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Thread: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

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    Yay! dabvu2498's Avatar
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    Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Find this article at:
    http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...redsnotes.html

    Closer Coffey made the right choice
    By Hal McCoy

    Staff Writer

    NEW YORK — Todd Coffey signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds, a 41st-round draft pick, when he was 17. Usually, such low picks have as much chance of making the major leagues as they do of discovering oil in their backyard. Finding oil might be easier.

    They sign for a new pair of shoes, maybe a new glove, and hope they survive in the minors for a couple of years.

    Coffey had a choice.

    He weighed college offers from Clemson, North Carolina State and the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, where he could prove he was better than the 40 guys the Reds chose in front of him.

    After due thought, he decided to sign with the Reds.

    "I decided I'd rather have four years of professional coaching than four years of amateur coaching in college," he said. "When most guys are just getting out of college, I had four years of pro ball and four years of professional instruction."

    And there was the aluminum bats of college against the wood bats of pro ball.

    "You don't pitch inside in college because they can still hit it on the handle for hits," he said. "You can't jam them and break bats. If you pitch in college, you pitch away, away, away. Then you sign a pro contract, and if you don't quit pitching away and come inside you get killed."

    Any blue-light specials?

    Minority owner Bill Reik Jr., a New York businessman, was in Monday's pregame clubhouse, and like all Reds fans, he was lamenting the plight of the team's bullpen.

    "All my friends and acquaintances always ask me, 'When are you going to go out and get some pitching?' " said Reik. "And I say, 'Where? Wal-Mart? Sam's Club? Best Buy? Kmart? Good pitching just isn't available now, and when it is available in July the price is way too high.'

    "And I laugh when I hear the talk-show guys saying we should trade Adam Dunn and Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns for pitching," Reik added. "We trade those guys for pitching and we wreck our team."

    Call him Babe Lopez

    When it comes to hot dogs and indigestion, Babe Ruth had nothing on Reds shortstop Felipe Lopez, spotted before Sunday's day game eating four hot dogs.

    Is that common pregame cuisine for Lopez?

    "Not usually, not four hot dogs," he said. "I do eat a lot before games. I have to keep my weight up. I sweat a lot and lose a lot of weight."

    Edwin not ready

    Edwin Encarnacion is eligible to come off the DL on Thursday, but he isn't with the team and it isn't likely to happen.

    Encarnacion worked out briefly before Sunday's game in Cincinnati, and when asked how the third baseman looked, manager Jerry Narron said, "Like his ankle is not 100 percent. He might not have had pain, but he didn't look 100 percent."

    He was to take ground balls and batting practice this week in Cincinnati in front of assistant trainer Tim Elser. "Then we'll find out where he is," Narron said. "We'd love to have him meet (Class AAA) Louisville Thursday and work out, then play in a game for the Bats Friday."

    Belisle & Bailey

    Disabled pitcher Matt Belisle is scheduled to pitch this week at Class AA Chattanooga and Narron couldn't resist linking Belisle and Homer Bailey, who makes his Class AA debut at Chattanooga when he starts Thursday's game.

    "I look for Belisle to get the save in Homer Bailey's game," said Narron.

    Standridge returns

    Relief pitcher Jason Standridge reported Monday, replacing Rick White in the bullpen, but don't look for Narron to change his late-game procession of Chris Hammond, David Weathers and Todd Coffey.

    Asked how Standridge will be used, Narron said: "As needed. But as long as we're leading or tied, I'll still go with Hammond, Weathers and Coffey. Standridge pitched middle relief in Louisville, and he did fine in that role here last year."

    Standridge was 2-2 with two saves and a 2.62 ERA in 29 games for Louisville after he was designated for assignment out of spring training.

    "It doesn't matter how long I was there," he said. "I'm here now and I'm wearing a major-league uniform. I had to learn how to use my fastball better — move it up in the zone, down in the zone, in-and-out and being aggressive."
    When all is said and done more is said than done.


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    Redsmetz redsmetz's Avatar
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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Coffey has it exactly right with this quote:

    "You don't pitch inside in college because they can still hit it on the handle for hits," he said. "You can't jam them and break bats. If you pitch in college, you pitch away, away, away. Then you sign a pro contract, and if you don't quit pitching away and come inside you get killed."

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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Quote Originally Posted by redsmetz
    Coffey has it exactly right with this quote:
    That's interesting... I heard an interview with Clemens the other night on XM. In it, he said if Koby had been a pitcher, he would have advised him to go to college.
    When all is said and done more is said than done.

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    You know his story Redsland's Avatar
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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Fewer innings, less wear and tear on the arm, lower risk of injury.
    Makes all the routine posts.

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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Quote Originally Posted by Redsland
    Fewer innings, less wear and tear on the arm, lower risk of injury.
    His rationale was so he wouldn't get zipped through a farm system. *cough* Homer *cough* Bailey *cough*

    He also said pitching against aluminum bats taught him he'd better learn how to locate instead of just trying to blow it by guys (he could [can] do that pretty good as well, though).
    When all is said and done more is said than done.

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    RZ Chamber of Commerce Unassisted's Avatar
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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Different topic, same column:

    The Bill Reik quote is interesting and somewhat counter to the majority view here. I wonder how reflective it is of the majority owner's thinking.

    "And I laugh when I hear the talk-show guys saying we should trade Adam Dunn and Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns for pitching," Reik added. "We trade those guys for pitching and we wreck our team."

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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Quote from Lopez

    ""Not usually, not four hot dogs," he said. "I do eat a lot before games. I have to keep my weight up. I sweat a lot and lose a lot of weight.""


    Geesh if i ate that much before a game noway would i be able to run fast or have all my stamina.. i would be tired...

    could this be why Lopez sometimes doesnt run out grounders to first?? he is to stuffed??

    i could never eat before a game when i played.. heck even softball when i use to play 6 nights a week when i was younger...noway i would be tired and slowed down.

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    A Lost Ball In High Weeds shredda2000's Avatar
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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    Quote Originally Posted by redsfan4445
    Quote from Lopez

    ""Not usually, not four hot dogs," he said. "I do eat a lot before games. I have to keep my weight up. I sweat a lot and lose a lot of weight.""


    Geesh if i ate that much before a game noway would i be able to run fast or have all my stamina.. i would be tired...

    could this be why Lopez sometimes doesnt run out grounders to first?? he is to stuffed??

    i could never eat before a game when i played.. heck even softball when i use to play 6 nights a week when i was younger...noway i would be tired and slowed down.
    I was thinking the very same thing when I read this quote somewhere this morning...

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    Re: Hal: Coffey Made the Right Choice

    I used to eat before and DURING a game when I played baseball and softball... had to b/c I was diabetic. Never adversely affected the play, the running or anything else. I only saw bad things happen if there was not enough eaten. Having too much in a stomach doesn't cause bad things to happen unless you bring it up b/c you ate way too much or your system just can't hack a combo of food and the heat that might be out there.

    Don't footballers usually eat a big meal before a game?


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