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The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds
From the best-selling author of Baseball 100 “Posnanski offers an eloquent reminder that the great Cincinnati Reds teams—especially the ‘75 Reds—deserve a place of prominence in our memory, same as this book demands a place of prominence on your shelf.” — New York Post There are great teams in baseball—and then there are classic teams like the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. From 1972 to 1976, the franchise known as the Big Red Machine dominated the National League, and their 1975 season has become the stuff of sports legend. In The Machine, award-winning sports columnist Joe Posnanski captures all of the passion and tension, drama and glory of this extraordinary championship team considered to be one of the greatest of all time. Helmed by Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson, the lineup for the ’75 Reds is a “Who’s Who” of baseball greats, including Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr., and Joe Morgan. But that remarkable year was not without feuds, fights, insults, and run-ins with fans were as much a part of the season as hits, runs, steals, and strikeouts. Capturing this rollicking thrill-ride of a story, Posnanski brings to life the excitement, hope, and high-expectations that surrounded the players from the beginning of spring training through the long summer and into a nailbiting World Series, where, in the ninth inning of the seventh game, the Big Red Machine fulfilled its destiny, defeating the Boston Red Sox 4-3.
302 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
101 people are currently reading
1277 people want to read
About the author
Joe Posnanski
21 books549 followersJoe Posnanski is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of eight books, a Writer at Large at Esquire, and the co-host of The PosCast with Michael Schur. He writes a newsletter called JoeBlogs. He has been named national sportswriter of the year by five different organizations including the Associated Press Sports Editors and the National Sports Media Association. He also won two sports Emmys as part of NBC's digital Olympic coverage.
His newest book is Why We Love Baseball, which will be published by Dutton on Sept. 5, 2023. His last book, The Baseball 100, won the Casey Award as the best baseball book of 2020.
His newest book is Why We Love Baseball, which will be published by Dutton on Sept. 5, 2023. His last book, The Baseball 100, won the Casey Award as the best baseball book of 2020.
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September 5, 2025
"For three weeks in [the] hot summer of 1975, while the Eagles' song 'One of These Nights' played constantly on the radio, while comic actor Bob Newhart and singer John Denver both guest-hosted for Johnny Carson on 'The Tonight Show,' while President Ford tried to reassure a nation scarred by Watergate and Vietnam and a tumbling economy, and while everyone wondered if Jimmy Hoffa was alive, the 'Big Red Machine' played baseball as well as it had ever been played . . . they played for glory, and they were damned good." -- on pages 177 & 179
There are some baseball teams which are considered the best EVER in the history of the game, adorned with such memorable monikers like "Murderers' Row" (the New York Yankees of the late 1920's) and "The Boys of Summer" (the Brooklyn Dodgers of the early 1950's). On the short list also belongs 'The Big Red Machine,' the dynamite Cincinnati Reds of the mid-1970's. Boasting a line-up known as 'The Great Eight' - Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, Ken Griffey, Cesar Geronimo, and George Foster - plus the prematurely white-haired George 'Sparky' Anderson as their manager, said squad had an astounding season in 1975 which culminated with reaching the World Series, battling the Boston Red Sox until emerging triumphantly in Game Seven. Author / sports journalist Posnanski - who gave us the excellent Why We Love Baseball two years ago - has written an outstanding book with The Machine, which is perfect reading to celebrate or recall the now-50th anniversary of the team's eventful year. Smartly, the narrative is not simply just rote retellings of stats and/or scores, but digs into the personalities and foibles of those aforementioned Reds. It was always entertaining, it was quietly dramatic, and the effective moments of humor - such as the pitching staff's anecdote capped by the memorable exhortation of "Start jogging, you son of a b****", which caught me off-guard and made me crack up - often came straight out of left field. ( cough cough) I had previously thought that David Halberstam's moving The Teammates was the best book that I had read this year about 'America's pastime,' but The Machine now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with it like a starting line-up respectfully listening to the national anthem. ⚾️🇺🇸
There are some baseball teams which are considered the best EVER in the history of the game, adorned with such memorable monikers like "Murderers' Row" (the New York Yankees of the late 1920's) and "The Boys of Summer" (the Brooklyn Dodgers of the early 1950's). On the short list also belongs 'The Big Red Machine,' the dynamite Cincinnati Reds of the mid-1970's. Boasting a line-up known as 'The Great Eight' - Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Dave Concepcion, Ken Griffey, Cesar Geronimo, and George Foster - plus the prematurely white-haired George 'Sparky' Anderson as their manager, said squad had an astounding season in 1975 which culminated with reaching the World Series, battling the Boston Red Sox until emerging triumphantly in Game Seven. Author / sports journalist Posnanski - who gave us the excellent Why We Love Baseball two years ago - has written an outstanding book with The Machine, which is perfect reading to celebrate or recall the now-50th anniversary of the team's eventful year. Smartly, the narrative is not simply just rote retellings of stats and/or scores, but digs into the personalities and foibles of those aforementioned Reds. It was always entertaining, it was quietly dramatic, and the effective moments of humor - such as the pitching staff's anecdote capped by the memorable exhortation of "Start jogging, you son of a b****", which caught me off-guard and made me crack up - often came straight out of left field. ( cough cough) I had previously thought that David Halberstam's moving The Teammates was the best book that I had read this year about 'America's pastime,' but The Machine now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with it like a starting line-up respectfully listening to the national anthem. ⚾️🇺🇸
March 23, 2012
If Pete Rose ever slides from the outcast villain category over to the forgiven side of the ledger, he’ll owe at least some small debt to Joe Posnanski’s The Machine. After two decades of reading and hearing only about the myriad ways Rose destroyed his legacy, we are reminded how he built it up in the first place. Here’s Rose, flying at us straight out of the cover, cocky, confident, and competitive, driving his teammates to glory in one of the greatest seasons in baseball history.
Posnanski, who was just eight years old in 1975 when the Reds topped the Red Sox in an unforgettable World Series, cites Rose in his acknowledgments as “the stimulus for this book.” Rose, as well as most of his teammates and several other contemporaries, discussed the Big Red Machine with Posnanski, who weaved their stories together into a diary of the ’75 season.
The Hit King, who now spends his days signing autographs in Las Vegas, was still Charlie Hustle back in the mid-‘70s, inspiring teammates like Joe Morgan to get the most out of themselves, while taking rookies like Will McEnaney out to dinner. But most of all, he was a damn good hitter. Rose batted .317 that year and led the NL in runs and doubles while never taking a day off even though the Reds won their division by 20 games.
As laid out by manager Sparky Anderson in spring training, Rose was one of the club’s four superstars. The others: Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Tony Perez. The rest of the team? “Turds.” That’s what Anderson called them. He made no pretense about playing favorites. He also didn’t disguise his disdain for light-hitting third baseman John Vuckovich, whom he referred to as “Balsa.”
