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This article, 'My Greatest Team: Sparky's Salute To Reds' by Earl Lawson, originally appeared as the cover story in the October 23, 1976 issue of The Sporting News.
CINCINNATI — Not since the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950s has any club dominated the National League as have the Reds of the 1970s.
So, it wasn't surprising to hear Manager Sparky Anderson say that the 1976 team is the best he has had since he took over the club in 1970.
Especially, since millions of baseball fans throughout the country seem to agree with Anderson.
This was indicated as early as mid-July when final tabulation of All-Star ballots placed five Reds: Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Davey Concepcion and George Foster in the starting lineup.
If a guy didn't know better, he'd have sworn that the rabid Cincinnati fans had stuffed the ballot box as they did in 1957.
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But even if Cincy fans had done just that, they'd have gone to a lot of trouble for nothing. Because, even before dissenters throughout the baseball world had an opportunity to voice their disapproval, Anderson gave the All-Star team an even brighter Red hue by adding two more of his players — Tony Perez and Ken Griffey — to the 25-man squad.
By season's end, the judgment of both Anderson and the fans who participated in the All-Star voting was vindicated.
If there are those who disagree, it's suggested they check the statistics.
Morgan again rated as the major leagues' No. 1 offensive player.
And, his across-the-board statistics-a .320 batting average, 113 runs scored, 27 homers, 111 RBIs, 114 walks and 60 stolen bases—figure to earn him the National League's Most Valuable Player award for the second straight year.
That's a feat no other player has accomplished since the Cubs' Ernie Banks won the award in 1958 and '59.
Philadelphia's Mike Schmidt won the home-run title for the third straight year, New York's Dave Kingman placed second and Chicago's Rick Monday third. But Foster finished fourth with 29 and Morgan fifth with 27.
Foster's 121 RBIs topped the league and Morgan's 111 rated second.
And, for the third consecutive year, Rose led the league in runs scored (130) and doubles (42).
The Reds' third baseman, topping the 200 mark for the eighth time in his major league career, one shy of Ty Cobb's record, also led the league with 215 hits.
Griffey finished the season with a .336 batting mark, losing the loop title to the Cubs' Bill Madlock on the final day of the season.
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And, Cesar Geronimo, the only Red regular Anderson didn't place on the All-Star squad, wound up hitting .306, one of five Red regulars to top the .300 mark on a club that, as a team, batted .280, while setting club records for hits (1,599) and runs scored (857).
Are you still wondering why Anderson rates his 1976 club the best he has managed?
Okay, so Gary Nolan's 15 victories did rate as tops on the club. It's winning that counts. And the Reds, in winning their fifth division title in a seven-year span, did rack up 102 victories, a total no other club matched or topped.
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: OCTOBER 23, 1976
- Thurman Munson, King of the AL and an enigma with excellence
- Fans won't let Don Larsen forget his perfect game
- Tommy Lasorda wants to 'Father Tom' to Dodgers
- Hank Aaron rejoins the Braves in front office role
Surprisingly, it's pitching which makes the 1976 club the most remarkable if not the best, in Reds' history. That's because the pitching staff includes five pitchers-Rawly Eastwick, Will McEnaney, Santo Alcala, Pat Zachry and Manny Sarmiento — with less than two years of major league experience.
What's more, one of the five veterans on the staff — Don Gullett — was idled most of the season with arm miseries and finished with an 11-3 record.
Anderson willingly agrees Rose isn't the best defensive third baseman in baseball.
“Name a third baseman, though, who rates better offensively than Rose,” challenged Anderson.
“What shortstop has surer hands, a better arm and more range than Concepcion?” asked Anderson, almost defiantly.
And he'll add, how many shortstops bat .281, drive home 69 runs and steal 21 bases during a normal year?
Admittedly, Perez is no fancy dan with the glove.
“But,” said Anderson, “if a ball is within his reach, he'll catch it.”
And even though Perez' .260 average was 25 points shy of his major league average, he still topped 90 RBIs for the 10th straight season. And that's a mark no other active player can match.
What's more, Perez drove home his 91 runs this season even though he appeared in only 139 games, eight of them as strictly a pinch-hitter.
Bench had a miserable season with the bat-a .234 average, only 16 homers and 74 RBIs.
“But is there a catcher in the game today who's Bench's equal defensively?” asked Anderson, challengingly.
“How many times,” added Anderson, “have you seen or heard of a team that puts three players in the outfield, all .300 hitters?”
The manager was referring to Foster, Geronimo and Griffey.
“And,” added Anderson, “name me a team with three outfielders who can match their speed and arms.”
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The Reds don't have a Cy Young award candidate among their starters, but they do have the National League's No. 1 relief pitcher in Eastwick, whose 11-5 won-and-lost record, accompanied by 26 saves, already has won him THE SPORTING NEWS N.L. Fireman of the Year award.
And they have a prime Rookie of the Year award candidate in starter Zachry, who won 14 and lost seven while fashioning an impressive 2.74 earned-run average.
