get any person fired from any job. While he has made some curious decisions regarding usage of pitchers, I give him a hall pass because the team has been ravaged by injuries and he has been forced to mix-and-match lineups. And the youth shows in the inconsistencies. Bell’s contract extends through the 2026 season, so unless the team lapses into total collapse I don’t see him being invited to vacate the dugout.
Q: What’s the deal with catchers setting up with one knee on the ground? — TOM, Cincinnati.
A: The Reds Tyler Stephenson is a one-knee advocate and it isn’t a marraige proposal. Those who do it say it improves their receiving, especially with so many pitchers these days throwing cutters and splitters that dive like hungry hawks. But it seems to lead to more unblocked wild pitches and passed balls because it limits the catcher’s ability to move quickly. And Elly De La Cruz has to love seeing opposing catchers on one knee because it increase the time it takes for them to scramble to their feet to make a throw. If I’m a manager, I say to my catcher, “Both knees off the ground, please.”
Q: How did the Reds get Elly De La Cruz? — ALAN, Sugarcreek Twp.
A: Pure unadulterated good luck. Reds scouts went to an academy in the Dominican Republic to scout a shortstop. It wasn’t Elly. Before they left, the director of the academy said they should take a look at a raw, undeveloped kid who could run pretty fast. He was only 16 and only 6-foot at the time. Nobody paid much attention to him. But the Reds took a flier on him and signed him at a bargain basement price of $65,000. For example, the year before they signed Jose Barrero for $5 million. Luck? You bet. Do you prefer Barrero or De La Cruz?
Q: What are some of the funniest stories from your days covering the Reds? — LAURA, Chattanooga.
A: After covering more than 7,000 games, that’s a tough call and many are not fit to print. One of my favorites is when relief pitcher Rob Murphy put on his girlfriend’s black panties under his uniform, “For good luck.” He went on a long successful streak and wore them every game. And there was the time Dave Concepcion climbed into an industrial dryer to get rid of a slump and teammate Pat Zachry turned the dryer on, scorching every hair on the screeching Concepcion’s body. Tom Browning sitting in full uniform atop a building across the street from Wrigley Field during a game is famously funny. Oh, so many.
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