On the blog today, let's go ahead and add the great Johnny Bench to my on-going 1978 sub-set celebrating the sluggers of 1977, "30 Home Run Club":
Bench was part of the gang with his 31 homers, the last time he'd reach that mark in his illustrious career.
Along
with those 31 home runs he drove in 109 runs while hitting .275, making
his tenth All-Star team and taking home his tenth straight Gold Glove.
All-time best at his position? I'd be hard-pressed to argue this.
Of course as we all know, he would go on to put together a career rarely
seen by ANY player, let alone a catcher: TWO N.L. MVP Awards, 14
all-star games, 10 Gold Gloves, two home run titles and three RBI
titles, all while donning the “tools of ignorance” for 17 seasons, all
with the Reds.
As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, this man was a mythic figure, a “god”.
As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, this man was a mythic figure, a “god”.
