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Johnny Bench
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Note: The
following information has not been confirmed by the athlete, but is
accurate to the best of our knowledge. |
Contact Information (where autograph
requests should be mailed to):
Contact Person and/or Name of
Organization: Johnny Bench Enterprises
Address:
3899 Ridgedale Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45247
Official Website:
http://www.johnnybench.com/
Charity
Information:
Name of charity or charities
the donations go to the
Johnny
Bench Scholarship Fund
Signing Habits:
1) If you sign items for free,
what are the maximum number of items you will sign for free? No
2) Do you answer questions
sent by fans? N/A
3) Do you prefer when fans
send you their own pens/markers? N/A
4) What can fans do to make it
easier for you to sign their items?
N/A
Donation Charges:
| Item |
Price |
Item |
Price |
| Cards |
$60 |
Photos up to 11x14 |
$60 |
| Photos up to 16x20 &
Posters |
$75 |
Baseballs |
$60 |
| Mask, Shin Gaurds,
Chest Protector |
$100 |
Mini Bat |
$60 |
| Mini Helmets |
$50 |
Hats |
$60 |
| Large Helmet |
$100 |
Bats |
$125 |
| Jerseys |
$100 |
Inscriptions &
Personalizations |
$20 ea.
["Catch Ya Later" not available] |
| Other - Post cards |
$60 |
Other - Wheaties Box |
$60 |
| Other - Starting Lineup
Figurenes & Bobbleheads |
$60 |
Other - Books |
$60 |
| Other - Stadium
seatbacks |
$100 |
Other - Home plate |
$90 |
| Other - mini home plate |
$60 |
Other - |
|
Who should the check/money
order be made out to: Johnny Bench Enterprises
Payment can be made by: Money
Orders Only
Biography
Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is
a former American baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983, and
is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball
history. He is currently on the Board of Directors for the Cincinnati Reds Hall
of Fame.
Bench was a key member of the Reds' 1975 and 1976 World Series championship
teams known as "The Big Red Machine."
****
Catcher
Born: December 7, 1947 (1947-12-07) (age 60)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 28, 1967
for the Cincinnati Reds
Final game
September 29, 1983
for the Cincinnati Reds
Career statistics
Batting average .267
Home runs 389
Runs batted in 1,376
Teams
Cincinnati Reds (1967-1983)
Career highlights and awards
14x All-Star selection (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976,
1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983)
2x World Series champion (1975, 1976)
10x Gold Glove Award winner (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975,
1976, 1977)
2x NL MVP (1970, 1972)
1968 NL Rookie of the Year
1976 World Series MVP
1976 Babe Ruth Award
1975 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
1981 Hutch Award
Cincinnati Reds #5 retired
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Elected 1989
Vote 96.42%
****
Professional career
Bench was a standout baseball player for Binger High School, in the small
Western Oklahoma town of Binger (formerly known as Hoss Spit Flats). His father
advised him that the fastest route to the majors was being a catcher. He was
drafted in the second round of the 1965 amateur draft and was called up in
August, 1967 where he hit just .163, but impressed many with his defensive
prowess and strong throwing arm. Among those he impressed during his first taste
of big league ball was Hall of Famer Ted Williams, who signed a baseball for
him: "A Hall of Famer for sure!"
In addition to being an outstanding fielder, Bench was also a great hitter. In
1970, his finest statistical season, Bench hit .293 with 45 home runs and 148
RBIs. He hit .267 with 389 home runs and 1,376 runs-batted-in during his 17-year
Major League career, all spent with the Reds. His career home runs by a catcher
record stood until surpassed by the former New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza.
He won the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year Award, batting .275 with 15
home runs and 82 RBIs, and the honors and accomplishments only continued to pile
up. In his career, Bench earned 10 Gold Gloves, was the 1970 and 1972 Most
Valuable Player and was named to the National League All-Star team 12 times. He
also won such awards as the Lou Gehrig Award (1975), the Babe Ruth Award (1976),
and the Hutch Award (1981). His most dramatic home run was likely his ninth
inning lead-off opposite field home run in the final game of the 1972 NLCS vs.
Pittsburgh. The solo shot tied the game 3-3, allowing the Reds to win later in
the inning on a wild pitch, 4-3. It was hailed after the game as "one of the
great clutch home runs of all time."
Although baseball history is filled with many outstanding catchers, such as Yogi
Berra, Bill Dickey, Gabby Hartnett and Mickey Cochrane, arguably, no player
revolutionized the position like Johnny Bench. The catcher's equipment was
traditionally called "the tools of ignorance" as many catchers lacked the
fielding skills to play elsewhere. But Bench inspired many young ballplayers to
become catchers. His use of the hinged catcher's mitt, thought to be a gimmick
when he first used it after returning to action following a stint on the
disabled list because of a thumb injury on his right hand, became standard
equipment soon afterward. The new mitt replaced the traditional rigid
trapper-style mitt and allowed Bench to tuck his throwing arm safely to the
side.
One day when a pitcher insisted on throwing fastballs even though he didn't have
much velocity, Bench caught one of the pitches with his bare hand, just to make
the point.
He also tended to block breaking balls in the dirt by scooping them with one
hand instead of the more common and fundamentally proper way: dropping to both
knees and blocking the ball using the chest protector.
However, by 1978, the years behind the plate began taking their toll on Bench's
knees, a common ailment for catchers, and for the last three years of his
career, he played mostly third base or first base with the occasional start in
the outfield while catching only 13 games. During one of his final games on
September 17, 1983, proclaimed "Johnny Bench Night" at Riverfront Stadium, he
hit his 389th and final home run.
Honors
Bench was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York
in 1989, appearing on 96% of the ballots — the third-highest ever at the time.
He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1989 and had his #5
retired.
In 1999, he ranked Number 16 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest
Baseball Players, the highest-ranking catcher, and was elected to the Major
League Baseball All-Century Team.
Starting with the 2000 college baseball season, the best collegiate catcher
annually receives the Johnny Bench Award.
Personal
Bench was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Bench grew up in Binger, Oklahoma and had a dream of being a pro baseball
player. Bench took his fathers advice and became a catcher this was the start of
a hall of fame career.
In his post-playing career, Bench has broadcast games on television and radio
and is an avid golfer. He has performed in several Champions Tour tournaments.
He is one of the few professional baseball players ever to be a professional
bowler.[citation needed]
In 1985, Bench starred as Joe Boyd/Joe Hardy in a Cincinnati stage production of
the musical Damn Yankees, which also included Gwen Verdon and Gary Sandy.
Bench does an impression of Harry Caray,[citation needed] and occasionally
during the Hall of Fame Inductions leads the crowd in the singing of "Take Me
Out to the Ball Game" as Caray.
Bench has a son at St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati who is the 3rd string
tight end on the football team. He tried out for the baseball team twice to
follow in his father's footsteps, but was cut from the team both times.[1]
References
1. Groeschen, Tom. "Not like father, like son", The Cincinnati Enquirer, Gannett
Company, 2007-10-18. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
****
Source: Wikipedia.org at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Bench
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