In early May, with the team battling to stay above .500, Anderson asked Rose to move to third base. The decision was something of a stunner at the time, with Anderson defying general manager Bob Howsam’s wishes on the subject. It eventually allowed George Foster a chance to play every day in left field, adding an extra power hitter to the lineup. And it got Balsa out of the batting order and shortly thereafter off the team. Looking back, it was one of the key decisions that allowed the Reds to dominate and decimate their competition.
Another of Anderson’s “genius” moves was his aggressive mixing and matching of relief pitchers to game situation. When ace starter Don Gullett was injured late in a one-sided game by a line drive off his thumb, Anderson devised his bullpen strategy of changing pitchers whenever he felt in his gut that he needed to do so. He became known as Captain Hook, going 45 consecutive games without allowing his pitchers to complete a start. His pitchers may have hated him, and several of them seemed resentful for never getting much credit despite compiling a 3.37 team ERA, third best in the NL, but there were only four asses Anderson kissed, and they belonged to his superstar hitters.
Posnanski, too, rides the hero quartet heavily throughout The Machine. There’s Rose and his drive to live up to his father’s precedent as the toughest man in town. Johnny Bench, who was so in love with the idea of being a baseball star as a youngster that he would practice signing autographs at the Texaco station in his tiny Oklahoma hometown. Just prior to the ’75 season he concluded a whirlwind courtship by getting married to a woman he’d met just two months earlier. Their marriage fell apart by the end of the season. Morgan was inspired by his father to be the most complete ballplayer he could be, and he prided himself on being able to beat a team in every way they could be beaten. He won the first of his back-to-back MVP awards that season, leading the NL with a .466 on-base percentage, stealing 67 bases, and earning his third Gold Glove. And finally Perez, the team leader who was almost traded in the offseason to plug the hole at third base. “Big Doggie” loved to kid his teammates in the clubhouse almost as much as he loved to drive in runs in clutch situations.
While we learn a lot about those four, it would have been nice to go further in-depth with guys like Foster, who was blossoming into a superstar in his own right. Most references to him note his penchant for Bible-reading, but we don’t really see him breaking out other than a random home run here or there.
Posnanski sets most of the chapters in the context of the wider world, where the Vietnam War was drawing to an end, President Ford was plotted against twice, and Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier, Bobby Unser won the Indy 500, and Evel Knievel retired. Most of that didn’t do much for me. I’d have rather read more about some of the lesser Reds players. The “turds.”
The non-baseball history, however, doesn’t detract from the book overall. It’s an entertaining reminder of a time before free agency, when a club could compile a roster of superstars and beat back all comers. Anyone who followed baseball in the 1970s should enjoy this book. Reds fans, who haven’t had a lot to cheer consistently since the heyday of the Big Red Machine, are going to want to read it more than once. If you bring a copy to Las Vegas, Rose will probably even sign it for you. For a price.
Posnanski, who was just eight years old in 1975 when the Reds topped the Red Sox in an unforgettable World Series, cites Rose in his acknowledgments as “the stimulus for this book.” Rose, as well as most of his teammates and several other contemporaries, discussed the Big Red Machine with Posnanski, who weaved their stories together into a diary of the ’75 season.
The Hit King, who now spends his days signing autographs in Las Vegas, was still Charlie Hustle back in the mid-‘70s, inspiring teammates like Joe Morgan to get the most out of themselves, while taking rookies like Will McEnaney out to dinner. But most of all, he was a damn good hitter. Rose batted .317 that year and led the NL in runs and doubles while never taking a day off even though the Reds won their division by 20 games.
As laid out by manager Sparky Anderson in spring training, Rose was one of the club’s four superstars. The others: Morgan, Johnny Bench, and Tony Perez. The rest of the team? “Turds.” That’s what Anderson called them. He made no pretense about playing favorites. He also didn’t disguise his disdain for light-hitting third baseman John Vuckovich, whom he referred to as “Balsa.”
In early May, with the team battling to stay above .500, Anderson asked Rose to move to third base. The decision was something of a stunner at the time, with Anderson defying general manager Bob Howsam’s wishes on the subject. It eventually allowed George Foster a chance to play every day in left field, adding an extra power hitter to the lineup. And it got Balsa out of the batting order and shortly thereafter off the team. Looking back, it was one of the key decisions that allowed the Reds to dominate and decimate their competition.
Another of Anderson’s “genius” moves was his aggressive mixing and matching of relief pitchers to game situation. When ace starter Don Gullett was injured late in a one-sided game by a line drive off his thumb, Anderson devised his bullpen strategy of changing pitchers whenever he felt in his gut that he needed to do so. He became known as Captain Hook, going 45 consecutive games without allowing his pitchers to complete a start. His pitchers may have hated him, and several of them seemed resentful for never getting much credit despite compiling a 3.37 team ERA, third best in the NL, but there were only four asses Anderson kissed, and they belonged to his superstar hitters.
Posnanski, too, rides the hero quartet heavily throughout The Machine. There’s Rose and his drive to live up to his father’s precedent as the toughest man in town. Johnny Bench, who was so in love with the idea of being a baseball star as a youngster that he would practice signing autographs at the Texaco station in his tiny Oklahoma hometown. Just prior to the ’75 season he concluded a whirlwind courtship by getting married to a woman he’d met just two months earlier. Their marriage fell apart by the end of the season. Morgan was inspired by his father to be the most complete ballplayer he could be, and he prided himself on being able to beat a team in every way they could be beaten. He won the first of his back-to-back MVP awards that season, leading the NL with a .466 on-base percentage, stealing 67 bases, and earning his third Gold Glove. And finally Perez, the team leader who was almost traded in the offseason to plug the hole at third base. “Big Doggie” loved to kid his teammates in the clubhouse almost as much as he loved to drive in runs in clutch situations.
While we learn a lot about those four, it would have been nice to go further in-depth with guys like Foster, who was blossoming into a superstar in his own right. Most references to him note his penchant for Bible-reading, but we don’t really see him breaking out other than a random home run here or there.
Posnanski sets most of the chapters in the context of the wider world, where the Vietnam War was drawing to an end, President Ford was plotted against twice, and Jimmy Hoffa disappeared. Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier, Bobby Unser won the Indy 500, and Evel Knievel retired. Most of that didn’t do much for me. I’d have rather read more about some of the lesser Reds players. The “turds.”
The non-baseball history, however, doesn’t detract from the book overall. It’s an entertaining reminder of a time before free agency, when a club could compile a roster of superstars and beat back all comers. Anyone who followed baseball in the 1970s should enjoy this book. Reds fans, who haven’t had a lot to cheer consistently since the heyday of the Big Red Machine, are going to want to read it more than once. If you bring a copy to Las Vegas, Rose will probably even sign it for you. For a price.
