What we had was a failure to communicate

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

For the past few years – courtesy of my son, we have had a very handy battery-powered Hyper Tough DC 12V Cordless Portable Pistol Tire Inflator with Pre-set Digital Gauge-100psi. Yes, it is called a Hyper Tough DC 12V Cordless Portable Pistol Tire Inflator with Pre-set Digital Gauge-100psi.

My son purchased it at a well-known box store. After much use on truck tires, car tires and garden tractor tires, the device has met its ultimate demise. Its final resting place will no doubt be with other household refuse.

This week, my wife ordered a new Hyper Tough DC 12V Cordless Portable Pistol Tire Inflator with Pre-set Digital Gauge-100psi from the same box store.

Soon after, I received an email that said Hyper Tough DC 12V Cordless Portable Pistol Tire Inflator with Pre-set Digital Gauge-100psi was available for pickup. Thus, I arrived at the store's "customer service" counter only to be informed that I needed to park in one of 14 reserved – and numbered – spaces at the northeast side of said box store. I was also informed that I had to call a phone number on a sign at my designated parking space.

"I can't make that call," I said to a more or less pleasant person (not being identity judgmental, mind you).

"Why not?" the more or less pleasant person asked. 
 
"I do not have a phone," I replied.

"Are you kidding?" the more or less pleasant person asked.

"Nope," I said. "I haven't had a cell phone since 1999, when I tossed one in the general direction of Lake Erie off the highest point of the Gemini rollercoaster at Cedar Point."

"I'll have to call someone," the more or less pleasant person said.

After a few moments, I was informed that my previous email had misinformed me about the availability of the Hyper Tough DC 12V Cordless Portable Pistol Tire Inflator with Pre-set Digital Gauge-100psi.

Later, the store offered an alternative to the Hyper Tough DC 12V Cordless Portable Pistol Tire Inflator with Pre-set Digital Gauge-100psi – a smaller unit that could be plugged into a vehicle's cigarette lighter. (OK. For you youngsters, I guess it could be plugged into one of those ports for a cell phone – which I do not own.)

That option was not acceptable, and my better half canceled the order. Meanwhile, I was out 45 minutes of my time on a busy work day. Yes, I still try to work. 

For someone who is not a fan of ordering online from that company with the silly A to Z curved arrow logo, I can understand why others are.

Customer service ain't what it used to be.

* * *

But then again, maybe it is.

Today, I ordered – online – a copy of Terence Moore's new book, "My Big Red Machine: The Tales, Drama, And Revelations Of A Fan Turned Journalist Covering Baseball's Greatest Team." 

Ostensibly, this was – and still is – to be a Christmas present for my 89-year-old father-in-law, Jim Graham. Of course, it is also my plan to quickly read Mr. Moore's book before it is gift-wrapped.

According to reviews, "This is the 50th anniversary for the first of the back-to-back World Series titles (1975-76) for Major League Baseball's storied Big Red Machine, and out of all the books written about those Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s, this is the most unique. It is filled with great storytelling through vivid writing. It involves Terence Moore who pulled a rarity. He went from living and dying with his sports heroes as a youth to dealing with them up close and personal on a regular basis."

Terence Moore and I have at least three things in common:

• We are both Cincinnati Reds fans;

• We both have written newspaper columns for four decades; and

• We both attended the same Cincinnati Reds baseball tryout in Richmond, Ind. in 1980.

I recall the last point because my dad happened to read Terry Moore's Cincinnati Enquirer column about that Richmond baseball camp and showed it to me. I told my dad that that dude was real good. I sat next to him as we were waiting our turn to run 60-yard sprints.

I reached out to Terence Moore today and admitted that he was probably the best prospect at that Reds tryout. I may have been among the worst, but I had a good time. Playing baseball – and most sports – is always a good time.

Terence acknowledged today that indeed he was at that 1980 tryout. I thought so. 

Today, he is an award-winning journalist and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter. He graduated from Miami (Ohio) University in 1978, then became a professional sports journalist for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He often was assigned by the paper to write about the Reds.

Earlier this year, Terence wrote a great column about the death of Pete Rose and his Hall of Fame possibility at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/terencemoore/2025/05/14/pete-rose-knew-mlb…

Terence Moore was usually the youngest sports writer covering the Reds 40 years ago, and he was the first full-time African American sportswriter ever to work for a major metropolitan paper in the region. 

As I told him today, I look forward to reading his book on the Reds. The foreword is written by Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman. You can order it for $30 ($25 paperback) direct from the author at https://mybigredmachine.com.

It will make a great Christmas gift for any baseball fan.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.