The Cincinnati Reds teams of the early-to-mid-1970s are noted as one of the most famous teams in baseball history.  They were known as the “Big Red Machine.”  These teams were prolific on the field and apparently off the field too--sixteen of the players (fathers) had sons who would later play professional baseball at some level.  Additionally, a number of the Reds players from the era had other types of relatives in baseball (e. g., fathers, brothers, cousins).

 

The following quiz tests your knowledge of the Big Red Machine players and their relatives. Answers will be provided next week as comments to this blog post.  Check back to see how you did.

 

1.   Which of the following Cincinnati Reds players did not have a son who was a first-round draft pick?

a.       Lee May

b.       Tony Perez

c.       Pete Rose

d.       Ed Sprague

 

2.   Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. both played for the Cincinnati Reds, but 19 years apart.  However, they also played for another major league team, but at the same time, the first such occurrence in baseball history when a father-son combination played together. Which team was that?

a.      Atlanta Braves

b.      Seattle Mariners

c.      Chicago White Sox

d.      New York Yankees

3.   This former Reds player during the Big Red Machine days, who also had a major league son, attempted a brief comeback to the major leagues in 1992 at age 48, 12 years after he first retired.

a.      Julian Javier

b.      Hal McRae

c.      Ed Crosby

d.      Pedro Borbon

4.   This father-son combination, one of whom was with the Reds during the Big Red Machine days, is the all-time leader in career appearances by a father-son combination

a.      Mel Queen, Jr. and Mel Queen, Sr.

b.      Ross Grimsley, Jr. and Ross Grimsley, Sr.

c.      Pedro Borbon, Jr. and Pedro Borbon, Sr.

d.      Tony Cloninger and Darrin Cloninger

5.   What did the following players of the Big Red Machine era have in common:  Pete Rose, Hal McRae, and Tony Perez?

a.      They were coaches in the major leagues

b.      They were managers in the major leagues

c.      They were  all-star selections  with the Reds

d.      They led the Reds in an offensive category at least one year

6.   Each of this father-son combination was a broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds.

a.      Harry and Todd Kalas

b.      Don and Daron Sutton

c.      Ernie Johnson, Sr. and Ernie Johnson, Jr.

d.      Marty Brennaman and Thom Brennaman

7.   Which of these players of the Big Red Machine era did not have a brother who played in the major leagues?

a.      Tommy Helms

b.      Junior Kennedy

c.      Lee May

d.      Phil Gagliano

8.   Which of these 1970s Reds players did not have a relative in professional baseball, neither major nor minor leagues?

a.      Joe Morgan

b.      Woody Woodward

c.      Cesar Geronimo

d.      Bill Plummer

9.   Ray Knight, who played in the Big Red Machine era, was married to:

a.      Tatum O’Neill 

b.      Nancy Lopez

c.      Chris Everett

d.      Penny Marshall

10.  This son of a Big Red Machine era player had the following relatives in baseball:  his father was a player and coach; his brother was a minor league player; and his son was a batboy during the World Baseball Classic in 2006.

a.      Eduardo Perez

b.      Stan Javier

c.      Ken Griffey, Jr.

d.      Terry Crowley, Jr.

The book, Family Ties: A Comprehensive Collection of Facts and Trivia About Baseball’s Relatives, is a fantastic reference book containing extensive research about baseball’s family relationships.  Family Ties can be purchased at TheTenthInning.com or online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.