May 27, 2015
Sparky Anderson a no nonsense, conservative and old school manager addressed his 1975 Reds team as the "royalty and the turds". He pointed to Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, and especially Joe Morgan as royalty. The rest were just turds unless and until they became superstars like the former. Well that club became arguably the greatest lineup in baseball history.(it was in my opinion). This wonderfully easy to read and entertaining work emphasizes that season and the diverse personalities that made The Big Red machine. For me it gave me a an insider's feel for what it was like in the club house and the dugout of that team. Sure, I saw that team many times on television, but I really didn't know too much about the players' personalities. This book gave me insight into guys like Ken Griffey, who felt he had been sacrificed by his manager to benefit Joe Morgan at his own expense. There was the huge ego of Bench and the petty jealousy of the man who would burn inside if a reporter went to Rose or Morgan for a quote before him. There was the happy go lucky personality of Perez who instigated the incessant needling amongst the players that made the clubhouse so loose but, who never got the same attention as the others. He didn't really care-not so his wife. Concepcion was always on the cusp of stardom and needed to feel he was an equal. There are some very funny lines in the book that had me belly laughing For example, in pure Rose speak, he rants to a reporter about Luis Tiant's many deceptive deliveries, "I don't give a s*** about that. Hell his head could fall off while he's pitching,it doesn't mean anything to me. I'm looking at the ball."
And then there was this need to win especially with Morgan, and the refusal to lose by Rose that led to one of the best World Series ever played. It was like a Hitchcock drama as Posnansky compares it especially with a three rain delay between the crucial last two games. It was a series the Reds knew they were destined to win and they did so in such an intense and dramatic way.(maybe if Jim Rice had been able to play destiny would have made 1975 the end of the Babe Ruth curse). I found the book thoroughly enjoyable and I reject the claims of those reviewers that think the book is for novices. It captures the team's personality, the great run of the team in the 70's and gives just enough cultural history to enrich the story without getting bogged down in ancillary issues.
And then there was this need to win especially with Morgan, and the refusal to lose by Rose that led to one of the best World Series ever played. It was like a Hitchcock drama as Posnansky compares it especially with a three rain delay between the crucial last two games. It was a series the Reds knew they were destined to win and they did so in such an intense and dramatic way.(maybe if Jim Rice had been able to play destiny would have made 1975 the end of the Babe Ruth curse). I found the book thoroughly enjoyable and I reject the claims of those reviewers that think the book is for novices. It captures the team's personality, the great run of the team in the 70's and gives just enough cultural history to enrich the story without getting bogged down in ancillary issues.
August 1, 2023
This was an excellent baseball book. Posnanski is the best in the business in writing sports books. He doesn't write puff pieces or hit jobs but well rounded characters.
It was good to see a book that puts Pete Rose's effort and generosity in a slightly better light than most books. This one also knocks Johnny Bench down a peg. Morgan is also portrayed in a similar vein to Bench and Sparky was perhaps portrayed in the worst light of the four. But make no mistake these four men had giant sized egos and they wanted to win more than anything or anyone else.
4.5 stars
It was good to see a book that puts Pete Rose's effort and generosity in a slightly better light than most books. This one also knocks Johnny Bench down a peg. Morgan is also portrayed in a similar vein to Bench and Sparky was perhaps portrayed in the worst light of the four. But make no mistake these four men had giant sized egos and they wanted to win more than anything or anyone else.
4.5 stars
March 27, 2023
Man, I love baseball and I love the Reds. This book was so well written and Posnanski does a great job recounting the 1975 season. I can only hope to see such a season and World Series win in my lifetime.
My favorite quote didn’t even come from the book, it came from the afterword:
“The big red machine towered over my childhood. That is at the heart of why I wrote this book. I grew up in Cleveland, and I was eight years old in 1975. Sometimes, it seems to me, we all just want baseball to forever feel like it does when we are eight years old. The good players seem great. the great players seem legendary. And the legendary players are like flashes of light."
My favorite quote didn’t even come from the book, it came from the afterword:
“The big red machine towered over my childhood. That is at the heart of why I wrote this book. I grew up in Cleveland, and I was eight years old in 1975. Sometimes, it seems to me, we all just want baseball to forever feel like it does when we are eight years old. The good players seem great. the great players seem legendary. And the legendary players are like flashes of light."
September 8, 2022
Never meet your heroes, and never read about them, either, apparently. Pete is Pete; you know what you're getting with him, and overall, I like him, love his attitude toward the game, and wholeheartedly believe he belongs in the Hall. Otherwise, what I learned is, Johnny was a jerk (actually knew that, from a personal encounter), Joe is a jerk, and Sparky is a jerk. He called all of his "non-star" players "turds," if that gives you any idea.
Tony Perez was a good guy, though.
I enjoyed how Posnanski mixes in pop culture and news items of the day into the story, to give the reader an idea of what else was going on in the country while the Reds were dominating baseball. But overall, the book was actually kind of stressful to read, because it just made me so strongly dislike some of the guys that we Cincy natives have been conditioned to idolize.
I'd like to see Pos write a similar book about the 1990 team. Maybe THOSE guys really are lovable.
Tony Perez was a good guy, though.
I enjoyed how Posnanski mixes in pop culture and news items of the day into the story, to give the reader an idea of what else was going on in the country while the Reds were dominating baseball. But overall, the book was actually kind of stressful to read, because it just made me so strongly dislike some of the guys that we Cincy natives have been conditioned to idolize.
I'd like to see Pos write a similar book about the 1990 team. Maybe THOSE guys really are lovable.
November 11, 2009
There's a pretty wide consensus that Joe Posnanski is the best sportswriter in America today, and I think that's probably right--more than that, though, he's just a plain good writer. No one else captures a poignant moment better; no one else dispatches with stupidity with more verve and grace; no one else offers his unique balance between cutting edge sabermetric geekery and deep historical appreciation, especially when it comes to baseball. And what I love best is when Posnanski writes about old-time baseball ("old-time," to me, being anything before the late '80s, when I first got hooked on the sport), which is why reading The Machine was a particular treat.
Prior to reading the book, I knew next to nothing about the 1975 Reds--I knew Joe Morgan as the annoying baseball announcer who doesn't believe in stats (inspiring the popular website "Fire Joe Morgan"), and I knew Pete Rose as that bitter old guy who was banned from baseball for betting on his own team. I knew literally almost nothing about guys like Johnny Bench and Tony Perez. Posnanski doesn't shy away from the less palatable aspects to these players' personalities, evident even back then, but he does capture them at that time in their lives when they were at the height of their powers, before everything else transpired. When he's at his best, Posnanski paints scenes and brings a vivid cast of characters to life in a way that feels almost novelistic. I was definitely hooked.
The problem with the book (and the reason I'm only giving this 3 stars, though it's more of a 3 and a half) is that the story of the Reds is still just the story of a great baseball team--there isn't necessarily a strong narrative arc beyond that or any kind of compelling thematic underpinning. Posnanski was meticulous with his research, and he's compiled some great anecdotes about the team, but at the end of the day, much of the book feels like just that: a collection of anecdotes. What works really well in Poz's essay-length pieces is a bit harder to sustain over the full duration of a 260-page book. What Posnanski ended up doing to give some sense of a "big picture," is inserting, every couple of chapters, brief snippets of what else was going on in the world in 1975. Didn't really work for me.
Did all of this take away from my enjoyment of the book? Not really. But for those who aren't big-time baseball fans to begin with, The Soul of Baseball might be a better entree into Posnanski's work.
