What is the most amazing accomplishment I have witnessed in my 51 years of covering baseball?

Q: Since you started writing baseball reports, what performance has impressed you most? – JASON, Beavercreek.

A: In 51 years, oh so many. And watching a writer win a bet by eating 10-foot-long Dodger Dogs doesn't count, right? Tom Browning's perfect game. Pete Rose's 4,192nd hit. Two no-hitters by Homer Bailey, who was 1-14 in 2018 (that's incredible). Best of all, though, was chronicling Pete Rose's 44-game hitting streak. And I was amazed when Atlanta's Gene Garber threw him out, ending the game, and Rose complained, “The guy pitched me like it was Game 7 of the World Series.” So, Pete, did you expect him to throw a meatball down your middle?

Q: What do you think of the Ghost Runner in extra-inning games? – DALE, Greenup, KY.

A: Of all the new rules recently implemented, this is the one I like the least. Putting a free runner on base is out of character for baseball. The runner doesn't deserve to be there, he doesn't earn it. And if it's so good for the game, why is it being done away with for the postseason? I have no more arguments and didn't need a lawyer.

Q: When a Reds player hits a home run, he no longer puts on the Viking helmet and robe, but runs into the tunnel behind the dugout, and what's the deal with that? — HARRY, Kettering.

A: I'm glad most teams have stopped with the choreographed, childish costumes and so-called celebrations. The Reds run down the steps to the tunnel to celebrate in private. When a team is under .500, celebrating home runs amongst themselves is probably a good thing.

Q: If you were named general manager of the Reds this offseason with a similar budget, what steps would you take to improve the team? – JUSTIN, Las Vegas.

A: I have a better chance of becoming the Emperor of Japan than of becoming the GM of the Reds. Theoretically, though, the Reds don't have a really strong hitter if they play Homer Haven in the GABP. Whether he's right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous, I'm looking for a guy who can hit 40 or more home runs. Unfortunately, those guys aren't walking around the street looking for a job, so I'd settle for a guy who can hit 30.

Q: What do you miss about interleague play is that teams simply play against teams from their own league? – TIM, Xenia.

A: I'm so old-fashioned that I miss hula hoops, mood rings and Chia pets. I despise interleague games. Fans say they get a chance to see players from both leagues. Isn't that why they invented television? I miss and prefer watching a World Series between two teams that haven't played each other six or seven times during the season. There's something mystical about it.

Q: What are the funniest stories from your time covering the Reds? – LAURA, Chattanooga.

A: Relief pitcher Rob Murphy wearing his girlfriend's black bikini briefs under his uniform for good luck? Dave Concepcion stepping into an industrial dryer to break a slump and Pat Zachary turning it on and burning off almost all of Concepcion's body hair? Jose Rijo not icing his arm but instead rubbing snake oil on it? Bret Boone running around the clubhouse completely naked except for the cowboy boots he stole from Jeff Brantley's locker? Tom Browning, in full uniform, sitting atop an apartment building across from Wrigley Field during a game? Tom Seaver cutting a writer's tie off at the knot and giving the cut piece to the cursing writer? As Jimmy Durante used to say, “I have millions of them.”

Q: What's up with catchers who line up with one knee on the ground and catch? – TOM, Cincinnati.

A: That's a mystery to me because it limits their ability to block and run balls in the dirt, and it must be difficult to make throws to second base. The theory is that it makes it easier for them to frame throws and steal strikes. So what? Isn't it more important to prevent wild throws and stolen bases than to try to fool the umpire, which doesn't happen that often?

Q: You've seen some great baseball throughout your career, and which decade was the best? – SCOTT, Syracuse, NY.

A: That's a selfish answer. Readership is better when a team wins. For me, the 1970s and The Big Red Machine were by far the best decade. The Reds won the World Series in 1975 and 1976. And they were in the World Series in 1970 and 1972. That was the beginning of my career as a baseball writer, and I thought, “Hey, that's how it's always going to be.” Then came the 1980s and Cincinnati's 101-loss 1982 season, and I discovered the other end of the spectrum. It was a lonely time.