Q: What are your thoughts on the first season of having a Designated Hitter in the National League? — JOHN, St. Louis.
A: I still dislike it because it reduces strategy and in some games the manager does nothing more than stare at his I-Pad. But I’m giving it a one-year pass because without it we wouldn’t have seen Albert Pujols reach 700-plus home runs as primarily a DH for St. Louis. Pujols and Aaron Judge were the most exciting and dramatic things to happen in MLB this season, other than Cleveland winning the American League Central as Ohio’s best team … by far.
Q: Why do fans boo the opposing pitcher when he throws over to first base on a pickoff attempt? — LARRY, Piqua.
A: That’s like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg. It drives me nutty. I’ve often wondered where it started and what it serves. It is something that has been done for a long time and fans do it because other fans do it and nobody knows why.
Q: What do you predict will become of the St. Louis Cardinals without Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols and maybe Adam Wainwright if he decides to hang up the cleats? — GREG, Beavercreek.
A: Never, ever feel sorry for the St. Louis Cardinals. They always find a way. If they need a pitcher, they seem to go to a Kansas cornfield and find a pitcher. And a team with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, along with a decent rotation and bullpen, is not going to suffer. They’ll win the National League Central next year, you watch.
Q: Baseball doesn’t seem to have as many stars today as in the 1970s, my favorite era, and why is that? — RYAN, Englewood.
A: The 70s also is my favorite era, probably because of the The Big Red Machine. And there are stars today — Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Verlander, Albert Pujols, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt and Pete Alonso to name a few of my favorites. But the game itself has slipped drastically in popularity since the 70′s, something of which MLB is fully aware and trying to adjust. Commissioner Rob Manfred, who is not a star, keeps implementing non-sensical rules that aren’t working. Let’s just go back to the way the game was played in the 70s and see what happens.
Q: How is salary handled when a player is sent to the minors several times a year? — BOB, Aurora.
A: If a player has a major league contract and is sent to the minors, he is paid his major league salary. Some younger players have what is called a split contract. They are paid major league money while in the majors and minor league money while they are in the minors. That must be a great incentive to players to work hard, be a good citizen and get back to the big money so they can trade in their Ford Focus for a Mercedes-Benz.
Q: Who in your opinion is the home run king? — JOE, Kettering.
A: I am certain I’ll catch a couple of tons of flak on this loaded question. But I must be honest to myself and say Aaron Judge (62) holds the single season record and Henry Aaron (755) holds the career record. We all know why I don’t recognize Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa. Three letters: PED. Yes, McGwire and Sosa hyped baseball attendance and some say they even saved the game after the 1994 work stoppage. But they cheated doing it. I won’t even give them an asterisk.
Q: What were your best memories of the 2022 Cincinnati Reds season? — RICHARD, Tipp City.
A: May I say when it ended, which is probably what most of the players would say. My memory bank is not overflowing with good recollections of a 100-loss season. I am going to say it was the Reds playing the Cubs in the Field of Dreams game with all the pomp and circumstance. Of course, the Reds lost, but that’s not news.
Q: If you played in the major leagues, what would be your walk-up song? — JOE, Englewood.
A: If I played, they wouldn’t dare charge admission. I would have three songs alternating: “You Had a Bad Day,” by Daniel Poynter, “Loser of the Year,” by Simple Plan and “I’m a Loser,” by The Beatles. As an aside, Nadine used to have “You Had a Bad Day” as the ringtone on her cellphone. On the day our granddaughter got married, Nadine forgot to turn off her phone. As Staci walked up the aisle, Nadine’s phone screamed, “. . .you had a bad day.” Yikes.
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