Tucker Elliot Bundle #2: Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians Baseball

Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

INTRODUCTION

1 SPARKY ANDERSON

2 JOE MORGAN

3 JOHNNY BENCH

4 PETE ROSE

5 GEORGE FOSTER

6 TONY PEREZ

7 DAVE CONCEPCION

8 KEN GRIFFEY

9 CESAR GERONIMO

10 GARY NOLAN

INTRODUCTION

The Big Red Machine teams will never be forgotten … They'll be remembered because of the professionals they had, the character they had, the skill they had. Those teams were a symbol of what baseball really should be.

— Johnny Bench

I have a Cincinnati Reds 1978 Yearbook Magazine that my dad paid $1.50 for at a Spring Training game in Tampa, FL. Pete Rose is on the cover with the caption Pete Rose and the 3,000 Hit Club and inside the magazine is an article on his quest to reach 3,000 hits (he began the season needing just 34 to become only the 13th player in history to reach that plateau). It also discusses his goal to become the National League’s all-time hits leader … no mention of the MLB record Rose would later eclipse.

On page 7 is a great picture of Tom Seaver—and lucky for me, mine is autographed. Same with the picture of Paul Moskau on page 13, George Foster on page 17, and Davey Concepción on page 25.

It’s a great souvenir that brings back a lot of memories—and thanks to Spring Training, Cincinnati was my first team.

Later, my first regular season major league game was Atlanta vs. Cincinnati and my favorite player, Johnny Bench, hit a grand slam.

After writing or collaborating on more than two dozen baseball history and trivia books, I’m glad I finally have the opportunity to write about and pay tribute to one of baseball’s great franchises, and the one that helped instill my lifelong love for the game when I was just a kid.

Sparky Anderson wasn’t just my favorite manager … he was my mom’s favorite manager.

And in our backyard wiffle ball games, my brothers and I stood at the plate and imitated the batting stances of Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, George Foster, Tony Pérez, and Johnny Bench.

We even practiced flapping our back elbows like Joe Morgan as we tried to imagine what it was like to be a two-time MVP, a World Series hero, and a two-time World Champion … in back-to-back seasons.

We worked hard to be like the guys on the mound, too. Our favorite was Tom Seaver, of course. If you didn’t hit dirt with your right knee when you shoved off the mound, well … then you just didn’t have what it took to be like Tom Terrific.

Later it was Mario Soto, and later still it was Jose Rijo … but no matter what the year, the team was always the Cincinnati Reds. I hope this book brings back many great baseball memories for you, just as it did for me.

This is a book of history and trivia that covers all eras of Reds baseball—however, to honor the legacy of Sparky Anderson and the Big Red Machine, we have chosen to introduce each chapter of questions with a profile of one of the players from that extraordinary era … but we’ll begin with the man who led them: Sparky Anderson.

Now sit back, challenge yourself, and enjoy.

Tucker Elliot

Tampa, FL

1 SPARKY ANDERSON

I got good players, stayed out of their way, let them win a lot, and then just hung around for 26 years.

— Sparky Anderson, Hall of Fame Induction Speech

When Sparky Anderson began his tenure as Reds manager in 1970 his resume had a few glaring holes. Historically, success as a player at the big league level does not necessarily translate to success as a big league manager—in fact, the opposite is more often true. In the fall of 1969 and continuing through spring of 1970, however, Sparky Anderson’s playing career (or lack thereof) was the opening argument diehard fans used when speaking out against the newly hired skipper.

It was an easy target, considering his big league career consisted of one year playing second base for the Phillies.

In 1959, Sparky batted just .218 in 152 games. Only 12 of his 104 big league hits went for extra bases … and none of them left the yard. He was your typical scrappy middle infielder, slight in build but heavy in what he called spit and vinegar. Sparky was relegated to Triple-A ball in 1960, again in 1961, again in 1962, and yet again in 1963.

In 1964, the 30-year-old ballplayer hung up his spikes after 11 professional seasons and decided to earn a living painting houses.

That argument alone was enough for many to rest the case against Sparky—but for others there was a much stronger and entirely valid point to be made against his hiring, and it was simply this: he’d never managed a big league team before. When General Manager Bob Howsam announced on October 9, 1969, that Sparky Anderson would take over as Reds skipper for 1970, papers all across Ohio ran this headline the following day: Sparky Who? Cincinnati had loads of talent … but was it realistic to expect a rookie manager to lead the franchise?

Howsam thought so—in fact, he said of Sparky, We had some very good players but they needed to know how to do certain things. We thought they needed work in fundamentals and Sparky was extremely capable of that.

Sparky’s rise to the rank of big league manager had gone much quicker than his path to becoming a big league player—and his career as a manager would last 25 years longer and be infinitely more successful. After paying his dues as a minor league skipper from 1964 through 1968, Sparky joined the San Diego Padres coaching staff in 1969. And with one season as a major league coach under his belt, in 1970 he began his journey to the Hall of Fame as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

It took exactly one month of regular season play for fans to accept Sparky—posting a 16-6 record out of the gate has that kind of effect. The club won 20 more games in May, and by the time July 26 rolled around, Cincinnati beat St. Louis 12-5 in the season’s 100th game as the Reds improved to 70-30 and increased their Division lead to 12.5 games.

