The Great Eight Mark Armour
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and University of Nebraska Press Chapters 2014 The Great Eight Mark Armour Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples Armour, Mark, "The Great Eight" (2014). University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters. 243. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples/243 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Nebraska Press at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The Great Eight Buy the Book Memorable Teams in Baseball History Buy the Book The Great Eight The 1975 Cincinnati Reds Edited by Mark Armour Published by the University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, and the Society for American Baseball Research Buy the Book © 2014 by the Society for American Baseball Research Chapter 1, now substantially revised, originally appeared as “Bob Howsam” in Drama and Pride in the Gateway City: The 1964 St. Louis Cardinals, edited by John Harry Stahl and Bill Nowlin (Uni- versity of Nebraska Press, 2013). Chapters 3 and 5, now substantially revised, originally appeared respectively as “Sparky Anderson” and “Alex Grammas” in Detroit Tigers 1984: What a Start! What a Finish!, edited by Mark Pattison and David Raglin (Society for American Baseball Research, 2012). Chapter 7, now substantially revised, originally appeared as “Ted Kluszewski” in Go- Go to Glory: The 1959 Chicago White Sox, edited by Don Zminda (acta Publications, 2009). Chapters 19 and 28, now substantially revised, originally appeared respectively as “Merv Rettenmund” and “Terry Crowley” in Pitch- ing, Defense, and Three- Run Homers: The 1970 Baltimore Orioles, edited by Mark Armour and Malcolm Allen (University of Nebraska Press, 2012). All photographs are courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library, Cooperstown, New York. Player statistics are courtesy of Baseball- Reference.com and Retro- sheet.org (information obtained free of charge from and copyrighted by Retrosheet, www.retrosheet.org). All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data The great eight: the 1975 Cincinnati Reds / edited by Mark Armour. pages cm. — (Memorable teams in baseball history) Includes bibliographical references. isbn 978- 0- 8032- 4586- 0 (pbk.: alk. paper) isbn 978- 0- 8032- 5345- 2 (epub) isbn 978- 0- 8032- 5346- 9 (mobi) isbn 978- 0- 8032- 5340- 7 (pdf) 1. Cincinnati Reds (Baseball team)— History. I. Armour, Mark L. gv875.c65g75 2014 796.357'640977178— dc23 2013037730 Set in Sabon by Laura Wellington. Buy the Book Contents Introduction . vii 17. Rose to Third . 83 Mark Armour Rory Costello 1. Bob Howsam . 1 18. Clay Carroll . 86 Mark Armour Derek Norin and Mark Armour 2. Scouting and Player Development . 8 19. Merv Rettenmund . 90 Jim Sandoval Jacob Pomrenke 3. Sparky Anderson . 12 20. May 1975 Timeline . 96 Cindy Thomson Mark Miller and Mark Armour 4. George Scherger . 20 21. Johnny Bench . 100 Mark Armour Mark Armour 5. Alex Grammas . 24 22. Pat Darcy . 106 Maxwell Kates Gregory H. Wolf 6. Larry Shepard . 30 23. Dan Driessen . 111 Andy Sturgill Gregory H. Wolf 7. Ted Kluszewski . 35 24. César Gerónimo . 118 Paul Ladewski Jorge Iber 8. Preseason Outlook . 40 25. John Vukovich . 122 Mark Armour Andy Sturgill 9. Pete Rose . 43 26. June 1975 Timeline . 127 Andy Sturgill Mark Miller and Mark Armour 10. Tom Hall . 50 27. George Foster . 131 Mark Armour Cindy Thomson 11. Bill Plummer . 54 28. Terry Crowley . 135 Michael Fallon Malcolm Allen 12. Don Gullett . 59 29. Pedro Borbon . 141 Charles F. Faber Jorge Iber 13. Tom Carroll . 66 30. Dave Concepción . 144 Gregory H. Wolf Joseph Wancho 14. April 1975 Timeline . 72 31. Ed Armbrister . 148 Mark Miller and Mark Armour Rory Costello 15. Ken Griffey . 75 32. July 1975 Timeline . 154 Charles F. Faber Mark Miller and Mark Armour 16. Fred Norman . 79 33. Joe Morgan . 158 Doug Wilson Charles F. Faber Buy the Book 34. Doug Flynn . 164 43. Will McEnaney . 206 Gregory H. Wolf Mark Miller 35. Rawly Eastwick . 170 44. September 1975 Timeline . 210 Andy Sturgill Mark Miller and Mark Armour 36. Gary Nolan . 175 45. Marty Brennaman . 213 Richard Miller Matt Bohn 37. Darrel Chaney . 180 46. Postseason . 218 Derek Norin Mark Armour 38. August 1975 Timeline . 184 47. The Reds of Summer . 223 Mark Miller and Mark Armour Steve Treder 39. Tony Pérez . 188 48. 1976 and Beyond . 229 Philip A. Cola Anthony Giacalone 40. Jack Billingham . 193 Epilogue . 235 Bill Nowlin Notes and References . 237 41. Clay Kirby . 198 Contributors . 257 Charles F. Faber 42. Don Werner . 