Hall of Fame Baseball writer Hal McCoy to appear at Highland County District Library
By Jennifer West and
The Highland County Press
Hall of Fame sportswriter Hal McCoy will appear at the Highland County District Library at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 9 to sign copies of his memoir “The Real McCoy, My Half-Century with the Cincinnati Reds.”
Mr. McCoy has covered Major league baseball and the Cincinnati Reds for 43 years. He has won 48 state and national writing awards and has been named Ohio Sportswriter of the Year 13 times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. in 2002 and is the only non-Cincinnati resident who is a member of the Cincinnati Journalists Hall of Fame.
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“The Real McCoy” provides “an inside-the-dugout look” at events that never appeared in the daily press. Mr. McCoy details the dismantling of The Big Red Machine, what really happened to Sparky Anderson, and where Pete Harnisch hid his toothbrush.
Mr. McCoy will be signing copies of his book, which is available through Orange Frazer Press in Wilmington or online at: http://www.orangefrazer.com/the-real-mccoy/
In a news release promoting the book, Orange Frazer Press writes: “In a near-unprecedented sportswriting career covering half a century (and more than 25,000 bylines), Hal McCoy crowns his own Hall of Fame career with a memoir of the Cincinnati Reds that is, by turns, brash, hilarious, and behind-the-scenes unusual. His is the storied franchise with an accent on the story.
“He gives fans an inside-the-dugout look that never made the daily press: the politics, the personalities, the high jinks, the X-rated scenes – all the classic ballpark happenings known only to those on the field.”
Baseball’s all-time hits leader Pete Rose said: “Hal McCoy knows the game. That’s where great sports writing starts. From there, he is able to be critical when it is deserved and complimentary when it is earned. But it all comes from a great love and understanding of the game. He is right up there with his fellow Hall of Famers, Ritter Collett and Si Burick, in delivering baseball to fans in Ohio and across the nation.”
“Hal McCoy always gave you a fair shake,” said former Reds pitcher Tom ‘Mr. Perfect’ Browning.
“It was never about him in his stories. I met him in spring training of 1984 and he has always been a Hall of Famer through and through. And more importantly he has been a dear friend.”
Mr. McCoy’s program at the Hillsboro Library will start at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 9. It is free and open to the public.