Prior to reading the book, I knew next to nothing about the 1975 Reds--I knew Joe Morgan as the annoying baseball announcer who doesn't believe in stats (inspiring the popular website "Fire Joe Morgan"), and I knew Pete Rose as that bitter old guy who was banned from baseball for betting on his own team. I knew literally almost nothing about guys like Johnny Bench and Tony Perez. Posnanski doesn't shy away from the less palatable aspects to these players' personalities, evident even back then, but he does capture them at that time in their lives when they were at the height of their powers, before everything else transpired. When he's at his best, Posnanski paints scenes and brings a vivid cast of characters to life in a way that feels almost novelistic. I was definitely hooked.
The problem with the book (and the reason I'm only giving this 3 stars, though it's more of a 3 and a half) is that the story of the Reds is still just the story of a great baseball team--there isn't necessarily a strong narrative arc beyond that or any kind of compelling thematic underpinning. Posnanski was meticulous with his research, and he's compiled some great anecdotes about the team, but at the end of the day, much of the book feels like just that: a collection of anecdotes. What works really well in Poz's essay-length pieces is a bit harder to sustain over the full duration of a 260-page book. What Posnanski ended up doing to give some sense of a "big picture," is inserting, every couple of chapters, brief snippets of what else was going on in the world in 1975. Didn't really work for me.
Did all of this take away from my enjoyment of the book? Not really. But for those who aren't big-time baseball fans to begin with, The Soul of Baseball might be a better entree into Posnanski's work.
September 4, 2011
I have been a student of baseball my entire life. Sometimes I think that's the curse of being not-athletic. Off the top of my head I can tell you that George Brett had 1,595 career RBIs. That said, I could have named the 1975 Reds lineup before cracking this book. I knew of the unrelenting drive that made Pete Rose 'Charlie Hustle', the brash ego and abrasive personality that made Joe Morgan so easily hated during his playing days -and later his announcing days, the cocky front and country boy heart of Johnny Bench and the supporting roles that were accepted by other members of the Machine (Perez, Griffey, Foster, Geronimo) for sake of the greater good.
I had two reasons for buying this book. Last Summer my beloved St. Louis Cardinals were in a bitter division race with the Cincinnati Reds. On a hot August night in Cincinnati, a war of words between Cards catcher Yadier Molina and Reds 2B Brandon Phillips engulfed into a pier six brawl that included not only players, but managers and coaches. I'm quite confident that broadcasters Marty Brenneman (Reds) and Mike Shannon (Cards) would have joined the fracus had they not been confined to their respective boothes. I thought maybe rehashing stories of the Big Red Machine and their arrogance would help stoke my internal hatred for the franchise. Also, I enjoyed reading author Joe Posnanski's columns during his time with my local Kansas City Star.
This book did not reveal anything new about this great team or its cast of characters. I can relate, however, to Posnanski who had a lifelong ambition of writing a book about the iconic team of his youth. I was born about the same time Tony Perez was traded away to Montreal, which began the disintegration of the dynasty. The baseball dynasty of my lifetime would presumably be the New York Yankees of 1996-2003. If that team is ever the subject of a book a quarter of a century from now it would be much tougher painting a colorful picture of a team so devoid of charisma. Although the team actually won six more games than the Machine -and included bonadide Hall of Famers Derek Jeter & Mariano Rivera -it would be hard to make the personalities of Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblach, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Chad Curtis, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams seem sexy. Maybe Posnanski will be up for that task.
I had two reasons for buying this book. Last Summer my beloved St. Louis Cardinals were in a bitter division race with the Cincinnati Reds. On a hot August night in Cincinnati, a war of words between Cards catcher Yadier Molina and Reds 2B Brandon Phillips engulfed into a pier six brawl that included not only players, but managers and coaches. I'm quite confident that broadcasters Marty Brenneman (Reds) and Mike Shannon (Cards) would have joined the fracus had they not been confined to their respective boothes. I thought maybe rehashing stories of the Big Red Machine and their arrogance would help stoke my internal hatred for the franchise. Also, I enjoyed reading author Joe Posnanski's columns during his time with my local Kansas City Star.
This book did not reveal anything new about this great team or its cast of characters. I can relate, however, to Posnanski who had a lifelong ambition of writing a book about the iconic team of his youth. I was born about the same time Tony Perez was traded away to Montreal, which began the disintegration of the dynasty. The baseball dynasty of my lifetime would presumably be the New York Yankees of 1996-2003. If that team is ever the subject of a book a quarter of a century from now it would be much tougher painting a colorful picture of a team so devoid of charisma. Although the team actually won six more games than the Machine -and included bonadide Hall of Famers Derek Jeter & Mariano Rivera -it would be hard to make the personalities of Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblach, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Chad Curtis, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams seem sexy. Maybe Posnanski will be up for that task.
March 22, 2013
I will start by saying that I don’t care about the 1975 Reds. They had played and retired by the time I was old enough to follow baseball, and I’ve only ever known Pete Rose as a gambler, and Joe Morgan as an announcer. For that reason I wasn't sure I would find this as enjoyable as Joe Posnanski's other writings. I needn't have worried. As you read, you feel like you’re on Joe Poz’s shoulder as he interviews these players for the book. It definitely reads like a memoir, not a documentary – and I think that’s intentional, and a good thing. This is a book about a team that dominated the author’s childhood years. He can’t possibly tell this story objectively, and it’s a better story because he doesn’t even try.
I went to one of Joe Poz’s book signing events and when he talked about this book, he talked about how different it was from The Soul of Baseball A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America. Where The Soul of Baseball was a personal story that he felt very deeply about, The Machine was just a fun book that he wanted to write. I think that’s evident upon reading this book. This book defines an ‘easy read’ – a really good baseball story written by a really good baseball writer.
I went to one of Joe Poz’s book signing events and when he talked about this book, he talked about how different it was from The Soul of Baseball A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America. Where The Soul of Baseball was a personal story that he felt very deeply about, The Machine was just a fun book that he wanted to write. I think that’s evident upon reading this book. This book defines an ‘easy read’ – a really good baseball story written by a really good baseball writer.
May 23, 2021
4.5 stars, terrific read but not quite unputdownable. Still, if you enjoy baseball and history written with flare, The Machine is a great choice. There are several teams in the conversation for best ever. The 1927 murderer's row Yankees, Charlie Finley's 70s swingin' A's, The Boys of Summer Dodgers etc. The Big Red Machine of '75 and '76 is most certainly in the conversation.
January 10, 2025
Joe Posnanski is more of a mythologist than a historian. That may be a problem for some, but when writing about baseball, whose history has to be suffused with mythology to make any sense at all, it doesn't bother me a bit. Posnanski has made the argument before that to really understand the greatness of Negro League stars who have before never got their proper appreciation, we have to listen to the legends--that Cool Papa Bell was so fast that he hit a ball up the middle that hit him as he was sliding into second, that Josh Gibson hit a towering home run in Pittsburgh that was caught the next night in Philadelphia, and many more--and the same is true, to some degree, of MLB players from generations past. The box scores of Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Ken Griffey, Cesar Geronimo, and all the rest just don't bring those players to life like Posnanski's anecdotes do. Even if things didn't happen exactly like he relates here, it's more important to me that he can tell me how it all felt as it was happening. There's no baseball writer working today who is better at that than Joe Posnanski is.
