So did I. My favorite MLB player. We share the same birthday.

Guess he had a bad second half.

@@fifthbusiness1678 He slumped badly (.155) in June, and was basically used mostly as a pinch-hitter after that. (He did catch one final time, against the Astros in Cincinnati on September 17, getting his last-ever two-hit game.)

Like cat in a house

Best power hitter in baseball? What is it about you Johnny Bench slappys??? Guess Hank Aaron was a bum. Guess Willie McCovey was a bum. Guess Willie Stargell was a bum. Guess Mike Schmidt was a bum. Won't even mention anyone in the AL, because you won't care anyway. Slappys never do.

Pete Zereeah I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with you. I saw him playin person and I used to imitate his batting stance when I was a kid. But he led the league in Rbi 3 times. In 1974 he led the NL in rbi with 129, on the strength of 33 homers. I don't mean to correct you, just alot of ppl forget about that. P. S. I have some moron arguing with me, saying that Yogi Berra was way better than him. Also, Lou Brock of the Cardinals, in 1974, stole 118 bases that year. And if I'm correct, he stole only 3 bases against the Reds all season. Great all around catcher.

For a couple of years he was the best power hitter, you know until they ripped open his ribs and chest with a saw and took a chunk of his lung. Something Aaron, McCovey, Stargell, or Schmidt never had to deal with. Oh by the way, while kneeling between at-bats. Won't even mention the fact that Bench also served in the army during his career, because you won't care anyway. I'll refrain from calling you names.

Bench could catch with Berra in his back pocket

Childhood Idol

Someone needs to come up with a master list of greatest plays ever forgotten by history that were due to results like you mentioned. I remember Dave Henderson of the Boston Red Sox having one of the legendary post season's of all-time before the Mets rallied and one the series. Only hard core baseball fans remember Henderson. Also, there should be a list of people who should be goats, like Bob Stanley and Calvin Shiraldi, who choked way more than Bill Buckner ever did in that loss to the Mets.

Was as he ashame that that surgery and other injuries affected his final stats.

Imagine how great his offensive numbers would have been if he didn't have to spend every half-inning on his knees.

Avacarho He actually was a decemt actor as well. .At least one role in "Mission: Impossible,' to his credit.

A Wesselman Mission: Impossible with Peter Graves and Martin Landau was one of my favorite shows when it was syndicated. I'd love to have seen the episode with Johnny Bench.

@@stephenstills2 He made a cameo appearance on an episode of The Partridge Family.

he was in my book..

deputay yes he grew up in that area

in this part of the country, IN OH KY Johnny Bench was pretty close to a super hero

love dave's hair at this point

as Dave became more popular..his demeanor changed

He did some TV color commentary for a few years and was very good but I guess he didn't like it...

Joseph Gibbons Pudge Rodriguez

I remember the Pirates, back in the mid-70's claiming they were going to "run all over Bench" in the NLCS, he mowed them down.

@@DrGalazkiewicz - Bench played during a time when most infields had artificial turf, instead of dirt, in between the bases. Check out the old Riverfront Stadium field. Runners could get to second a lot faster running on turf. Bench still gunned them down. If he played today, he would probably throw out 80%.

alan30189 true, good point

@@DrGalazkiewicz I take 1970a Johnny bench had a cannon for an arm plus hit for power

EMU*

Leo Durocher nah they would suck now

Molina

@@floridastateleagueclips4755 What are you smoking? Bench would be a star in any era.

Pudge and Molina

Carolton Fisk and Johnny Bench, GOATS, just my opinion.

Seen that. '71 playoffs against Pittsburgh. He picked off one of the Alou brothers.

wow and if my aunt had balls she would be my uncle

great one balljiz go ahead and pick any hall of famers at all positions mr obvious

That's a great team Baji, who would run on Clemente or Mays? LOL

@@nickajk1 lmao

@@zzremington henderson

Plus, no suspected/alleged steroid use from former players unlike Pudge & