Tribute to Hal McCoy

TRIBUTE TO HAL MCCOY

    Mr. DEWINE. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a truly remarkable Ohioan—a man who has covered Cincinnati Reds baseball for the Dayton Daily News for the last 31 years. This weekend, Hal McCoy will join many legendary baseball players and sports writers when he is inducted into the writers wing of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. This is a fitting and well-deserved tribute to a man who reminds all his readers everyday about why we love baseball.

    I am a life-long fan of the Cincinnati Reds. For the last 31 years, I have counted on Hal McCoy for complete, detailed, objective coverage of their games. When I am back home in Ohio, the first thing I do when I pick up the Dayton Daily News in the morning is read Hal's reports. When I am in Washington, I read them off the Internet.

    For more than 3 decades, Hal McCoy has brought to life in vivid detail thousands of Reds games. Through his words and insights, he has taken readers, like me, onto the field and into the clubhouse. With his stories, we have felt the players' pride in their wins and the pain in their losses. Hal McCoy has brought readers right to the game, giving us a real glimpse into the highs and lows of the Reds seasons.

    One of the things I admire most about Hal is his incredible work ethic—unbelievable. Hal McCoy is, some people have said, almost a machine. I have always been amazed by his ability to crank out so much material and so many anecdotes and "notes" from the games. Nothing stops him.

    You pick up the paper in the morning and you see the account of a game. Sometimes you will see a column to go along with that, you will see another story on the back page, and then you will see the notes of the game—sometimes three, sometimes even four stories just in one paper by one writer. That is Hal McCoy. He works and works and works and has an unending, unfettered enthusiasm, after all these years, for the game of baseball.

    Hal McCoy is a very special man. I wish to take a few minutes today to tell my colleagues a little bit about his life and his career as a sports writer.

    Hal was born and raised in Akron, OH. He played Little League baseball in Summit County and later graduated from Akron East High School. He then graduated from Kent State University in 1962, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a major in Journalism. Upon receiving his diploma, Hal immediately put his degree to good use when he started a job as a Dayton Journal Herald reporter, covering the Dayton Public prep league.

    Hal first covered the Cincinnati Reds for the Dayton Daily News in 1973. No one knew at the time that Hal would be holding our Nation's longest-running tenure, covering one team continuously or that he would be recognized as one of the finest journalists in Ohio history, let alone one of the finest ever in his profession.

    A few years ago, Hal suffered a stroke in his right optic nerve while covering a Reds game in St. Louis. He lost half of his vision as a result. While this would cause most people to slow down or stop, Hal could not be deterred. He overcame this adversity with grace and continued his post with the Reds.

    Then, on January 23, 2003, Hal suffered a stroke in his other eye. Suddenly, legally blind, Hal was faced with a seemingly insurmountable obstacle— the eyes that he had been using for years to "show" the game to his readers essentially stopped working for him. But, Hal wouldn't let that stop him. He persevered. He never complained. And, when faced with the choice to retire, his resolve to write his legendary stories only became stronger.

    Today, Hal continues to attend and report on Reds games using a special large-size scorebook that he designed. He says:

    I tell everybody I'm going to do this until my head hits the laptop, when I pass out in the press box. That's how much I love this job.

    And let me tell you that Hal's fans couldn't be happier! Many, many Reds fans, like me, still can't wait to get up in the morning and read his stories. That is how much we enjoy his work and what he produces every day.

    The publisher of the Dayton Daily News, Brad Tillson, has said this of Hal:

    I've been reading Hal McCoy's coverage of Major League Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds for more than 30 years, and I never cease to be amazed at his insight into the game and his ability to communicate it to the readers. He calls the games as he sees them with candor, integrity, and authority. Sometimes it's more illuminating to read Hal's account of the game than it is to watch it.

    I must also add that the respect of the players Hal McCoy covers is also very illuminating. When Hal was faced with the loss of his sight, some of the players went to him and told him: You can't quit. You need to keep doing what you love to do.

    He is held in respect by the people he covers. I think that says a lot about Hal McCoy.

    Of course, if you ask Hal about the secret to his success, he would respond that it is "the readers, the people." That connection with the people is very powerful. It is not at all surprising that Hal hasn't missed a road series in 30 years. Hal has said:

    When I sit down at my laptop, it is the readers I have in mind. What would they want to know? I've tried to inform them, entertain them, and tell them the truth to the best of my capacities . . . I can never thank all the readers who have been so supportive. You are what we are all about.

    It is this humble spirit and gratitude for his readers that Hal's friends and readers love most.

    As Hal takes his destined place in the writers wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, I join many other proud Ohioans in saying thank you. Hal Mccoy is a terrific writer, a magnificent storyteller, and an exemplary and well-respected member of his community. My family—my dad and my children—extends its warmest congratulations and sincerest thanks to Hal for his wonderful writing and his dedication to continuing to do what he loves despite difficult challenges. We thank him for his service to the Dayton community, to the Miami Valley, to Ohio, and to our Nation.

    I look forward to many more Cincinnati Reds seasons that Hal will cover and many more great stories.

    Thanks Hal. We appreciate the great work you do.

    I thank the Chair. I yield the floor.

    I suggest the absence of a quorum.