The Big Red Machine

The 1970's Cincinnati Reds, known better as:  "The Big Red Machine" can make a strong case to be known as the team of the decade.  Cincy won 2 World Championships (1975 & 1976), 4 Pennants (1970, 1972, 1975 & 1976) and 6 NL West Divisional Crowns (1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976 & 1979).  The only wrap on the franchise is, "why didn't they win more" ?  With arguably the best every day line up in baseball, which includes 3 HOF'er and Pete Rose (who should be a HOF'er) the finger has to squarely be pointed at the pitching.  Cincy just didn't have the kind of front line starters that most championship caliber clubs tout.  What they did have was one of the top bullpens and a manager, Sparky Anderson, known as Dr. Hook, who wasn't afraid to use it.  Anderson was a man ahead of his time.  He ran his pen in the same way that modern day managers run their pens.  He would mix and match relievers for the best possible combination day in and day out.  His starters needed to get 6 or 7 innings in the books and the pen would do the rest.

Coming up short in 1970, 1972 and 1973 gave the team a negative stigma.  Many folks in the media believed that the Reds were choke artists or just not good enough.  Anderson, to his credit figured out ways to make the team better.  In a stroke of genius he moved Pete Rose from the outfield to third base, and inserted George Foster into the every day line up early in the 1975 season.  The rest, as they say, is history !!!  A lot of credit has to be given to the 3 players that the Reds stole from the Astros.  Jack Billingham turned out to be a workhorse, who wasn't a true staff ace, but he was a reliable #2 starter, who won some big games.  Cesar Geronimo was a shade below a gold glover in center.  He anchored the outfield and also hit near or above .300.  "Little" Joe Morgan was literally the final piece to the puzzle.  Morgan spent almost a decade hitting line drives that died on the warning track in the cavernous Astrodome.  In Riverfront Stadium those balls became homers.  Morgan could field his position with the best of them as well as steal 30+ bases.  No coincidence that he was the NL MVP in the franchises two championship seasons.

Later in the decade the Reds' pitching completely betrayed them.  In 1977 the sent 4 prospects to the Mets for 3 time Cy Young award winner Tom Seaver.  "The Franchise" pitched as expected for the Reds and even led them to a division title in 1979, but the rest of the arms surrounding Tom Terrific were less than stellar.

The Reds were contenders throughout the decade, year in and year out.  They dominated the NL in the middle of the decade and stake their claim to being called "The Team of the 70's".