The Reds were a more human 32-30 the rest of the way, but that was more than good enough to clinch a Division title by 14.5 games over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Sparky then led the Reds to a clean sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to claim the National League Pennant—and despite falling in five games to the Baltimore Orioles during the 1970 World Series, it was clear to anyone paying attention that Cincinnati was on the verge of something special.

His tenure with the club would last nine seasons and 1,450 regular season games and result in 863 wins—Bill McKechnie is the only other skipper to manage the Reds for as many seasons as Sparky, but no one has been at the helm for more games or wins.

There was, of course, a sophomore slump in 1971 that saw the Reds finish a disappointing fifth in the standings.

However, Cincinnati then reeled off four Division titles in five seasons—including back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976 that cemented the legacy of Sparky Anderson and The Big Red Machine. And for Sparky, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2000, it is his legacy as the manager of the Big Red Machine that endures and has earned him a place among the game’s truly elite skippers. Very few who manage a big league club are successful, fewer still are the ones who experience success over an extended period of time, but to achieve a level of success so extraordinary that it is given a category all it’s own—The Big Red Machine—places Sparky in one of the most exclusive and elite clubs in baseball history.

TOP OF THE FIRST

Question 1: He managed the club for nine seasons and seven times won 90-plus games. He was also the manager of the Big Red Machine. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 2: He was an All-Star shortstop who became the team captain in 1983. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 3: Major League Baseball honors this former manager annually when an award that bears his name is given to a current ballplayer who best exemplifies [his] character and fighting spirit. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor? His number was the first in franchise history to be retired.

Question 4: He was a ten-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glover, two-time league MVP, and two-time World Champion with the Big Red Machine. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 5: Cincinnati’s official website calls him perhaps the greatest catcher to ever play in the major leagues. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 6: The Reds’ official website calls him the heart and soul of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine. He was the third member of the Big Red Machine to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame when he was enshrined on July 23, 2000. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 7: He blasted 30-plus homers seven times during ten seasons (1956-65) with Cincinnati to begin his Hall of Fame career. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 8: Cincinnati’s official website says he was noted as the greatest left handed slugger and one of the best fielding first basemen in club history. He hit 251 homers for the Reds from 1947-57. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 9: This baseball icon is the only player to have his number retired by every major league team—including Cincinnati, although he never played for the Reds. Who is this legend and what is the number retired in his honor?

Question 10: He’s arguably the greatest baseball player not yet in the Hall of Fame—and so far (as of 2011) he’s not even in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, but he’s still a legend. Who is this legendary pariah and what jersey number did he wear for Cincinnati?

TOP OF THE FIRST ANSWER KEY

1. Sparky Anderson, #10

2. Dave Concepción, #13

3. Fred Hutchinson, #1

4. Joe Morgan, #8

5. Johnny Bench, #5

6. Tony Pérez, #24

7. Frank Robinson, #20

8. Ted Kluszewski, #18

9. Jackie Robinson, #42

10. Pete Rose, #14

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST

Question 11: Harry Dalton, a legendary baseball executive in his own right, said of this Reds legend, Every time [he] throws, everybody in baseball drools. Who is the legend Dalton was referring to?

Question 12: He spent six years playing second base for Cincinnati but he’s in the Hall of Fame because of his managerial career in the Bronx. It was in New York where he won three World Championships, the first three in Yankees franchise history. Can you name the second baseman that became a managerial legend in the Bronx?

Question 13: Fellow-Hall of Famer Billy Herman said of this Reds legend, If he were playing today, on this artificial surface, I don’t know where the infielders would play him. The ball comes off there like a rocket, and the way [he] hit it, he might kill an infielder today. He could hit a ball as hard as anybody I ever saw, and that includes Ruth and Foxx. Can you name the Hall of Fame catcher Herman was referring to?

Question 14: In his Hall of Fame induction speech, this legend said, I take my vote as a salute to the little guy, the one who doesn’t hit 500 home runs. I was one of the guys that did all they could to win. Do you know which legend spoke those words?

Question 15: This slugger once said, Pitchers did me a favor when they knocked me down. It made me more determined. I wouldn’t let that pitcher get me out. They say you can’t hit if you’re on your back, but I didn’t hit on my back. I got up. And trust me, pitchers feared this legendary slugger. Can you name him?

Question 16: Reggie Jackson once said of this pitching legend, He’s so good that blind people come to the park just to hear him pitch. Not exactly sure how tactful that statement was, but he really did say it. Who was Jackson referring to?

Question 17: In Game 7 of the 1975 World Series, the Boston Red Sox led Cincinnati 3-0 during the sixth inning when this player hit a two-run homer to jumpstart the Reds offense. Bill Lee, who was pitching for Boston, said, I had been having good success with [him], throwing him my slow, arching curveball, so I thought it would be a good idea to throw it to him again. Unfortunately, so did [he], who timed it beautifully. He counted the seams of the ball as it floated up to the plate, checked to see if Lee MacPhail’s signature was on it, signed his own name to it, and then jumped all over it. Who homered against Lee to spark the Reds comeback vs. the Red Sox?

