cuba's greatest export
http://members.aol.com/Nutts4EP/TonyPerez.html
http://reds.enquirer.com/bigred/
Can we take a break from politics to talk about my ultimate sports hero? Growing up in Southern Indiana, I was a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. Those were the days (60's and 70's) of The Big Red Machine---Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, and Cesar Geronimo. My personal favorite, though, was the big clutch-hitting first baseman of The Machine--Tony Perez. Marty Brenneman, the long-time radio voice of the Reds, once said that Perez was the most loved player in Cincinnati Reds history. I know that he was my hero. Pat Corrales, one of Perez's teammates, once said, "You'd read the paper the next day, and Rose would say this, and Morgan would say that, and Bench did such-and-such. Then, way down in the story, you'd read: 'By the way, Tony Perez won the game with a base hit.' " That's why I loved Perez so much. He wasn't a media hound like some of the other players, but he was the absolute MVP of the team. Year after year, Perez knocked in 90 or more RBI, had 20 or more HR, and provided the leadership that made the Reds one of the truly great baseball teams in history. He was (and continues to be) a man of dignity and integrity.
I have provided some links up above to some great info about "The Big Dog." There just aren't many professional athletes today who measure up to the high standards set by men like Perez. It was a whole lot of fun for me to explore those links and to be reminded of all of the great moments of Perez's career. I felt like a kid again, and that's not a bad feeling at all!
Tony Pérez Atanasio (Rigal) Pérez---Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2000, 385 votes on 499 ballots 77.15% Hall of Fame plaque for Tony Pérez
Born: May 14, 1942, in Ciego De Avila, Cuba
ML Debut: 7/26/1964 Primary Positions: 1B/3B Bats: R Throws: R Primary Uniform #: 24
Played For: Cincinnati Reds (1964-1976, 1984-1986), Montreal Expos (1977-1979), Boston Red Sox (1980-1982), Philadelphia Phillies (1983) Primary Team: Cincinnati Reds
Managed: Cincinnati Reds (1993), Florida Marlins (2001)
Post-Season: 1970 NLCS, 1970 World Series, 1972 NLCS, 1972 World Series, 1973 NLCS, 1975 NLCS, 1975 World Series, 1976 NLCS, 1976 World Series, 1983 NLCS, 1983 World Series
Awards: All-Star (7): 1967-1970, 1974-1976; All-Star Game MVP 1967 Hitting
Bio: Atanasio "Tony" Pérez Rigal was a fixture on Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" clubs of the 1970s. A native Cuban, he left a job in a Havana sugar cane factory to sign with the Reds' organization. In 1967 he notched the first of seven 100-RBI campaigns, concluding his career with 1,652 RBI over 23 major league seasons. Respected for his clutch hitting, he belted three home runs in the 1975 World Series, including a key two-run shot in Game Seven, one of two World Championships he earned.
Quote: "Tony cast a net over the entire team with his attitude. He was always up, always had a sense of humor." — Johnny Bench
Did You Know... that Tony Pérez's 15th inning home run off future Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter propelled the National League to victory in the longest All-Star Game in history, July 11, 1967?
http://reds.enquirer.com/bigred/
Can we take a break from politics to talk about my ultimate sports hero? Growing up in Southern Indiana, I was a huge Cincinnati Reds fan. Those were the days (60's and 70's) of The Big Red Machine---Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, and Cesar Geronimo. My personal favorite, though, was the big clutch-hitting first baseman of The Machine--Tony Perez. Marty Brenneman, the long-time radio voice of the Reds, once said that Perez was the most loved player in Cincinnati Reds history. I know that he was my hero. Pat Corrales, one of Perez's teammates, once said, "You'd read the paper the next day, and Rose would say this, and Morgan would say that, and Bench did such-and-such. Then, way down in the story, you'd read: 'By the way, Tony Perez won the game with a base hit.' " That's why I loved Perez so much. He wasn't a media hound like some of the other players, but he was the absolute MVP of the team. Year after year, Perez knocked in 90 or more RBI, had 20 or more HR, and provided the leadership that made the Reds one of the truly great baseball teams in history. He was (and continues to be) a man of dignity and integrity.
I have provided some links up above to some great info about "The Big Dog." There just aren't many professional athletes today who measure up to the high standards set by men like Perez. It was a whole lot of fun for me to explore those links and to be reminded of all of the great moments of Perez's career. I felt like a kid again, and that's not a bad feeling at all!
Tony Pérez Atanasio (Rigal) Pérez---Elected to Hall of Fame by Baseball Writers in 2000, 385 votes on 499 ballots 77.15% Hall of Fame plaque for Tony Pérez
Born: May 14, 1942, in Ciego De Avila, Cuba
ML Debut: 7/26/1964 Primary Positions: 1B/3B Bats: R Throws: R Primary Uniform #: 24
Played For: Cincinnati Reds (1964-1976, 1984-1986), Montreal Expos (1977-1979), Boston Red Sox (1980-1982), Philadelphia Phillies (1983) Primary Team: Cincinnati Reds
Managed: Cincinnati Reds (1993), Florida Marlins (2001)
Post-Season: 1970 NLCS, 1970 World Series, 1972 NLCS, 1972 World Series, 1973 NLCS, 1975 NLCS, 1975 World Series, 1976 NLCS, 1976 World Series, 1983 NLCS, 1983 World Series
Awards: All-Star (7): 1967-1970, 1974-1976; All-Star Game MVP 1967 Hitting
Bio: Atanasio "Tony" Pérez Rigal was a fixture on Cincinnati's "Big Red Machine" clubs of the 1970s. A native Cuban, he left a job in a Havana sugar cane factory to sign with the Reds' organization. In 1967 he notched the first of seven 100-RBI campaigns, concluding his career with 1,652 RBI over 23 major league seasons. Respected for his clutch hitting, he belted three home runs in the 1975 World Series, including a key two-run shot in Game Seven, one of two World Championships he earned.
Quote: "Tony cast a net over the entire team with his attitude. He was always up, always had a sense of humor." — Johnny Bench
Did You Know... that Tony Pérez's 15th inning home run off future Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter propelled the National League to victory in the longest All-Star Game in history, July 11, 1967?
posted by hondo at 10:01 PM
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