202 Malcolm Allen Buy the Book Introduction Mark Armour When sabr and the University of Nebraska Press Most of this team had been together for the pre- agreed to create a Memorable Teams in Baseball vious few years, and the team had been a favorite to History series, one of the fi rst clubs I thought of win the World Series more than once but had thus was the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. Baseball histori- far come up short. This book is a celebration of that ans have not neglected this team and season, but great Reds team and the men who played the game the stories of the people who made up or led this so well. Many readers will remember the big events team have started to fade. Two of the most fa- described here, but the stories of how each of these mous members of the club— Joe Morgan and Pete men was prepared for this season, and what came Rose— have been in the news regularly since they after, will likely be new to all of you. stopped playing, but usually for nothing related to Putting together such a book took the efforts their extraordinary playing careers. of many dedicated baseball researchers. I want to The Reds were quite a team. Besides Morgan thank especially two people who read every word and Rose, they also featured Johnny Bench, per- in the book: Russ Lake, our tireless fact- checker, haps the biggest star in the game at the time, be- and Len Levin, who reviewed and edited the man- hind the plate; Tony Pérez, the veteran leader and uscript from start to fi nish. The book is so much a star in his own right; young players like George better for their efforts. The writers not only put to- Foster, Don Gullett, Ken Griffey, and Dave Con- gether these interesting stories but also had to keep cepción, excellent players destined to be overshad- to a schedule and to respond to many queries as the owed; and the peerless Sparky Anderson manag- book was nearing completion. I thank all of them ing in the dugout. The Great Eight, the title of this for their professionalism. book, comes from the wonderful starting-position Enjoy reliving 1975, the year the Big Red Ma- players on this club: Bench, Pérez, Morgan, Concep- chine fi nally took home the ultimate prize. ción, Rose, Foster, César Gerónimo, and Griffey. This may have been history’s best starting lineup, but the team was even better than that. vii Buy the Book Buy the Book The Great Eight Buy the Book Buy the Book Chapter 1. Bob Howsam Mark Armour Bob Howsam would consider himself one of the last of a breed. A protégé of Branch Rickey, who believed in scouting, player development, and the art of making a deal, Howsam built—just before the advent of free agency— one of history’s great- est teams, the 1975– 76 Cincinnati Reds, a ball club that refl ected that same Rickey- like approach. With the introduction of free agency, however, Howsam, who was greatly disturbed by it, be- lieved future champions would be built mostly by having the most money, not through the tradition- al scouting, player development, and deal making. Robert Lee Howsam was born on February 28, 1918, in Denver, Colorado, to Lee and Mary Howsam. Lee had emigrated from Canada as a child, and Mary was a native of Colorado. Lee was a part- ner in a beekeeping business, harvesting and sell- ing honey. When Howsam was eight years old his family moved to La Jara, a town 250 miles south of Den- ver in the San Luis Valley, just north of the New The architect of the Big Red Machine, Bob Howsam made a Mexico border. He attended high school in La Jara, series of great deals to turn a good team into a great one. where he starred on the basketball team. He also played fi rst base for an American Legion baseball as either governor or U.S. senator for twenty-fi ve team and often told the story of being struck out years. Big Ed would become one of the most impor- by Satchel Paige on one of the famed Negro League tant people in Howsam’s life. star’s barnstorming trips through the West. After a few years at Boulder, with World War II After high school Howsam attended the Uni- approaching, Howsam enrolled in a fl ight- training versity of Colorado in Boulder, intending to learn program in Alamosa, Colorado, and then moved to enough to help his father run the family business. a more advanced one in Parkersburg, West Virgin- In 1936 Howsam ran into Janet Johnson, whom he ia. Eventually he became a fl ight instructor. In 1943 had met briefl y on a double date in high school. The he joined the navy and became a test pilot, check- two began dating and a few years later were married, ing out new planes before delivering them to naval on September 15, 1939.