Hall-of-fame baseball writer Hal McCoy knows a thing or two about America’s pastime. If you’d like to tap into that knowledge, send a question to halmccoy1@hotmail.com. For more Ask Hal, log on to DaytonDailyNews.com/reds.

Q: Last weekend I saw the number “11” etched on the field behind second base. Did that bring back memories for you of Roy McMillan, the former slick-fielding Reds shortstop? — Dave, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek

A: Still anti-Barry Larkin, eh? No, it didn’t. Roy McMillan is before even my time and his .243 batting average doesn’t remind me of Larkin’s .295 average. Nor did that “11” remind me of Junior Kennedy, Dann Bilardello or Bob “Beetle” Bailey.

Q: In light of the Scott Rolen-Todd Frazier debate at third base, who is the last veteran player that manager Dusty Baker moved aside to make room for a young, upcoming player? — Mike, Beavercreek

A: In mid-season? None that I can recall because Baker likes to see young players prove themselves before plunking them into the lineup. And does Scott Rolen deserve to lose his job after the way he has played since the All-Star break? Everybody is concerned about Todd Frazier. Fear not. Baker wants to win just as much as any fan and he’ll figure out plentiful playing time for a Rookie of the Year (who’s Bryce Harper, anyway?).

Q: Do you think Johnny Cueto and Aroldis Chapman will be 1-2 in the Cy Young voting? — Stan, Glide, Oregon

A: Highly doubtful. For the Cy Young Award, voters list their top three. That’s it. I don’t see any voter putting two Reds on a three-man ballot. Given a choice, they’ll pick Cueto because he is a starter and does lead the majors in wins. Chapman? He can put on a raincoat, boots and a helmet right now because he will win Fireman of the Year Award that goes to the top relief pitcher.

Q: The assumption is that Scott Rolen will retire after this season. If he does, what are the chances the Reds would hire him as a coach because of his value in character and influence? — Dennis, Centerville

A: Can you coach with a bad back and a bad shoulder? Of course you can, and Rolen, with his low-key approach and extensive knowledge will be a top-shelf asset — for his son’s team. Rolen is a solid family man who drives back and forth between Cincinnati and Jasper, Ind., to live with his family during baseball season. And that’s probably where he’ll be after next year — in the thriving metropolis of Jasper.

Q: Chase Field in Arizona has a path from pitcher’s mound to home plate. How many parks have that and wouldn’t it be a hindrance to bunters? — Karen, Beavercreek, Twp.

A: Being old school and a dinosaur, I remember when a lot of parks had that path and I thought it was rather nifty. Check out old black-and-white film of major-league games and you’ll see it. For some reason, maybe to save on grass seed, teams got away from it and Arizona revived it. As for bunting, if you bunt a ball straight toward the pitcher it is a bad bunt anyway and the path has no effect.

Q: How many games do you think the Big Red Machine would win in Great American Ball Park and how many home runs and RBIs would George Foster have? — Lee, Dayton

A: Since most of those guys are in their 60s now, probably not very many. Foster is 63, but looks in good enough shape to hit a few. If you mean in their prime, well, the current Reds have the best home record in the National League, so I don’t see the BRM doing a whole lot better, although the competition was better back then. As for home runs in GABP, they might have set unfathomable records, and done it without steroids. And they might have carried out a few fans on stretchers after getting conked with home run balls.

Q: What is a Texas Leaguer, a term I used to hear often but don’t much anymore? Thom Brennaman now refers to them as bleeders. — Earl, Tipp City

A: A Texas Leaguer is a bloop hit that plops on the grass just out of reach of an infielder and just in front of an outfielder. Actually, when Brennaman calls a hit a bleeder he is referring to a slow ground ball that barely eludes a diving infielder and trickles into the outfield for a hit. The term Texas Leaguer came into being when Ollie Pickering was called up from the Texas League and had seven straight bloop hits and a writer wrote, “There goes Pickering with another of those Texas Leaguer singles.” Players now refer to them as flares or gork hits.

Q: When judging a team’s offense all emphasis is put on average, home runs and on-base percentage, but shouldn’t more emphasis be put on total extra-base hits? The first-place Reds lead the National League in extra-base hits. — Mark, Columbus

A: I leave numbers to my math-teaching wife, Nadine. The only numbers that concern me are wins and losses, because that determines who goes to the playoffs. How they do it matters not — average, home runs, on-base percentage, extra-base hits, pitching, fielding or the amount of chicken eaten in the clubhouse. Only one thing matters, and that’s wins. Do what you want with how they are acquired.

Q: How many balls does Drew Stubbs get to that Chris Heisey wouldn’t and how many rallies are killed because Stubbs can’t get the bat on the ball? Wayne, Beavercreek

A: Stubbs gets to more balls than Roger Federer. Did you see the two balls in the last week that Heisey tried to catch on a dive and they bounced past him? Defensively, there is no comparison. As for strikeouts, Stubbs whiffs 32 percent of the time and Heisey whiffs 23 percent. It is beyond me why when a team is running away with the division and on pace for 97 wins that fans want manager Dusty Baker to switch his lineup because of their perception that one player might be better than another if he played every day. There is much more to figure into the equation than strikeouts.