Cincinnati Red and Dodger Blue
Baseball's Greatest Forgotten Rivalry
Abstract
Call it the forgotten rivalry. The Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers may not share geographical boundaries, and today they don’t even play in the same division, but for a period of time in the 1970s Dodgers vs. Reds was the best rivalry in Major League Baseball. They boasted the biggest names of the game—Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, Pete Rose, Don Sutton, and Ron Cey, to name a few—and appeared in the World Series seven out of nine years.
In Cincinnati Red and Dodger Blue: Baseball's Greatest Forgotten Rivalry, Tom Van Riper provides a fresh look at these two powerhouse teams and the circumstances that made them so pivotal. Van Riper delves into the players, managers, executives, and broadcasters from the rivalry whose impact on baseball continued beyond the 1970s—including the first recipient of Tommy John surgery (Tommy John himself), the all-time hit king turned gambling pariah (Pete Rose), and two young announcers who would soon go on to national prominence (Al Michaels and Vin Scully). In addition, Van Riper recounts in detail the 1973 season when both teams were at or near their peak form, particularly the extra-inning nail-biter between the Reds and Dodgers that took place on September 21 and effectively decided the divisional race.
Cincinnati Red and Dodger Blue includes never-before-published interviews with former players from the rivalry, providing a personal and in-depth look at this decade in baseball full of upheaval and change. Baseball’s realignment in 1994 may have rendered this great rivalry nearly forgotten, but its story is one that will be enjoyed by baseball fans and historians of all generations.
Schlagworte
Pete Rose Steve Garvey Reds Reds executives Reds managers Reds players Ron Cey World Series Cincinnati Reds American pastime Dodgers Dodgers executives Dodgers managers Dodgers players Dodgers versus Reds Dodgers vs Reds Dodgers vs. Reds Don Sutton Johnny Bench Baseball rivalry 1970s baseball 1973 baseball season national pastime Los Angeles Dodgers MLB Major League Baseball LA Dodgers baseball baseball broadcasters baseball executives baseball managers baseball players best baseball rivalry- i–xiv Preface i–xiv
- 9–16 2 The Pariah 9–16
- 35–46 5 It Begins 35–46
- 47–56 6 The Three Kings 47–56
- 83–92 9 Packing Them In 83–92
- 103–112 11 Showdown 103–112
- 113–122 12 How Great Were They? 113–122
- 123–132 13 Sparking an Evolution 123–132
- 133–138 14 Late Bloomer 133–138
- 139–146 15 They Shall Be Free 139–146
- 147–158 16 A Giant Loss 147–158
- 169–178 18 The Winners 169–178
- 179–184 19 Frustration 179–184
- 185–194 20 Onward . . . 185–194
- 195–202 Epilogue 195–202
- 203–208 Notes 203–208
- 209–210 Bibliography 209–210
- 211–212 Index 211–212
- 213–213 About the Author 213–213