August 10, 2024
The only times I ever intentionally watched televised baseball games were when Pete Rose was playing. The Cincinnati Reds' games back in the day were full of action (instead of like watching paint dry.) What I like about Posnanski's books is that they have lots of stories about the personalities of the players and managers. And with the variety of characters with the Reds, there were some pretty good stories to be had. A little too much of game play-by-plays in this one for my tastes (I can't visualize it because I hardly know what is being talked about sometimes. Alien terminology), and I kept getting confused in the descriptions of the '75 World Series games because the Reds were playing the Red Sox and there was so much red on the field that I was losing track!
Wait - I take that back. I also intentionally watched the KC Royals when they played in the series. Maybe the author (who lives in KC) will do a book on the Royals.
Wait - I take that back. I also intentionally watched the KC Royals when they played in the series. Maybe the author (who lives in KC) will do a book on the Royals.
October 4, 2024
I really like sports books that focus on one season or, like this, one team over one season. I think it's because, unlike sports, which just goes on and on, the single season narrative has an ending like a good movie. Even though you know how it ends, it's fun getting there. The 75 Reds were loaded with talent and won one of the greatest World Series ever. Getting a behind the scenes look at Sparky Anderson, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, et. al was fun. In a weird coincidence, the last book I read was about a hurricane and one hit; this book had Pete Rose on the cover, and he died while I was reading it. Let's see what my next one brings.
December 3, 2011
I feel like I should set this entry up just a little by stating that before I go anywhere else on the internet I check my RSS tab on my browser to see if Joe Posnanski has written anything new. More often than not, he has. If there isn't a new entry in the feeder, I go to the blog anyway to make sure the RSS is up to speed. If the first step fails to turn up a fresh entry, the second step almost always does.
This is somewhat remarkable in that he is so prolific in his writing that one would think the quality would suffer under the burden of his hyperproductivity. I can categorically state that it does not.
Seemingly each day, Joe* gives his loyal followers a blog entry like this, or this, or this, or this. And those are just a few that go back to the U.S. Open (tennis, not golf). To think that he does this while juggling being a husband and father of two, writing for Sports Illustrated (and before that he was a two-time AP Sportswriter of the Year as a columnist at the Kansas City Star), and writing his second book is mind-blowing to me.
*And I read his blog so voraciously that I really do feel like I am on a first-name basis with him despite the fact that there is no way he has more than a fleeting idea as to who I am--although it was my question about The Catcher in the Rye that led to a poll question a couple of weeks ago... Hell, it's even where I took this use of the asterisk (Pozterisk) to off-set tangential trains of thought.
So with that rather lengthy and not entirely relevant introduction reeking of self-indulgence perhaps only paralleled by a Harry Knowles review, I finally get to the reason behind this blog entry:
Joe Posnanski's newest book is available in bookstores (and presumably at your public library). His first book was the deeply affective The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neill's America, which you can find a review of here. You certainly wouldn't need to start there, but if you haven't read it yet, do so immediately.
As for that newest book I mentioned, it might just be as good as TSOB. Briefly titled The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, Posnanski recounts with colorful detail (and language) the storied season of one of the greatest teams to ever take the field.
Now, I am not a Reds fan. I have no feelings about them one way or the other. My level of interest in the subject matter going into the book was limited to being vaguely intrigued by the figure of Pete Rose and hoping that Joe Morgan came off as at least a bit of a jerk (thus further validating the disdain I feel towards Joe Morgan, the Color Commentator).
The returns I got from this book exceeded my expectations one-hundred-fold. Posnanski shapes the on- and off-the-field goings-on into an immensely entertaining and compelling narrative. Where some baseball books come of as a bit dry and over-burdened with clichés and purple prose, The Machine achieves an seemingly effortless engagement of the reader's attention. With only vague notions as to who these men were, I found myself often deciding that I would read five more pages and then do whatever task I needed to do only to grant the commencement of that chore another reprieve when I felt like I needed to know what happened next for Don Gullett or Ken Griffey.
The preseason stage-setting pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against Sparky Anderson's Reds is perhaps the most surprisingly compelling section. Without any games being played, Posnanski sets the stage for the season at hand masterfully, pitting their failures up to that season against the continual expectation that the supremely talented Reds should be winning it all.
Posnanski also captures the fascinating duality of a successful clubhouse, with its friction and its camaraderie. Imbuing the book with a healthy dose of blue language (these are ballplayers we're talking about here) to insert the book comfortably into the appropriate time and place, he gives the reader the sense of actually being a fly on the wall in the '75 Reds clubhouse.
In all, this book is about as far from a chore as possible and makes for an enveloping journey from the beginning to the end of a baseball season culminating in a hard-earned and long-awaited World Series win filled with drama and suspense.
For the doubters, all you need to do is read the Prologue in which Pete Rose storms up and down the length of the dugout in Game Seven with his Reds on the ropes, feverishly cussing his teammates out. If that passage does not grab you, you have got a serious character flaw.
Regardless, the book is a fantastic read, one that should appeal to even the most casual of baseball fans.
But you don't have to take my word for it...
Originally reviewed at http://inconsiderateprick.blogspot.co...
This is somewhat remarkable in that he is so prolific in his writing that one would think the quality would suffer under the burden of his hyperproductivity. I can categorically state that it does not.
Seemingly each day, Joe* gives his loyal followers a blog entry like this, or this, or this, or this. And those are just a few that go back to the U.S. Open (tennis, not golf). To think that he does this while juggling being a husband and father of two, writing for Sports Illustrated (and before that he was a two-time AP Sportswriter of the Year as a columnist at the Kansas City Star), and writing his second book is mind-blowing to me.
*And I read his blog so voraciously that I really do feel like I am on a first-name basis with him despite the fact that there is no way he has more than a fleeting idea as to who I am--although it was my question about The Catcher in the Rye that led to a poll question a couple of weeks ago... Hell, it's even where I took this use of the asterisk (Pozterisk) to off-set tangential trains of thought.
So with that rather lengthy and not entirely relevant introduction reeking of self-indulgence perhaps only paralleled by a Harry Knowles review, I finally get to the reason behind this blog entry:
Joe Posnanski's newest book is available in bookstores (and presumably at your public library). His first book was the deeply affective The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neill's America, which you can find a review of here. You certainly wouldn't need to start there, but if you haven't read it yet, do so immediately.
As for that newest book I mentioned, it might just be as good as TSOB. Briefly titled The Machine: A Hot Team, a Legendary Season, and a Heart-stopping World Series: The Story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, Posnanski recounts with colorful detail (and language) the storied season of one of the greatest teams to ever take the field.
