From a man known for two things…his hall of fame career in covering the Cincinnati Reds, and his passion for smoking cigars. Hal McCoy’s shares his journey from Marsh Wheelings to Monte Cristo White Labels.
Dayton, OH – There was a time when I smoked a pipe, even advancing to the expensive white-bowled Meerschaum.
The sweet smell was pleasant, but there were problems. I kept lighting it and lighting it and lighting it. Then I’d re-fill it and light it and light it and light it.
But by the end of the day my tongue felt as if it were ready to serve on a sandwich — well-done and painful.
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And in the summer I loved to drive my Pontiac Firebird with the T-top off so the breeze would blow through my hair. And I smoked my pipe.
Never leave home without ’em…Hal signs a bat for a Reds fan in spring training.
That meant the wind blew tobacco embers out the pipe and on to my shirt, which burned holes and more than once left third-degree burns on my chest. If I’d had chest hairs, I might have set them on fire.
So I quit.
Not soon after, I attended a Dayton Gems hockey game at Hara Arena. The general manager was Lefty McFadden, a guy who always had a cigar in his mouth.
As I sat in the press box, he handed me one. In those days, you could smoke wherever you wanted, even in church, as I recall. Well, I lit that baby up and I was hooked.
And what did I smoke. You name it, but they had to be cheap and come in a small box. We’re talking Dutch Masters, R.G. Dunns, El Productos, Swisher Sweets, Marsh Wheelings, Backwoods.
Finally, I settled on Grenadiers. . .yellow box, six for $1.25. I smoked all six during 18 holes of golf. Smoked all six in the back of an airplane (yes, you could smoke on flights) while flying from Cincinnati to Los Angeles to cover a Cincinnati Reds series.
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And, yes, I smoke six of ‘em in the Dodger Stadium press box during the nine innings, and in every other ball park in the majors.
Then somebody – might have been Jose Rijo, might have been Jack McKeon – handed me an expensive hand-rolled cigar.
Hooked again.
It began with Romeo & Julietta, then on to Padron 4000, then on to Montecristo White Label Churchills and then on to Cubans, when I could get my hands on them.
Remember Grenadiers — six for $1.25?
How about Montecristo White Label Churchills — 27 for $350? And I smoke five or six day, whether I need them or not.
My wife, Nadine, once said, “Why don’t you just take a $50 bill every day, roll it up and smoke it?” And I said, “That’s dumb. A $50 bill tastes lousy.”
Of course, nowadays you can’t smoke publicly anywhere. About the only place is in your own clothes closet.
A few years ago, when I was smoking in my Man Cave garage, Nadine decided we’d build a sun room attachment to the house, a smoking room for me.
So we did it. It was beautiful. The day it was completed, Nadine stood at the door, hands on hips, and said, “This is too nice. You’re not going to smoke in here.”
So it was back to the Man Cave garage, where I can miss the ash tray, which I do often, and let the ashes gather on the floor. . .until Nadine brings the Oreck Sweeper out and says, “You know what you have to do.”
So I run the sweeper, lit cigar in mouth.
The great thing about being a cigar smoker is that when non-smokers are given a cigar, they give it to me. And other cigar smokers give you cigars.
When Jack McKeon managed the Reds we’d smoke cigars in his office so general manager Jim Bowden would stay away.
When Jack McKeon managed the Reds, he had access to free cigars from Padron. And he would share them with me.
Before every home game, we sat in McKeon’s booth-sized office and lit up. He kept me in there almost until game time.
I finally asked, “Why do you want me in here smoking cigars with you until game time?” And he said, “General manager Jim Bowden hates cigar smoke and he won’t come in here telling me how to manage.”
Former Atlanta manager Bobby Cox was a big cigar smoker and we always exchanged cigars.
One Sunday morning in Atlanta, I walked into the Braves clubhouse and started to walk into Cox’s office. But he was having a meeting with his coaches, so I turned to go away.
But Cox yelled at me, “Hey, Hal, get in here and let’s light up.” He shooed the coaches out of the office and we puffed and talked baseball.”
Fellow cigar smokers don’t let anything stand in the way of a good puff session.
Yeah, yeah..I keep hearing about the health issues. I’m nearly 84, so why would I worry. As I tell Nadine, some of the most famous cigar smokers lived forever.
Comedian George Burns smoked cigars and lived to be 100. But he didn’t smoke these (check the price).
Comedian George Burns always had a lit cigar on stage when he interacted with Gracie Allen. He lived to be 100.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill smoked eight or nine cigars a day, mostly Cubans, and the churchill-length cigar is named after him. He lived to be 90.
Groucho Marx was always puffing a cigar when he hosted TV’s You Bet Your Life and said, “Say the secret word and divide $100.” He lived to be 86.
So, no, I’m not giving ‘em up, even though the price is denting my savings account. And I’ll never go back to Dutch Masters, R.G. Dunns, El Productos or Grenadiers.
And those six for $1.25 Grenadiers? Now they are six for $8.
Pass me a Padron, please.
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