Cincinnati Reds Quotes

“...it was one at bat during October 1975 that defined his [Joe Morgan's] place in baseball history and secured the legacy of the Big Red Machine, all with one swing.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“Rose worked and played so hard that kids all across the country—not just in Cincinnati—were emulating him on sandlots everywhere, proud to dirty their jerseys doing a headfirst “Pete Rose” dive into cardboard boxes used for bases … whether they needed to slide or not.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“[George] Foster lacks the name recognition outside of Cincinnati that other members of the Big Red machine maintain, but that doesn’t diminish his contributions to the club—he followed his MVP campaign with three more seasons of 20-plus home runs and 90-plus RBIs, never mind the fact he batted .326 during three trips to the World Series. And just like Rose and Morgan and Bench during their MVP seasons, Foster can say, if only for that one summer, he was the best in the game.”
― Tucker Elliot

“It’s much easier to remember the World Series heroics of Tony Pérez, Pete Rose, and Joe Morgan than it is to recall who set the table for Rose during Game 7 of the 1975 World Series vs. Boston. The Red Sox led 3-2 in the seventh when [Ken] Griffey drew a free pass. Not nearly as memorable as the home run Pérez hit against Bill Lee that made it a 3-2 ballgame, not nearly as memorable as the hit Rose got to tie the game, and for sure not as memorable as the hit Morgan got to win it in the ninth, but … it’s a shame people forget Griffey stole second base with two outs to get into scoring position.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“It took exactly one month of regular season play for fans to accept Sparky [Anderson]—posting a 16-6 record out of the gate has that kind of effect.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“Very few who manage a big league club are successful, fewer still are the ones who experience success over an extended period of time, but to achieve a level of success so extraordinary that it is given a category all it’s own—“The Big Red Machine”—places Sparky [Anderson] in one of the most exclusive and elite clubs in baseball history.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“October 1976 was the penultimate performance of Bench’s Hall of Fame career. All the early success and awards and accolades thrown in his direction had prepared him for this moment—when the Big Red Machine became a dynasty by defending it’s World Championship from the season before.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“...the Big Red Machine was exactly that—a freaking machine.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“[Tony] Pérez stood out because he was a clutch hitter. And like Bench and Morgan and Rose, it was a clutch October hit that immortalized him in baseball’s postseason lore. The powerful first baseman hit three home runs against Boston during the 1975 World Series, but none bigger than his blast against Bill Lee.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“Dave Concepción exceeded everyone’s expectations—everyone’s except, perhaps, his own. That’s because as a kid, Concepción idolized Major League Hall of Fame shortstop and fellow-Venezuelan Luis Aparicio, and he aspired to become that same caliber of player.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“After being maligned for his lack of offense for much of his career, [César] Gerónimo batted .280 with two home runs, a triple, three runs, and three RBIs vs. Boston during the 1975 World Series, and then he batted .308 with two doubles, two steals, and three runs vs. New York during the 1976 World Series. The man who’s defense Sparky Anderson called 'ungodly' became an offensive star on baseball’s biggest stage.”
― Tucker Elliot

“True, [Gary Nolan] might not strike fear into the hearts of all you free-swinging power hitters out there—at least not in the same way as, say, Tom Seaver … but without question he was one of the most talented pitchers in baseball during the Big Red Machine era, and except for countless injuries that plagued him year after year he’d have the numbers and awards to back up that claim.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom

“Sparky Anderson wasn’t just my favorite manager … he was my mom’s favorite manager.”
― Tucker Elliot, Cincinnati Reds IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom