Q: When is the last time you saw so many good young players on the Reds like Andrew Abbott, Alexis Diaz, Matt McLain, Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft? — ALAN, Sugercreek Twp.
A: How about the 12th of Never. Not to be picky, but you forgot TJ Friedl, Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson, all relatively young as big league ballplayers. Talk about a youth movement? This is like a nursery school movement with most of the occupants far advanced. And, no, never have I seen the influx of talent like this in my 50 years of writing about the Reds. It is stunning. And there is more to come.
Q: Who are the clubhouse leaders on the 2023 Reds team and who do other players look up to, reach out to for advice, and set the tone for the team? — JEFF, Columbus.
A: A leader is in the eye of the beholder. With the Reds, one starts with Joey Votto, who has seen it all and done it all. The players respect and look up to him, as they should. And there is Jonathan India, who is young but still a leader by the way he plays and his team-first attitude. It would not be stunning if he gets traded, but the Reds would lose a lot of fire and positivity.
Q: What was Don Gullett’s best pitch and how would you rank him among the Reds’ starters you have seen? — BOB, Centerville.
A: Gullett’s fastball was his best pitch, but he had a full arsenal of out pitches. Pete Rose once said, “Don Gullett could throw a pitch through a car wash and not get it wet.” Gullett ranks right at the top of my list of Reds starting pitchers and was the ace of the Big Red Machine, followed by a set of kings in Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham and Freddie Norman. Gullett, a truly nice guy, was very shy and hated to talk about himself in interviews.
Q: Have any major league umpires tried becoming broadcasters? — GREG, Albuquerque, NM.
A: The only one I remember is former American League umpire/humorist Ron Luciano, who said, “I have a voice perfect for mime and a face made for radio.” After retiring from mask work in 1980, Luciano was a color analyst with Merle Harmon on NBCs ‘Game of the Week.’ On the field, Luciano was famous, or infamous, for calling runners out on the basepaths by turning his finger into a gun and shooting out the runner.
Q: Are there rules that dictate when rookies who don’t start the beginning of the season can be named to the All-Star team? — VICKIE, Cincinnati.
A: No, there is no such rule. All-Star starters must accumulate the most votes, which none of the 2023 Reds received. But every team must have at least one representative. It would not surprise me if rookie Matt McLain were included, and he did not start the season with the Reds. If ever there was an All-Star on a team, McLain is it. Elly De La Cruz was on his way the first week of his major league career, but he has cooled off. McLain has never slowed down.
Q: Will ownership try to break-up the Reds at the trade deadline as they have in the past? — JASON, Dayton.
A: In the recent past, the Reds traded away established players because they couldn’t see first place with the Yerkes Observatory telescope. In the recent past, they’ve done it to acquire prospects. And it is working. With the National League Central Division as weak as prison coffee, the Reds figure to be in contention at the trade deadline. Instead of breaking things apart, the Reds should be on the sniff for pitching help. It successful, they can win the division.
Q: Of all the Reds you have covered in your career, which one player would you choose to start your own team? — TIM, Xenia.
A: That’s tough because baseball is not a one-man sport like golf, tennis, or bowling. To build a team you need offense, defense and pitching, which can’t be found in one player unless your name in Shohei Ohtani. To pick a player and then build around him, I can’t choose one. I’d pick Eric Davis or Joe Morgan or Johnny Bench or Pete Rose. Pitcher? Jim Maloney or Jose Rijo.
Q: When you were in the press box, did you write rough drafts then finish it after the game? — RUSTY, Dayton.
A: What you call a rough draft we call running. I would write a running account of the game as it progressed. Then when it ended, I would put a topper (or lede) on the running. That would be for the first edition deadline at 10:30. Then I would run (when I was young, amble now) to the clubhouse for post-game quotes and return to the press box to write a more polished story for the final edition with a midnight deadline. If I never accomplished anything else, I never missed a deadline.
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