The Big 50: Cincinnati Reds: The Men and Moments that Made the Cincinnati Reds

by Chad Dotson, Chris Garber, Marty Brennaman (Foreword)

The Big 50: Cincinnati Reds is an amazing, full-color look at the 50 men and moments that made the Reds the Reds. Experienced sportswriters Chad Dotson and Chris Garber recount the living history of the Reds, counting down from No. 50 to No. 1. Big 50: Reds brilliantly brings to life the Reds remarkable story, from Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin to the roller coaster that was Pete Rose to the team’s 1990 World Series championship and Todd Frazier’s 2015 Home Run Derby win.

Genres: Baseball

368 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 2018

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It would be hard for me to overstate how much I enjoyed this book. If you're a casual fan of the Reds or a die hard fan you would enjoy this book. There is no doubt that you will learn something from every chapter, maybe every page. I loved the little nuggets about things like a lucky fly swatter, how Johnny Vander Meer's mom felt in Midland Park, NJ after his two no-hitters, all of Ewell Blackwell's nicknames, a reference to Spiro Agnew, and on and on. My favorite parts covered the 1990 Reds and players, especially Eric Davis. Reading about Davis reminded me of how I felt in May 1987 when he hit three grand slams. And then when he lacerated his kidney how disappointed I was when he didn't get to celebrate with the team.

Great work Chad and Chris.

[Mike Glaser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe not a five star book for everyone but if you are a Cincinnati Reds fan, this is a must have for your library. Brought back a lot of great memories and reminded me why I still follow the team passionately even though they have not been very good recently. Thanks to Chad and Jim for putting this book together and for setting up Redleg Nation of which I am an everyday reader. By the way, thank you to my daughter, Katie, for such a great birthday present and my wife, Jeanne, for picking it out for her.

[Andrew Backs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any Redleg fan. This is a great spread of stories from the earliest days of the club to the modern teams. Selfishly, I would have liked to have had more depth in some of the chapters, but to cover 50 different players, stories, and feats throughout the entire lifetime of the Cincinnati Reds is pretty impressive.

I definitely would recommend this book. I would like to see Dotson and Garber team up again to write another title about the Reds. Maybe a book of biographies about their favorite players?

If you do like the book, I would also recommend the authors' work on their podcast Redleg Nation Radio.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful collection of stories that should provide something of interest for any baseball fan. Obviously, it is going to be of particular interest to fans of the Cincinnati Reds. I'm a pretty hard-core Reds fan, and I've done my share of reading about teams that pre-date my fandom (I'm 40 years old, so the 1987-1995 Reds teams were central to my childhood). Nevertheless, I was delighted to find so many stories in this book that I'd never encountered before. As you'd expect of a Reds book, the Big Red Machine figures prominently, and there are a good number of chapters on teams and players from more recent years. But you'll also find fantastic chapters on the 1919, 1939, and 1940 pennant-winning teams and their players, the first integrated Reds teams, and more. It is also almost universally positive; there is no shortage of controversy in Reds history, but this book is uplifting and fun from cover to cover. Finally, while the authors are no strangers to advanced analytics, newer statistics like WAR, OPS+, etc, are mentioned only occasionally and are never intrusive. The focus is on the stories of the players and the team from the long history of baseball's first professional organization. Highly recommended.

[Rt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must purchase for any Reds fan and the perfect gift for same!

[Sid Mickle]

Wonderful recap of the greatest Cincinnati Reds.