The Big Red Machine, 1976 -- note the National League Centennial patch.
Back row: George Foster, Cesar Geronimo and Ken Griffey Sr..
Middle row: Pete Rose, Dave Concepcion, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez.
Front: Johnny Bench.
This week, the Mets are in Cincinnati to play the Reds.
Cincinnati's 10 Greatest Athletes
Honorable Mention to Cincinnati Reds players in the Baseball Hall of Fame, who did not otherwise make the Top 10: John "Bid" McPhee, Jake Beckley, Sam Crawford, Joe Kelley, Eppa Rixey, Ernie Lombardi, Tony Perez, Tom Seaver and Ken Griffey Jr. McPhee spent his entire career with the Reds, and any of the rest of them would have made the Top 10 if they had done so.
Honorable Mention to Charlie Joiner, who began his NFL career with the Bengals before moving on to Hall of Fame status with the Houston Oilers and the San Diego Chargers. He is 1 of only 3 players in the Bengals' 1st 50 years to be elected to Canton. Terrell Owens is another, and he played only 1 season there near the end. The other is at Number 3 on this list.
Honorable Mention to Wayne Embry, a 5-time All-Star with the Cincinnati Royals, but was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as an executive, with other teams.
Honorable Mention to Mike Gartner and Mark Messier, who briefly played for the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association before starring in the NHL.
10. Jack Twyman, forward, Cincinnati Royals, 1957-66, plus the preceding 2 seasons with them in Rochester. In 1959-60, he and Wilt Chamberlain became the 1st players to average 30 points per game in an NBA season. In Jack's case, he topped out at 59 points, which an astonishing figure -- for almost anyone but Chamberlain.
He became a broadcaster, calling NBA games on ABC with play-by-play man Chris Schenkel. On May 8, 1970, the Knicks were about to play the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. Knick captain Willis Reed had been injured in Game 5 and didn't play in Game 6. No one knew if he would play in Game 7.
But when he walked out of the tunnel onto the court, Jack Twyman had the iconic call: "I think we see Willis coming out!" Reed scored the Knicks' 1st 2 baskets, and didn't score any more, but the Knicks were inspired to a 113-99 victory and their 1st title after 24 years of trying. Twyman did the postgame interviews in the Knick locker room.
Twyman left broadcasting, and became an executive at a Cincinnati food-production company. He became sole owner, and made $3 million when he sold it in 1996. He died in 2012, as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, with the Royals/Kings having retired his Number 27, and the basketball world remembering how he crossed racial boundaries to care for his fellow Pittsburgh native and stricken Royals teammate Maurice Stokes.
9. Barry Larkin, shortstop, Cincinnati Reds, 1986-2004. A true hometown hero, he turned down free-agent offers from other teams to stay with the Reds. He was a 12-time All-Star, the 1st time at age 24 and the last in his final season at 40 – and it wasn't an honorary thing, either, as he batted .289 that season.
He helped the Reds win the 1990 World Series, and got them into the postseason again in 1995 and '99 (and had them in 1st place in the NL Central when the Strike of '94 hit). He also won 3 Gold Gloves, and the 1995 NL Most Valuable Player award. He had a lifetime batting average of .295, OPS+ 116, 2,340 hits including 441 doubles and 76 triples. The Reds retired his Number 11, and he has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
8. Jerry Lucas, forward, Cincinnati Royals, 1963-69. One of several of these guys who would rank higher had he spent his entire career in one city. On the other hand, if he hadn't left Cincinnati, he might not have won his only NBA Championship, with the 1973 Knicks.
A 7-time All-Star, including being named the MVP of the 1965 NBA All-Star Game, he was Rookie of the Year in 1964, helping the Royals to their best finish ever, as an Eastern Division Finalist. This followed an amateur career in which he was twice the national high school player of the year, twice the national college player of the year, twice the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, 3 times a Final Four participant, a 1960 National Champion with Ohio State (with John Havlicek and Bobby Knight as teammates), and a 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist.
Ohio State retired his Number 11, and the Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) retired his Number 16. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
7. Frank Robinson, right field, Cincinnati Reds, 1956-65. This is a joke, right? Frank Robinson, the best player the Reds had been 1926 and 1967, only 7th? Keep in mind, he didn't even play half his career in the Queen City of the Midwest.