Now, I am not a Reds fan. I have no feelings about them one way or the other. My level of interest in the subject matter going into the book was limited to being vaguely intrigued by the figure of Pete Rose and hoping that Joe Morgan came off as at least a bit of a jerk (thus further validating the disdain I feel towards Joe Morgan, the Color Commentator).
The returns I got from this book exceeded my expectations one-hundred-fold. Posnanski shapes the on- and off-the-field goings-on into an immensely entertaining and compelling narrative. Where some baseball books come of as a bit dry and over-burdened with clichés and purple prose, The Machine achieves an seemingly effortless engagement of the reader's attention. With only vague notions as to who these men were, I found myself often deciding that I would read five more pages and then do whatever task I needed to do only to grant the commencement of that chore another reprieve when I felt like I needed to know what happened next for Don Gullett or Ken Griffey.
The preseason stage-setting pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against Sparky Anderson's Reds is perhaps the most surprisingly compelling section. Without any games being played, Posnanski sets the stage for the season at hand masterfully, pitting their failures up to that season against the continual expectation that the supremely talented Reds should be winning it all.
Posnanski also captures the fascinating duality of a successful clubhouse, with its friction and its camaraderie. Imbuing the book with a healthy dose of blue language (these are ballplayers we're talking about here) to insert the book comfortably into the appropriate time and place, he gives the reader the sense of actually being a fly on the wall in the '75 Reds clubhouse.
In all, this book is about as far from a chore as possible and makes for an enveloping journey from the beginning to the end of a baseball season culminating in a hard-earned and long-awaited World Series win filled with drama and suspense.
For the doubters, all you need to do is read the Prologue in which Pete Rose storms up and down the length of the dugout in Game Seven with his Reds on the ropes, feverishly cussing his teammates out. If that passage does not grab you, you have got a serious character flaw.
Regardless, the book is a fantastic read, one that should appeal to even the most casual of baseball fans.
But you don't have to take my word for it...
Originally reviewed at http://inconsiderateprick.blogspot.co...
July 13, 2022
Perfect baseball book about one of the best teams ever the 1975 Reds. Great insights on the strong personalities on the team. Details how after a few changes during the season they dominated the year til the World Series where they had their hands full with a game Boston Red Sox team.
Highly recommended, a very conversational narrative that reads well.
Highly recommended, a very conversational narrative that reads well.
January 3, 2023
I don't think anyone can bring out the joy of the game quite like Joe Posnanski does and his deep love for it is present on every page with his spectacular writing. If you like baseball you cant go wrong with Joe.
May 16, 2012
Joe Posnanski is the author of The Machine.He was named the best baseball writer in the business by Jim Callis who is the executive editor of Baseball America. Before Joe wrote The Machine, he wrote the book The Soul of Baseball which won the Casey Award for the best baseball book of the year. The Machine is based off the 1975 Cincinnati Reds and their trip to the world series.
I would reccomend this book, but only to people who are in love with the game of bseball or just have a general concept of it. Because with the book it doesn't follow chapters. It follows games and different seasons. If one doesn't understand how a batting average is made then this book is not for them. The Machine mainly talks about how it led up to the world series and how Johnny Bench and Pete Rose were the main leaders. They had only a few key players on the 1975 team, but it was all team in 1975 not just this person. I rated this 4 stars because the book was very entertaining for me since I love baseball and I follow it. With it jumping around through out the book though it made me a little confused at times. It's a real good non fiction book to read over the summer while one is listening to the reds on the radio.
I would reccomend this book, but only to people who are in love with the game of bseball or just have a general concept of it. Because with the book it doesn't follow chapters. It follows games and different seasons. If one doesn't understand how a batting average is made then this book is not for them. The Machine mainly talks about how it led up to the world series and how Johnny Bench and Pete Rose were the main leaders. They had only a few key players on the 1975 team, but it was all team in 1975 not just this person. I rated this 4 stars because the book was very entertaining for me since I love baseball and I follow it. With it jumping around through out the book though it made me a little confused at times. It's a real good non fiction book to read over the summer while one is listening to the reds on the radio.
March 30, 2015
Just want to say out of the gate I am 45 and remember this team The Big Red Machine and I hated them. With that out of the way, this is possibly the worst baseball book I have ever read. And I have read a lot of them. Dont know if the author has an axe to grind. He claims to think this is the greatest team ever but he sure goes out of his way to trash almost everyone except Pete Rose. I love in the locker room type books, but this book gave no insight what so ever. All it was was having the big stars belittle everyone else and pat themselves on the back. I used to like Sparky Anderson. Now I think he was a horrible human being, not just as a manager. Even if only half the stuff in this book is accurate it makes my hatred for Joe Morgan go off the charts. If you like locker room books and gossip read this. You will come away with no new knowledge of the game of baseball. But you will hate Johhny Bench even more.
May 5, 2022
I can't recall who it was. An opposing player, speaking of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds, said something like this: "Watching the Reds play offense and defense...it's like a ballet."
This book is almost too much information about a team whose autographed photo, porcelain statue, and bobbleheads adorn my home office. I really didn't need to read things that caused me to see them as flawed heroes. Of course they were both. Flawed. And my heroes. I was a baseball fan living in Cincinnati in the 70's. They were part of my life.
The '75-'76 Reds were one of the greatest teams ever assembled, in any sport. As superb as they were individually, they were even better than the sum of their parts. That they were imperfect human beings does not detract one bit from what they were on the field.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything. They played the game the way it's supposed to be played.
This book is almost too much information about a team whose autographed photo, porcelain statue, and bobbleheads adorn my home office. I really didn't need to read things that caused me to see them as flawed heroes. Of course they were both. Flawed. And my heroes. I was a baseball fan living in Cincinnati in the 70's. They were part of my life.
The '75-'76 Reds were one of the greatest teams ever assembled, in any sport. As superb as they were individually, they were even better than the sum of their parts. That they were imperfect human beings does not detract one bit from what they were on the field.
There's a right way and a wrong way to do everything. They played the game the way it's supposed to be played.
November 22, 2009
Joe Posnanski is one of my favorite baseball/sports writers, but this book was pretty disappointing. He did not do a very good job developing the main character's back stories with any sort of depth. It was a lot of "Joe yelled at Pete. Pete made fun of Tony. Sparky's stomach was upset." The book followed the Reds' schedule, and did not really waver from that. The only person of interest whose background that was really explored was Pete Rose, but most of it was already public knowledge.
May 14, 2021
Joe Posnanski can flat out write - he does a great job telling the story of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds - the first World Series Championship won by the Big Red Machine. Posnanski does a nice job walking us through the ups and downs of the season while also introducing us to many of the Reds and helping us understand the clubhouse dynamic. It culminates with a great description of the legendary 1975 World Series.
Posnanski also works to help us understand how the greater world was impacting baseball, and vice versa.
An excellent baseball book.
Posnanski also works to help us understand how the greater world was impacting baseball, and vice versa.
An excellent baseball book.
