Continuing my theme from a couple of posts ago about baseball, books and movies, I’ll now share another of my favorite teams, the Cincinnati Reds. As I’ve already stated numerous times, my most favorite team is the Atlanta Braves. I began my journey to being the baseball fan I am in 1966 when the Braves moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee in 1966, making this year their 50th year in Atlanta. It was so cool that us southern boys finally had a team to call our own. And the Braves can lay claim to being the oldest continuously playing team in major North American sports. Though the Chicago White Stockings, later named the Cubs, were formed in 1870, they didn’t play for two seasons after the Great Chicago Fire, making the Braves, who were initially formed as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871-not to be confused with the American League’s Boston Red Sox – the oldest team in baseball.

The Cincinnati Red Stockings began play in 1869 being the first all-professional baseball team, but they dissolved after the 1870 season so there is some argument as to which team is truly the oldest. However, the Boston Red Stockings, sometimes called the Red Caps, so as to not be confused with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, played in the first game in the history of the National league in 1876. And at that, to make things more confusing, in 1883 the team began to be called the Beaneaters. Finally, in 1912, they come to be known as the Braves.

Another section of my massive library. And back in the day, I also got a weekly newspaper, Reds’ Alert, which kept me abreast of all things Cincinnati.

But in following the Braves from ’66 on, I became aware of all the other teams they played against. Of those teams, I also began following the Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. What was so neat, with my hometown of Asheville being only a three-hour drive from Atlanta, whenever those teams came to play the Braves, I could make a quick trip down and enjoy. So I was fortunate to see such great players as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell and Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates, all now members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. And what was even better, when my favorite teams were playing each other, I’d come out a winner no matter the outcome. But it was in the 1970’s that Cincinnati became the powerhouse known as “The Big Red Machine”.

The Reds went to the National League Playoffs after winning their division title in ’70’, 72, ’73, ”75 and ”76. They won those playoffs except for ’73. In 1970 they played the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, losing four games to one, in part due to the stupendous play of the Baltimore third baseman Brooks Robinson. In 1972 they faced the Oakland A’s, losing that one four games to three, that series being the first of three in a row the A’s won. But then in ’75 and ’76, the Reds began a run and wrote their own piece of baseball history.

In those two seasons, the Reds won their division in runaway fashion and became arguably one of the best teams in baseball history, posting regular season records of 108 wins-54 losses in ’75, followed by 102 wins and 60 losses in ’76, placing them 9th and 11th on the list of all-time wins for a team in a season. They went on to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-o in the 1975 National League Championship Series and did the same to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1976.

The 1975 World Series is one of the most exciting ever, highlighted by Boston Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk “waving fair” his game-winning home run in the 12th inning of Game 6, which led to an exciting final game highlighted by Cincinnati’s come-from-behind victory, scoring the winning run in the top of the 9th inning, giving them their third world championship in history.

Not to rest on their laurels, the Reds took care of business in the ’76 by not only sweeping the Phillies in the playoffs but then sweeping the New York Yankees in the World Series four games to none, making them the first, and only team in history to this point, to sweep a multi-tier post season.

I used to listen to every game possible on my radio coming from WLW, Cincinnati, one of those clear-channel stations which came in clear as a bell after sunset. To this day I can remember by heart the batting order of this team:

1. Pete Rose – 3rd Base
2. Joe Morgan – 2nd Base
3. Johnny Bench – Catcher
4. Tony Perez – 1st Base
5. George Foster – Right Field
6. David Concepcion – Shortstop
7. Caesar Geronimo – Center Field
8. Ken Griffey – Right Field

Then there was the magnificent pitching rotation of Jack Billingham, Don Gullett, Gary Nolan, Fred Norman and Santo Alcala. And when they got in trouble there was the relief staff of Pedro Borbon, Will McEnaney, Rawly Eastwick and Pat Darcy. Along with a few others, their two-year record in ’75 – ’76 was 210 wins, 114 losses, a winning percentage of .648%.

Is it any wonder they were called the “Big Red Machine“? There’s debate over who created that moniker, but once it caught on, the club recognized it as a commodity and applied for a copyright, which was granted. And that’s a thing about baseball: nicknames. There have been so many over the years, most created by sportswriters and broadcasters or fellow players. In the case of the Reds, they had two famous members of the ’75 – ’76 teams with classic nicknames, Pete Rose and the Manager “Sparky” Anderson.