“Maybe the 1975 team which set a club record of 108 victories performed better,” conceded Anderson, “but this year's roster contains more talent.”
He cited two reasons for his statement.
One was the improvement of Foster and Griffey. And another was a “stronger bench.”
Bob Bailey, acquired during the winter, batted .298 in 124 plate appearances. His 37 hits included six homers and he drove home 23 runs.
Anderson also learned that handyman Doug Flynn is a much better player than he originally had thought the youngster from Lexington, Ky., would be.
“I didn't think Flynn would hit as well as he did,” admitted the manager.
What Flynn batted was .284 in 218 official trips to the plate. Couple Flynn's average with his defensive skill — whether he's playing second, short or third—and you've got the best utility infielder in the league.
You've also got a youngster who could very well play regularly on more than a couple of clubs in the league.
Anderson's convinced that given a chance to play regularly, Danny Driessen would be a consistent .300 hitter. Pinch-hitting isn't for Driessen. Still, while performing the dual role of pinch-hitter and part-time player, Driessen drove home 44 runs with his 54 hits.
Buzzie Bavasi, president of the San Diego Padres, watches the Reds of today and thinks of the Dodgers of 1952.
“I say the Dodgers of '52,” explained Bavasi, “because I think they were the best of the Brooklyn championship teams of the '50s.”
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Bavasi can speak with authority because he was general manager of the Dodgers during those balmy days of the '50s when Brooklyn's Ebbets Field was home.
“You know,” mused Bavasi during the Reds' last visit of the season to San Diego, “except for pitching, there's a lot of similarity between the Reds of today and that 1952 Dodger team.”
The Padres' president smiled.
“If the two clubs hooked up in a World Series, it might have taken them three weeks to decide the championship,” he said.
Why, of the Dodger teams of the '50s, does Bavasi think the team of 1952 was the best?
“Because,” he replied, “that was the year Andy Pafko played left field for us and he had a great season. Other years, different players were shuttling back and forth in left field.”
Bavasi is aware that Anderson has repeatedly said the eight players he can put on the field daily this year are the best he has had since taking over the club in 1970.
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“And,” said Buzzie, “when Sparky says this, I agree with him.
“As I said,” reiterated Bavasi, “except for pitching, the Reds of today have exactly what the Dodgers of the '50s had.
“The Dodgers were great up the middle defensively,” he pointed out. “So are the Reds.
“The Dodgers of 1952,” said Bavasi, “had more potential power than the Reds of today. But I say that only because they played in Ebbets Field, where the fences were within easy reach.”
Bavasi suggested a quick comparison of the '52 Dodgers and the '76 Reds, position by position.
“There's catching,” said Bavasi. “The Dodgers had Roy Campanella. The Reds have Bench. Campy was quick, not fast. That's Bench, too. I'd rate them equal defensively and power-wise.”
Campanella already has been voted into baseball's Hall of Fame. In time, Bench may join him there.
“First base,” continued Bavasi. “We had Gil Hodges at Brooklyn. The Reds have Perez. Again, two players very similar to each other. When Hodges didn't hit the long ball, he usually struck out. That's pretty much Perez, too. Defensively, though, I'd have to give Hodges the edge.”
Jackie Robinson was the Dodger second baseman.
“Just like the Reds' Morgan,” pointed out Bavasi, “Robinson was exciting. And, like Morgan, he could beat you in a lot of ways ... with his bat, glove and base running.”
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Shortstops ... the Dodgers had Pee Wee Reese and the Reds' have Concepcion.
“Again,” said Bavasi, “there are remarkable similarities. Each about the same range. Reese could make the exceptional play. So can Concepcion. Occasionally Reese hit the long ball. So does Concepcion.”
Bavasi grinned when he reached third base.
“Now there,” said the San Diego president, “you can't make any comparison with the Reds' Rose. I can say the same about any other club in baseball today.”
Bavasi jumped to the outfield.
“Now there I'd have to give that 1952 team the edge,” said the Padre president. “Pafko and Duke Snider could hit you 40 homers apiece and play a good outfield. And Carl Furillo in right field was one helluva player.”
Bavasi admitted that a year from now he might have to offer a different appraisal of the two outfields.
“That,” he explained, “is because of the way Griffey has come along so fast for the Reds.”
As Bavasi pointed out, the Dodgers of the 1950s always had four good starters. At one time or another, Preacher Roe, Johnny Podres, Carl Erskine, Sal Maglie, Don Newcombe, Roger Craig, Bill Loes and Don Drysdale filled the roles.
“If the DH rule had been in effect then,” said Bavasi, grinning, “a couple of our pitchers might have had 50 complete games in a season.
“As it was,” he added, “we needed only one good relief pitcher. And we had him in Clem Labine.”
There was a pause.
“I hesitate in saying it,” said Bavasi, “but the Reds play the game the Dodger way.”
And how's that?
“They make the game exciting for the public,” answered Bavasi.
“Maybe,” he added, “that's because Sparky (Anderson) and George Scherger (Red coach) learned the fundamentals of the game while they were growing up in the Dodger organization.”
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