February 2, 2014
For a writer who I like and a team that I find fascinating, this ended up being a pretty disappointing book. Posnanski may just be better in column length form (I've never read any of his books before.) or maybe the cliches that the Reds players spout here are really true. I enjoyed some of the inside stories and lived the baseball history pieces but ultimately feel let down.
August 8, 2020
The mid-1970s Reds were my older brother's favorite team. I memorized their lineup (Rose, Griffey, Morgan, etc) and they became my favorite team, too. While I grew up and moved on in my fandom, this team has stuck with me. This book tells the story of their legendary 1975 season. While at times it is a bit repetitive, it is still a good telling of what made that season great.
May 23, 2018
Great book about the way baseball used to be
Loved all the inside stories about the team. Gave it 5 stars because it makes it seem like I was watching the team that my dad has told me all about.
Loved all the inside stories about the team. Gave it 5 stars because it makes it seem like I was watching the team that my dad has told me all about.
June 21, 2015
This was an excellent book on one of the best teams in recent baseball history. Full review to come...
May 3, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “THE UNVARNISHED PERSONALITIES IN THE LOCKER ROOM OF “THE-BIG-RED-MACHINE”
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The Cincinnati Reds team of 1975 was truly “one” of the great teams of modern baseball history. The author steadfastly says they were “the” greatest… but does not present enough detail about other great teams for the average fan to truly weigh his arguments. But that is one of the true joys of being a baseball fan… the arguments regarding which teams and which players are better. The author very, very, briefly throws out the 1927 Yankees and the “BOYS-OF-SUMMER” the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1950’s. (Actually they should be reviewed from 1947-1957.) But leaving that unwinnable argument aside… where this book truly shines for any hardcore fan… regardless of team affiliation… is in the behind the scenes bickering and *BUSTING-OF-CHOPS* between the great members of this team. Pete Rose and Joe Morgan would ridicule each other on a daily basis… and as is the danger of such *CHOP-BUSTING*… when it’s between two ultra-competitive athletes… the jokes can become mean spirited quickly. The reader will learn what an arrogant individual Johnny Bench was and how opponents and teammates alike detested him. As an example Ken Griffey Sr. who had to sacrifice much of his most stellar abilities so as not to take any of the luster away from the four main stars… Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony “Doggie” Perez… such as his base stealing capabilities. Griffey was not only the fastest runner on the team… but possibly in the league. He originally batted ahead of Morgan… but Morgan complained to manager Sparky Anderson that he didn’t like other players to attempt to steal bases when he was at bat because it threw off his hitting. So Sparky moved Griffey from the top part of the order to the bottom part of the order. Years later Griffey said: “I’M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, JOHNNY BENCH TO ME, WAS AN ***HOLE… JOE WAS AN ***HOLE TOO. JOE WAS LIKE THAT TOO. HE TALKED DOWN TO CERTAIN PEOPLE. HE DIDN’T TALK AT ALL TO ME OR GEORGE (FOSTER). I GUESS WE WEREN’T ON HIS LIST OF GOOD PEOPLE OR SOMETHING. THAT’S JUST HOW IT WAS, YOU KNOW?”
Perhaps the most in depth investigation of any individual on “THE MACHINE” was not a player at all… but manager Sparky Anderson. The author delves into Sparky’s early days as an atomic bomb of temperament… his one-year major league career as a ballplayer… his strained relationship with his son who refused to cut his hair… his fear of failing… his nightly bouts with sleeplessness and ulcers even when the Reds led the league by double digits… and his unique friendship with a Holiday Inn employee.
Nicely interspersed with the 1975 pennant race and World Series with the Boston Red Sox are tidbits of historical facts from the world outside of baseball during the time period depicted which adds to the readers perspective of the team as a whole. As a true baseball fanatic I must point out a couple of mistakes in the book. On page twenty-three the author writes: “THAT HAPPENED IN 1970 WHEN HE (JOHNNY BENCH) HIT 40 HOME RUNS AND DROVE IN 148 RUNS, NUMBERS NO CATCHER HAD EVER REACHED.” This is incorrect. Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit 41 home runs in 1953. On page fifty-one the author wrote: “THE REDS WERE GOOD IN THE 1960S-THEY WON A PENNANT IN 1960…” This is incorrect. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the National League pennant and World Series in 1960. And the following is not a mistake… but just a curious oddity. On the inside title page there is a picture of Joe Morgan sliding into second base as Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers awaits the throw. This is a book all about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds… and yet Maury Wills retired in 1972.
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The Cincinnati Reds team of 1975 was truly “one” of the great teams of modern baseball history. The author steadfastly says they were “the” greatest… but does not present enough detail about other great teams for the average fan to truly weigh his arguments. But that is one of the true joys of being a baseball fan… the arguments regarding which teams and which players are better. The author very, very, briefly throws out the 1927 Yankees and the “BOYS-OF-SUMMER” the powerful Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1950’s. (Actually they should be reviewed from 1947-1957.) But leaving that unwinnable argument aside… where this book truly shines for any hardcore fan… regardless of team affiliation… is in the behind the scenes bickering and *BUSTING-OF-CHOPS* between the great members of this team. Pete Rose and Joe Morgan would ridicule each other on a daily basis… and as is the danger of such *CHOP-BUSTING*… when it’s between two ultra-competitive athletes… the jokes can become mean spirited quickly. The reader will learn what an arrogant individual Johnny Bench was and how opponents and teammates alike detested him. As an example Ken Griffey Sr. who had to sacrifice much of his most stellar abilities so as not to take any of the luster away from the four main stars… Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony “Doggie” Perez… such as his base stealing capabilities. Griffey was not only the fastest runner on the team… but possibly in the league. He originally batted ahead of Morgan… but Morgan complained to manager Sparky Anderson that he didn’t like other players to attempt to steal bases when he was at bat because it threw off his hitting. So Sparky moved Griffey from the top part of the order to the bottom part of the order. Years later Griffey said: “I’M GOING TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, JOHNNY BENCH TO ME, WAS AN ***HOLE… JOE WAS AN ***HOLE TOO. JOE WAS LIKE THAT TOO. HE TALKED DOWN TO CERTAIN PEOPLE. HE DIDN’T TALK AT ALL TO ME OR GEORGE (FOSTER). I GUESS WE WEREN’T ON HIS LIST OF GOOD PEOPLE OR SOMETHING. THAT’S JUST HOW IT WAS, YOU KNOW?”
Perhaps the most in depth investigation of any individual on “THE MACHINE” was not a player at all… but manager Sparky Anderson. The author delves into Sparky’s early days as an atomic bomb of temperament… his one-year major league career as a ballplayer… his strained relationship with his son who refused to cut his hair… his fear of failing… his nightly bouts with sleeplessness and ulcers even when the Reds led the league by double digits… and his unique friendship with a Holiday Inn employee.
