A: In a couple of cases, the baseball takes a trip. When Trevor Bauer pitched for Cleveland, he turned and threw the ball over the center field wall. When Rob Dibble pitched in the minors, he threw a ball over the press box behind home plate and into the street. Immediately after the game Bauer said, “It was unbecoming. It was childish, unprofessional. There’s no place for it in the game.” Dibble was made to go look for the ball and could be seen on his hands and knees peering under cars.
Q: Now that Pete Rose has passed, will they put the house he grew up in on Braddock Street in Anderson Twp. in the National Register of Historic Places? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: They probably couldn’t find it. He lived at 4404 Braddock Street, a tiny trail that contains only four houses. And like MLB, for a while Google Maps seemed to have banished Rose’s original home. It didn’t show up if you zoom in. It’s there now, a skinny two-story wood-frame house. If the NRHP can find it, it could become Pete’s personal museum and a big tourist attraction.
Q: How are pitchers cheating now that the umpires regularly check them? — ALAN, Lexington, Ky.
A: Where there is a will there is a way, and I don’t mean Will Smith or Will McEnaney. And with pitches like the sweeper, the splitter, the knuckle-curve, the sinker, the slider and Aroldis Chapman’s 104 miles an hour fastball, why do they need to cheat?. But I’m sure they’ve figured ways to dodge the rule against defacing a baseball. All they need to do is research Gaylord Perry because he had 40 ways to doctor baseballs.
Q: Can a relief pitcher get a blown save and a loss in the same game? — JOHN, Virginia Beach, Va.
A: Absolutely, and it isn’t double jeopardy. If he comes into a game with a lead and blows it and he is the team’s last pitcher and they lose, he gets a blown save and a loss. In 1976 Oakland’s Rollie Fingers blew 14 saves and lost 11 games. He also won 13, all of this during 70 relief appearances. And during his career, Goose Gossage blew 112 save opportunities. And both are in the Hall of Fame.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Q: College baseball has the first base bag extended into foul territory and is there any chance it is implemented by MLB? — DAVE, Dayton.
A: First base in the college game is white in fair territory and green or orange in foul territory. The first baseman uses the white bag and the baserunner uses the colored bag. It was put in place to avoid collisions and spiked first basemen. MLB made the bases bigger, but didn’t implement the bag in foul territory at first base. It makes too much sense, so MLB probably won’t do it.
Q: With the Reds’ Tyler Callihan breaking his forearm, will MLB look into moving the stands a few feet away from the foul lines because many stadiums have stands right next to the foul line? — DAVE, Springfield.
A: What is a few more feet to a player running full-throttle to catch a ball? He would still run into the wall trying to snag it. Moving stands is costly. Some parks, like Great American Ball Park, are squeezed into small real estate plots already and cutting back walls means removing seats, even if they are empty for most games.
Q: Do you have an explanation how the same team can score 0, then 13, then 0 again? — ALAN, Sugarcreek Twp.
A: You are, of course, talking about the Reds’ series in Houston. What do the broadcasters always say? That’s baseball. How do the Colorado Rockies lose to San Diego, 21-0, then beat the Padres the next day, 9-3? That’s baseball, bad baseball. Usually, though, it involves pitching on that day. In baseball, everything starts, and usually ends, with pitching.
Q: Should MLB team broadcasters have a vote in the Hall of Fame balloting? — GEORGE, Morton Grove, Ill.
A: The only voters right now are members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) and even within that group a writer has to have been a member for 10 years to vote. Very elitist. I have not been popular with some writers because I support the broadcasters. They see as many games, usually even more games, than most writers. Broadcasters get voted into the Hall of Fame, so why shouldn’t they get a vote on the players? Who doesn’t believe that Marty Brennaman should have been a voter?
Q: Do the athletic trainers for the Reds and other MLB teams travel with the teams? — JOE, Englewood.
A: Yes, they do and most teams have two that make all the trips. And they get the same meal money as the players. The Reds’ all-time best athletic trainer was Larry Starr and I’m glad he traveled. We played tennis almost every day. He was a long distance runner. I would drive my rental car to the courts and he would run from the hotel to the courts. And he even beat me...once.
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