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 like the Reds have throughout the 1970s.
It wasn’t shocking to hear Manager Sparky Anderson declare that the 1976 team is the best he’s had since taking over the club in 1970.
Especially since millions of baseball fans throughout the country seem to agree with Anderson.
By mid-July, the All-Star ballot results made that crystal clear. Five Reds landed in the starting lineup: Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Davey Concepcion and George Foster.
If you didn’t know better, you’d have thought Cincinnati fans stuffed the ballot box like they did in 1957.
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But even if Cincy fans had done that, they would’ve gone to a lot of trouble for nothing. 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 before anyone could complain.
By season’s end, both Anderson and the fans who voted were vindicated.
If there are those who disagree, check the statistics.
Morgan rated as the major leagues’ No. 1 offensive player again.
His across-the-board numbers — 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 back-to-back in 1958 and ’59.
Philadelphia’s Mike Schmidt won the home-run title for the third straight year, with New York’s Dave Kingman 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 while 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 topped the 200-hit mark for the eighth time in his major league career — one shy of Ty Cobb’s record — and led the league with 215 hits.
Griffey finished the season with a .336 batting mark, losing the batting title to the Cubs’ Bill Madlock on the final day of the season.
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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 .300 on a club that batted .280 as a team 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’s managed?
Sure, Gary Nolan’s 15 victories led the staff. But it’s winning that counts. The Reds racked up 102 victories while capturing their fifth division title in seven years — a total no other club matched.
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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: OCTOBER 23, 1976
Youth Movement on the Mound
It’s the pitching that makes the 1976 club the most remarkable, if not the best, in Reds’ history. 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 trouble and finished with an 11-3 record.
Anderson willingly admits Rose isn’t the best defensive third baseman in baseball.
“Name a third baseman who rates better offensively than Rose.”
Anderson fired back when challenged.
“What shortstop has surer hands, a better arm and more range than Concepcion?”
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 if a ball is within his reach, he’ll catch it,”
Anderson said.
Even though Perez’ .260 average was 25 points below his major league average, he still topped 90 RBIs for the 10th straight season. That’s a mark no other active player can match.
What’s more, Perez drove home his 91 runs this season despite appearing in only 139 games — eight of them as strictly a pinch-hitter.
Bench had a rough season with the bat — a .234 average, only 16 homers and 74 RBIs.
“But is their a catcher in the game today who’s Bench’s equal defensively?”
Anderson asked.
“How many times 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 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. His 11-5 record with 26 saves already won him THE SPORTING NEWS N.L. Fireman of the Year award.
They also have a prime Rookie of the Year candidate in starter Zachry, who went 14-7 while posting an impressive 2.74 ERA.
“Maybe the 1975 team which set a club record of 108 victories performed better, but this year’s roster contains more talent,”
Anderson said.
Depth Makes the Difference
He cited two reasons for that statement: the improvement of Foster and Griffey, plus a “stronger bench.”
Bob Bailey, acquired during the winter, batted .298 in 124 plate appearances. His 37 hits included six homers and 23 RBIs.
Anderson also learned that handyman Doug Flynn is a much better player than he originally thought the youngster from Lexington, Ky., would be.
“I didn’t think Flynn would hit as well as he did,”
the manager admitted.
Flynn batted .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.
Comparing Eras
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 because I think they were the best of the Brooklyn championship teams of the ’50s,”
explained Bavasi.
Bavasi can speak with authority — he was general manager of the Dodgers during those glory days when Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field was home.
“Except for pitching, there’s a lot of similarity between the Reds of today and that 1952 Dodger team,”
Bavasi mused during the Reds’ last visit of the season to San Diego.
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.”
Why does Bavasi think the 1952 team was the best of those Dodger squads?
“Because 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 knows that Anderson has repeatedly said the eight players he can put on the field daily this year are the best he’s had since taking over in 1970.
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“When Sparky says this, I agree with him,”
said Buzzie.
“As I said, except for pitching, the Reds of today have exactly what the Dodgers of the ’50s had.”
“The Dodgers were great up the middle defensively. So are the Reds.”
“The Dodgers of 1952 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.”
Position-by-Position Breakdown
Bavasi suggested a quick comparison of the ’52 Dodgers and ’76 Reds, position by position.
“There’s catching. 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. 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, 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, 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, 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. 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’s 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 those roles.
“If the DH rule had been in effect then, a couple of our pitchers might have had 50 complete games in a season.”
“As it was, we needed only one good relief pitcher. And we had him in Clem Labine.”
There was a pause.
“I hesitate in saying it, but the Reds play the game the Dodger way.”
And how’s that?
“They make the game exciting for the public. Maybe 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.”