Nicely interspersed with the 1975 pennant race and World Series with the Boston Red Sox are tidbits of historical facts from the world outside of baseball during the time period depicted which adds to the readers perspective of the team as a whole. As a true baseball fanatic I must point out a couple of mistakes in the book. On page twenty-three the author writes: “THAT HAPPENED IN 1970 WHEN HE (JOHNNY BENCH) HIT 40 HOME RUNS AND DROVE IN 148 RUNS, NUMBERS NO CATCHER HAD EVER REACHED.” This is incorrect. Roy Campanella of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit 41 home runs in 1953. On page fifty-one the author wrote: “THE REDS WERE GOOD IN THE 1960S-THEY WON A PENNANT IN 1960…” This is incorrect. The Pittsburgh Pirates won the National League pennant and World Series in 1960. And the following is not a mistake… but just a curious oddity. On the inside title page there is a picture of Joe Morgan sliding into second base as Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers awaits the throw. This is a book all about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds… and yet Maury Wills retired in 1972.
February 9, 2025
I absolutely love the Reds, yet through this book I learned how little I actually know about them. Posnanski did a wonderful job of telling the story of America's Greatest Baseball Team from start to finish. If I could give it half-stars, my rating would really be in the 4.5 range. A couple of notes regarding things I learned/enjoyed:
1.) Posnanski dragged a few Reds legends down from the glory. Johnny Bench seemed obsessed with fame and image, and Joe Morgan (though incredibly talented and no-doubt the best player on those World Series teams) was incredibly selfish and conceited.
2.) He also pulled Pete Rose up from the depths of infamy by the end of the book. I really felt sorry for the guy. Posnanski said it best: "No one loved baseball more than Pete Rose." So, to see a man like that be banned from the game entirely (even if he had committed a cardinal sin of baseball) was tough.
3.) Tony Perez (or Doggie as he was called by teammates and coaches), Ken Griffey, and George Foster are higher on my list of favorite Reds. I had no clue Perez was such a leader in the clubhouse or that Griffey and Foster had to deal with so much crap from their manager before breaking through as notable stars in the league.
4.) I found it humorous that Sparky Anderson so openly and often reminded the team that they only had four superstars on the team (Morgan, Rose, Bench, and Perez) and that the rest of them were "turds." It seemed to work out in the long run.
5.) I was not aware that Sparky Anderson was one of the original "Captain Hook" managers and that his pitchers hated him for it. Being a 21st-century-baseball-enjoyer, I can't imagine a day and age where complete games are the norm and pitchers being pulled in the sixth or seventh inning is a rarity. Yet, in a time where that was the case, Sparky revolutionized the bullpen.
Once again, this was a fantastic read, and I'm very glad I bought this book. The Big Red Machine is the greatest team in baseball history!
1.) Posnanski dragged a few Reds legends down from the glory. Johnny Bench seemed obsessed with fame and image, and Joe Morgan (though incredibly talented and no-doubt the best player on those World Series teams) was incredibly selfish and conceited.
2.) He also pulled Pete Rose up from the depths of infamy by the end of the book. I really felt sorry for the guy. Posnanski said it best: "No one loved baseball more than Pete Rose." So, to see a man like that be banned from the game entirely (even if he had committed a cardinal sin of baseball) was tough.
3.) Tony Perez (or Doggie as he was called by teammates and coaches), Ken Griffey, and George Foster are higher on my list of favorite Reds. I had no clue Perez was such a leader in the clubhouse or that Griffey and Foster had to deal with so much crap from their manager before breaking through as notable stars in the league.
4.) I found it humorous that Sparky Anderson so openly and often reminded the team that they only had four superstars on the team (Morgan, Rose, Bench, and Perez) and that the rest of them were "turds." It seemed to work out in the long run.
5.) I was not aware that Sparky Anderson was one of the original "Captain Hook" managers and that his pitchers hated him for it. Being a 21st-century-baseball-enjoyer, I can't imagine a day and age where complete games are the norm and pitchers being pulled in the sixth or seventh inning is a rarity. Yet, in a time where that was the case, Sparky revolutionized the bullpen.
Once again, this was a fantastic read, and I'm very glad I bought this book. The Big Red Machine is the greatest team in baseball history!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2023
Joe Posnanski applies his considerable skills as a sportswriter in this tale of one of baseball's truly legendary teams. In the 1970s the Cincinnati Reds built a dominating team that came to be known as the Big Red Machine that won more than 100 games in multiple seasons. The 1975 team stands out as the best of the best, a powerhouse that followed a dream season with victory in one of the greatest World Series in history. In this book, Posnanski has pulled off a dubious achievement: he tells a fascinating story about a team studded with disagreeable, often obnoxious characters. Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and Sparky Anderson all are revealed as pretty awful. Since they were three of the team's four biggest stars (along with the much less annoying Tony Perez) and its manager, this made me hate-read the book. Also, I would have liked more detail about the team's lesser stars, particularly Ken Griffey. Ultimately this book succeeds in showing the way a motley connection of athletic talent was built into an unforgettable team. Three and a half stars, good writing diminished by annoying content.
August 4, 2017
This is a fun, quick trip down memory lane and a delight for anyone who remembers the Big Red Machine. Posnanski is well qualified to tell this story. He is a talented sports writer who does his homework interviewing all the main characters. He places the season in the larger context of baseball and culture in 1975. He reminds us of the pressure on the Reds that season. As good as they were, they had never won the World Series (losing in '70 and '72) and Sparky Anderson was feeling it. He also spends time fleshing out each of the main characters, the four stars -- Bench Rose, Morgan and Perez -- as well as the other essential players -- Geronimo, Griffey, Foster and Concepcion. There was a clear pecking order and as good as they all were, Anderson made it clear that the stars were the stars and had complete freedom. No one else did. They had a magnificent season, playing as well as any team could. And it culminated in one of the greatest World Series ever. It is an enjoyable read for any baseball fan.
August 27, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. Prior to reading The Machine I had read Posnanski’s thoughtful book about his time with Buck O’Neil and I had always harbored a level of interest in the ‘75 Reds thanks to Game 6 so, even though I am not a Reds fan, I was excited to pick this up. This book exceeded my high expectations. Posnanski gives us a behind-the-scenes look at an iconic team that was filled with a colorful cast of characters. You get to spend some time in the clubhouse and in the dugout and that is what I wanted, along with the chance to relive key moments in the regular season and playoffs. It was a riveting read and I enjoyed every page.
I will say after reading this book I look at Pete Rose differently. Like Posnanski said in his Afterword, Pete’s post-career behavior has overshadowed his incredible career. I grew up in the ‘80s. My first memory of him is his ban. I’m glad I got to see the ultra-competitive, sensational-hitting Pete Rose who couldn’t get enough of baseball.
This was a fantastic read and now I look forward to reading Posnanski’s The 100.
I will say after reading this book I look at Pete Rose differently. Like Posnanski said in his Afterword, Pete’s post-career behavior has overshadowed his incredible career. I grew up in the ‘80s. My first memory of him is his ban. I’m glad I got to see the ultra-competitive, sensational-hitting Pete Rose who couldn’t get enough of baseball.
This was a fantastic read and now I look forward to reading Posnanski’s The 100.
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