Hal McCoy's run is ending...

Even if you don't want to cover 162 games or even 81 games, there has to be a place for a writer who is seen as the face of the paper. Nice business plan, Dayton!

 

I've had the pleasure of knowing Hal. Not only a Hall of Fame writer, but one of the nicest men you will ever meet.

If there's no place for him ...

 

I don't follow baseball strongly. Gave it up after the strike.

But I read Hal McCoy. And this strikes me to the core, as it should any journalist.

Goddammit.

 

A truly sad day in journalism. Hal McCoy is a masterful writer with amazing insight. If there is no place for Mr. McCoy, there is really no place for any of us. Newspapers are down to their last strike.

 

Agreed. I had the occasion to be around him just a couple of times in my life, but he seemed very genuine and nice. And he is a hell of a writer.

 

Was McCoy offered a chance to do something else by Dayton?

Not that it matters much, because it's incredibly stupid to wipe out the beat that largely defines that place.

 

If I'm mlb.com or some other company that has Reds coverage, I'm on the phone to Hal in the morning asking what it would take to get him to do Reds stories, columns, blogs, whatever he wants on whatever schedule he chooses.

Looks like he's not ready to retire, nor should he.

I can understand that 162-game coverage isn't in the cards for a lot of papers, but there are other ways to use Hal's talents, contacts and knowledge.

 

Ditto, on all counts.

 

I noticed they are trying to spin this as a retirement now.

 

When I was a traveling baseball writer I always looked forward to going to Cincinnati ,and having the Reds here, because I enjoyed being around their press corps. Hal McCoy, Paul Meyer, Tim Sullivan.

 

To quote the barber in "Coming to America," that's what they do, that's what they do.

Dayton isn't covering the Reds anymore. It's a fucking 45-minute drive.

Bastards. Cheap motherfuckers.

Hal McCoy deserved much, much better.

 

Here's one thing I don't understand. In McCoy's blog, he says it cost Dayton a quarter mil to fly him around the country. That seems high to me.

Let's say it's $700 per flight (I'm skewing way high) for 33 road trips (might be fewer), including spring training plus winter meetings. That's $23,100.

Let's say between spring training, meetings and road trips, you're on the hook for 130 hotel nights. Let's say it's $200 per night (I'm skewing way high again). That's $26K.

Let's say you spent $70 a day on food for 220 days (factoring in home games, which means this skews WAY high). That's $15,400.

Cabs? Other expenses? Let's be generous and tack on another $10K.

That's a grand total of $74,500. Other than McCoy's salary, am I missing something?