I love history, and though not the usual type of history, these books cover many historic events.

It was supposedly Whitey Ford, the great Yankee’s pitcher, who dubbed Rose “Charlie Hustle” when he saw him run instead of jog to first base after a walk in a spring training game. That was in his rookie season and he continued it throughout his career. And that’s the way he always played the game, with pure hustle.

Over the years, he was involved in much controversy, becoming on of those player who was either loved or hated by fans. As for me, he is definitely in the top layer of my list of all time favorite players. He holds many Major League records, including the third longest hitting streak in history at 44 games, surpassed only by “Wee Willie” Keeler – another nickname because he was so small – with a 45-game hitting streak, and “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio, “The Yankee Clipper” – a two-nickname guy! – who had a 56-game streak. But his most major achievement was surpassing Ty Cobb’s record of total hits in a career, finishing his career with 4,256 hits over Cobb’s 4,191. This may possibly be a record never to be broken again. The closest active player to Rose’s number is Alex Rodriguez with 3046 hits and he’s forty-years-old, nearing the end of his career. But what Rose is most remembered for now is his August 1989 permanent suspension from baseball due to his addiction to gambling, which included betting on baseball games he was involved in as a player and manager. Though over the years he has appealed to be reinstated, that has yet come to pass.

Since I was, and still am, a fan of Rose, it’s hard for me to be partial on this situation. Just as “Shoeless Joe” Jackson was suspended due to gambling and can’t be in the Hall of Fame, the same applies to Rose. But in my mind’s eye, in no way do I suspect that Rose ever did anything to change the outcome of a game because he was truly was Mr. “Charlie Hustle” whose only goal in life was winning. If he bet on the Reds, it had to have been a bet that they would win. And how can the man who has the most hits in Major League history not be in the Hall of Fame? Considering the circumstances of both “Shoeless Joe” and “Charlie Hustle”, I feel that the new Commissioner of Baseball should revisit both these verdicts for both those guys deserve the honor of gracing the halls of Cooperstown.

As for the manager of the Reds, “Sparky”, he was born George Lee Anderson, and got the nickname “Sparky” from a radio announcer due to his feisty play in the minor leagues; and it stuck. He did manage to make it to the majors for one season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959, then spent the next four years in the minors where he was eventually encouraged to consider managing due to his leadership qualities. He spent eight years managing minor league teams, then one year with the 1969 San Diego Padres in their maiden season as a coach.

At the end of the ’69 season, “Sparky” was hired by the California Angels to be on their coaching staff for the 1970 season, but within days, he was offered the opportunity to manage the Reds. And the rest is history. He led the Reds to 102 wins in 1970 and made his first trip to the World Series. He later managed the Detroit Tigers, winning the 1984 World Series, becoming the first manager ever to win the series in both leagues.

My love of the game isn’t only on the Major League level, though, and that love actually ties in with some of the people I’ve mentioned in this post.

Here in Asheville, NC, we have a minor league team, the Asheville Tourists. They have a very storied history and legacy, being formed in 1897 and have been a farm team for many Major League clubs. In 1961 they were part of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and I got to see a 21-year-old future hall of famer by the name of Willie Stargell play and hit one of the most mammoth home runs ever hit at McCormack Field. Then in 1968, “Sparky” Anderson was named the manager to the Tourists, then a Reds farm team. They won the Southern League that year, and the next year I got to see up-and-coming Reds’ major leaguers Davy Concepcion, Bernie Carbo and Darrel Chaney play right here on my home turf. Ironically, it was Bernie Carbo that hit the game-tying home run for the Red Sox in the 8th inning of the 1975 World Series against his former team, the Reds, which led to the heroic and dramatic game winning homer by Carlton Fisk  later on in the 12th inning, while using his hands to wave the ball fair. And Darrel Chaney later went on to play for my Atlanta Braves in the late ’70’s.

Then in 1972 – 1974 the Tourists were managed by future Baltimore manager Cal Ripken, Sr., where I got to see future Baltimore stars Doug Decinces, Al Bumbry and Eddie Murray, another future hall of famer, learn their craft.

And so has went my life-long habit of watching grown men play a little-boy’s game. But hey…I’m still a kid at heart and wouldn’t mind going out on lush, green grass again, field a few and whack a few out of the park, just as long as no one throws me a curve ball while I’m standing there looking for a fast ball.