"The BIG RED baseball team! Man, I hate those guys, being Pittsburgh Pirate fan of course but I......
- Thread starter TheGlovStillRules
- Start date
He had a couple of good seasons with the Phillies--and was a pretty good hockey player too (could have signed with the Bruins, but went the baseball route instead). Link
This team had balance and continuity. No strike out machine or 45 HR a year machine in that lineup. Defensively you couldn’t ask for more. A good pitching lineup 1 through 5, but nothing that really stands out. Only three superstars on this team Bench, Rose and Sparky Anderson. In my opinion, the Cincinnati Reds had a “Team First Concept” something that free agency killed.
Glov, I had that ARCO set. Wish I still did. Gas stations gave away cool things back in the day. Remember Sunoco with their NFL player stamps? A trip to the gas station today is an expensive adventure.
I have a Richie bobble head. Remember Richie doing the Town Talk bread commercial? There was a promotion…like save the bread wrappers and get free tickets or something. Richie, being from Massachusetts, didn’t pronounce r’s very well. So his line came out “it’s the whappah”!
A five time Golden Glover and HOF, yes he was a superstar.Joe Morgan was not a superstar?
Are those real signatures? I will have to show you my Pirates collection one day...
Think he’s still hanging out in the bleachers…usually drunk off his a$$! A classic!
Bench is the greatest catcher of all time.
May have been the greatest baseball team of all-time. Pitching was excellent but fleeting.Joe Morgan was not a superstar?
Some say he was the greatest second baseman of all time!
In what way are Perez’s stats a lot better than Bench’s?
Other than10 less home runs. .13 higher batting average, almost 600 more hits, almost 300 more Rbis 100+ more runs scored.
Well, and over 600 more games played which accounts for the high RBI, run and hit differential. Bench also had 2 more MVPS, 7 more all star selections, 8 more gold gloves, 2 more times leading the league in home runs, 3 more times leading the league in RBIs……. To say that Perez had a lot better numbers than Bench across the board is an overstatement. And comparing the numbers of a 1B/3B to a catcher is tough to make anyway considering the wear and tear catching puts on a body.
My post wasn't meant to diminish Bench's accomplishments. My response was to the poster who said Bench and Rose were the only superstars on the team. In my opinion Perez could be included in that category.
He is in the hall of fame so that should meet the criteria of a superstar. In my own personal opinion, he was a hell of a player but not hall of fame worthy. But since the hall of fame allowed Harold Baines in, Perez is a no brainer.
As a young little leaguer I think I cried for 3 days after Game 5 of the '72 NLCS.....
Cash was a solid player, but the Pirates had Rennie Stennett and Willie Randolph waiting in the wings so the deal made sense at the time. Brett went 22-14 over the next two seasons for the Bucs -- I was there for a double-header against the Padres where he took a no-hitter into the ninth (broken up by Fred Kendall, father of future Pirate Jason). Brett had an RBI single in that first game, and was inserted as a pinch hitter in the second game where he hit a two-run triple to tie the game. Bucs won on a walkoff homer by Richie Hebner.
Unfortunate coda to that story -- Brett and Randolph were part of a deal with the Yankees that sent them and Dock Ellis in exchange for Doc Medich. Both Brett and Ellis had better seasons the next year than Medich, and of course Randolph went on to an excellent 18 year career and over 2,200 hits.
At the time, trading Randolph looked like the smart move for the Pirates, as Rennie Stennett looked like a star until he broke his leg in 1977. He wasn't the same player after that.
Last edited:
It was an incredible lineup for sure Pitching was good but remember the reds albiet back to back , the pirates won as many world series as did the reds two , the reds got beat by Baltimore , Oakland , , and the Mets , and Pirates took them out in 73 and 79
Get unlimited access today.