Redleg Memories: The Reds of the Fifties and Sixties

Cincinnati Reds historian Greg Rhodes follows the Reds—and Redlegs—through two rollercoaster decades in this entertaining history. The book recaps highlights from each season, but more importantly tells the stories of the players, managers, and club executives who shaped these decades. Hundreds of photographs help recall memories of Crosley Field and dozens of stars, including Ted Kluszewski, Joe Nuxhall, Frank Robinson, Vada Pinson, Pete Rose, Jim Maloney, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench, and many others. Drawn from the pages of the sporting press and from interviews and conversations with players and club executives, Rhodes traces the progress of the club on and off the field. Managers Birdie Tebbetts, Fred Hutchinson, and Dave Bristol, along with general managers and owners Gabe Paul, Bill DeWitt, and Bob Howsam make trades and roster decisions that affect the club for decades. The book sheds new light on the struggle to integrate the club in the early 1950s and rise of Frank Robinson, the surprise run at the 1956 pennant, the All-Star voting "scandals" of the mid-1950s, the adoption of the new "Redlegs" nickname, the pennant-winning 1961 Reds, the still-mourned trade of Robinson in 1965, and the rise of young talent in the Reds farm system in the 1960s that led to the Big Red Machine. Rhodes, the former executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, and the author of eight previous books on the Reds, also covers the debate on the future of the Reds in Cincinnati. Threats of rumors of the team relocating punctuate debates in the late 1950s and early 1960s before the club commits to a new downtown baseball park, which eventually becomes Riverfront Stadium. Reds fans of all ages will delight in this journey through the 1950s and 1960s. Take a seat in the Crosley Field grandstand, grab a bag of snacks from Peanut Jim, tune in to Waite Hoyt, and enjoy these Redleg memories. Read more