In his rookie year, 1956, he set a rookie record for home runs, and nearly helped the Reds win the National League Pennant. In 1961, he led them to the Pennant with a season that got him the NL's Most Valuable Player award. He had an even better season in 1962, but with Willie Mays and Maury Willis having amazing seasons, he was locked out.
Shortly after his rookie season, Branch Rickey, then running the Pittsburgh Pirates, offered the Reds all kinds of deals for Frank. Gabe Paul, then the Reds' general manager, said, "I wouldn't give you Frank Robinson for your whole team." This was a team that then included Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Dick Groat and Vern Law.
But after the 1965 season, Bill DeWitt, the new Reds GM after having been that of the St. Louis Browns (and whose son and grandson are now running the St. Louis Cardinals), decided that Frank was "an old 30," and traded him to the Baltimore Orioles for Milt Pappas and 2 other guys. The Reds did need pitching, but this was a bad trade: By the time the Reds won the Pennant again in 1970, it was Frank's O's that beat them in the World Series.
Over his career, he hit 586 home runs, fell just 57 hits short of 3,000, and became the only man to win the MVP in both Leagues. He was named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and in 1999 The Sporting News ranked him 22nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
Both the Reds and the Orioles retired Frank's Number 20. There are statues of him outside the Reds' Great American Ball Park, the Orioles' Camden Yards, and, in reflection of his status as MLB's 1st black manager, one of him handing off a lineup card outside the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field. As far as I know, he's the only man with statues outside 3 MLB parks. In 2005, George W. Bush awarded him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
6. Edd Roush, center field, Cincinnati Reds, 1916-26, with a return in 1931. "I didn't know if I'd make it to the major leagues," the native of rural Indiana said in an interview late in life, "but I didn't care. I just had to get away from those damn cows."
Getting away from those damn cows was good for him, and for the Reds. He had a lifetime batting average .323, OPS+ of 127, 2,376 hits, and was said to have had the best outfield arm of his era. He insisted until his death, as the last surviving member of that team, that the Reds would have won the 1919 World Series even if the White Sox had played it on the level.
He is in the Hall of Fame, and although he played before numbers were worn, he was probably the greatest player the Reds ever had until Johnny Bench came along. In reflection of this, he was invited to throw out the ceremonial first ball at the last game at Crosley Field, on June 24, 1970.
5. Joe Morgan, 2nd base, Cincinnati Reds, 1972-79. If he had spent his entire career in Cincinnati, he'd be a serious contender for Number 1 on this list. The was the best 2nd baseman of my lifetime, and that includes Ryne Sandberg, Lou Whitaker, Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar and Jeff Kent.
He had a 132 career OPS+. His 268 home runs made him the all-time leader among 2nd basemen, since surpassed by Sandberg and Kent. He had 2,517 hits, and 689 stolen bases, including 9 straight seasons with at least 40, and 3 of at least 60. He reached the postseason 6 times, including 3 Pennants and the 1975 and '76 World Championships with the Reds, seasons in which he was also the National League's Most Valuable Player.
The Reds have retired his Number 8, and he's in the Hall of Fame. All this despite being just 5-foot-7. As for his broadcasting, well…
4. Pete Rose, several positions but was 3rd base at his peak, Cincinnati Reds, 1963-78 and 1984-86. No player in the history of Major League Baseball played in more games, or had more plate appearances, at-bats, or hits -- or outs. He was named to 17 All-Star Games, including at 5 different positions. He won a Rookie of the Year (1963), a National League Most Valuable Player award (1973), 3 batting titles and even 2 Gold Gloves.
He has long been fond of saying that no player has played in more winning games. He reached postseason play 8 times, and just missed 6 others, winning 6 Pennants and 3 World Series, including 1975, when he was awarded the Series MVP and Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. He had a 44-game hitting streak, tied for the longest in NL history. The Reds have retired his Number 14, and the fans, for whom he once symbolized baseball for an entire generation, named him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
But he knew the rule, baseball's one "death penalty" rule, and he broke it anyway. The thing is, if he had come clean immediately, he probably would have been reinstated at the 1st opportunity, as George Steinbrenner was when he was "permanently banned" a year later. And he'd probably have gotten into the Baseball Hall of Fame only a little late. But he blew it.