Question 18: On August 26, 1939, Cincinnati met the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first game to be televised on live TV. The Dodgers won the game 6-1, but this Reds third baseman became the first player in baseball history to bat on live TV. Do you know his name?

Question 19: He won his first career batting title with a .335 average in 1968. With that title, he also became the first switch-hitter in N.L. history to win a batting crown. Who is this switch-hitter?

Question 20: This legendary Reds manager became the first skipper in baseball history to manage and lose the All-Star Game for both the National League and the American League. Can you name him?

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST ANSWER KEY

11. Johnny Bench

12. Miller Huggins

13. Ernie Lombardi

14. Joe Morgan

15. Frank Robinson

16. Tom Seaver

17. Tony Pérez

18. Billy Werber

19. Pete Rose

20. Sparky Anderson

2 JOE MORGAN

I take my vote as a salute to the little guy, the one who doesn't hit five-hundred home runs. I was one of the guys that did all they could to win. I'm proud of my stats, but I don't think I ever got on for Joe Morgan. If I stole a base, it was to help us win a game, and I like to think that's what made me special.

— Joe Morgan, Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Dallas Green was on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies on September 21, 1963, when a 19-year-old kid named Joe Morgan made his major league debut in the bottom of the third inning as a pinch-hitter for Houston Colts pitcher Don Nottebart. Colts catcher John Bateman had singled to start the inning and was standing on first when Morgan stepped to the plate … and he was still there an instant later when Morgan’s debut came to a quick and rather routine end, with a harmless pop up to second baseman Tony Taylor.

If his debut was rather pedestrian, his second appearance on a big league field was more indicative of Morgan’s future in the game.

One day later, with the Colts trailing 1-0 in the home half of the eighth, Johnny Temple pinch-hit and led off the inning with a walk—and Morgan was sent in to pinch-run. No, he didn’t steal second to get into scoring position, and he didn’t use his blazing speed to score from first on a ball hit into the gap … instead, he took second on a sacrifice bunt by Bob Lillis and was stranded in scoring position when Hal Smith and Howie Goss struck out to end the inning. Morgan did remain in the game, however, batting eighth and playing second base—which was important, because in the bottom of the ninth the Colts began to rally. Still down 1-0, the Colts got a leadoff single from John Weekly, who was batting third in the lineup. After a failed sacrifice resulted in a fielder’s choice for the first out, Jim Wynn, batting fifth, walked to move the tying run into scoring position. Batting sixth, Bob Aspromonte singled to tie the game and move the potential winning run into scoring position. After a ground out by Rusty Staub left runners at second and third with two outs, Morgan, batting eighth, stepped to the plate for the second time in his career.

And his first big league hit was a walk-off single to right field.

It came for a club that had already lost 95 games on the season and was 35 games back in the standings, fewer than 3,500 people were on hand to see it, and it was a long way from Game 7 of the World Series … but it was clutch nonetheless, and for the rest of his career Morgan proved to be exactly that type of player.

In 1965, two years after his big league debut, Morgan was the starting second baseman for the Houston Astros. The 21-year-old full-fledged rookie placed second in Rookie of the Year balloting behind Jim Lefebvre, and for the next two decades he was one of the game’s biggest stars. In November 1971, Cincinnati General Manager Bob Howsam traded Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart to Houston, and in return the Reds received Jack Billingham, César Gerónimo, Ed Armbrister, Dennis Menke … and Joe Morgan, which prompted Sparky Anderson to tell Howsam, You just won the Pennant for the Cincinnati Reds.

Sparky was right.

In 1972, Joe Morgan was the MVP of the All-Star Game and he led the league in runs, walks, and on-base percentage as the Reds won 95 games to claim the N.L. West, before defeating Pittsburgh in a five-game series to win the N.L. Pennant.

The Reds fell short in the World Series, however, losing in seven games to Oakland.

The 1973 postseason ended in disappointment as well, as the Mets defeated the Reds to claim the N.L. Pennant. And in 1974 the Reds were one of the best teams in baseball, winning 98 games during the regular season, however … the Dodgers won 102 games to claim the N.L. West.

All that just set the stage for 1975.

Morgan would have his finest season to date. He batted a career high .327, led the league with 132 walks and a .466 on-base percentage, and became the third different Reds player in the 1970s to win league MVP honors. And he backed that up with a repeat MVP performance in 1976. But it was one at bat during October 1975 that defined his place in baseball history and secured the legacy of the Big Red Machine, all with one swing. After rallying from three runs down during Game 7 of the World Series at Fenway Park, it was Morgan who batted with two outs in the ninth inning of a tie game with the potential winning run in scoring position. The stakes were slightly higher than in his second career at bat, and this time there were slightly more than 35,000 fans in attendance and countless more listening and watching to the radio and TV broadcasts … but like a dozen years