And it's not the only thing he blew. Every now and then, new revelations come out. He still gambles. He was a womanizer, something known to the media during his playing days, but covered up. And the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he played from 1979 to 1983 and helped to win 2 Pennants, canceled a ceremony electing him to their team hall of fame when it got out that he may have been fooling around with a teenage girl at some point.
And he will never be elected to the Hall during his lifetime. They may wait until after he dies to remove him from the "permanently ineligible" list. Because most fans will not want to hear his acceptance speech.
3. Anthony Muñoz, offensive tackle, Cincinnati Bengals, 1980-92. When The Sporting News named its 100 Greatest Football Players in 1999, it listed him 17th. When the NFL Network listed its 100 Greatest Players in 2010, he was 12th. In 11 years, with him already well retired and new players having made their mark, he rose in the historical eye. In each vote, he was the highest-ranking offensive lineman.
An 11-time Pro Bowler, he helped the Bengals win both of their AFC Championships, in 1981 and 1988. He was named NFL Man of the Year (the award now named for Walter Payton) in 1991, in honor of his activities both on and off the field. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the NFL's 1980s All-Decade and 75th Anniversary Teams.
The Bengals have officially retired only 1 number, that of the 1st player they ever signed, 1968-79 center Bob Johnson, Number 54. A good player for a long time, but not a Hall-of-Famer. The Number 78 worn by Muñoz is not officially retired, but it hasn't been given back out since he retired.
2. Oscar Robertson, guard, Cincinnati Royals, 1960-70. He was, almost certainly, the greatest athlete ever to play for a Cincinnati team, and he did so for a team that the vast majority of the people in the Ohio Valley can't even remember.
If we were measuring his entire career, including the NBA Championship he won with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and the one he nearly walked away a champion after winning in 1974 (but lost in Game 7), he would be Number 1 on this list.
People talk about "triple-doubles": Getting double figures, 10 or more, in points, rebounds and assists in a single game. In 2016-17, Russell Westbrook of the Golden State Warriors had 42 triple-doubles, breaking the record of 41, and actually averaged a triple-double for a season, becoming the 2nd player ever to do so. The 1st, the only one to do so in the NBA's 1st 70 seasons, and the previous record-holder? Oscar Robertson, with the 1961-62 Cincinnati Royals: 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, 11.4 assists -- to Westbrook's 31.6, 10.7 and 10.4.
He and Jerry West of West Virginia -- an urban black man from a Northern State and a rural white man from a crypto-Southern State -- were named co-captains of the U.S. team that won the Gold Medal at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, a team often considered the best amateur basketball team of all time. (The 1984 team with Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing might have been better.) The aforementioned Terry Dischinger was also on that team, and it was, collectively, elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
A 12-time NBA All-Star, he was named All-Star Game MVP 3 times, Rookie of the Year in 1961, and MVP of the regular season in 1964. The Royals had Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Jack Twyman, Hall-of-Famers all, but they couldn't reach the NBA Finals, unable to crack the Boston Celtic dynasty, losing to them in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1963 and 1964.
In 1970, Robertson was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, who had the young Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and Oscar finally got his ring in 1971. He closed his career by reaching the Finals again in 1974, but, again the Celtics were in the way. He retired as the NBA's all-time leader in assists (a record broken by Magic Johnson, who was surpassed by John Stockton) and steals (a record broken by Stockton).
He has the rare status of having 3 different uniform numbers retired: 12 by the University of Cincinnati; 14 by the Royals' successors, the Sacramento Kings; and 1 by the Bucks. He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame (twice, in his own right and with the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team) and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players.
1. Johnny Bench, catcher (later switching to 1st base and 3rd base), Cincinnati Reds, 1967-83. Contrary to anything that Sparky Anderson ever said, it certainly doesn't embarrass Oscar Robertson to compare him to Johnny Bench -- or vice versa.
A 14-time All-Star, and a 10-time Gold Glove, Bench was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1968, NL Most Valuable Player in 1970 and 1972, and World Series MVP in 1976. He helped the Reds reach 6 postseasons, winning 4 Pennants and the 1975 and 1976 World Series. He hit 389 home runs, and at his retirement had more home runs at the position of catcher than anyone.
The Reds retired his Number 5, and erected a statue of him outside Great American Ball Park. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, was ranked 16th on The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
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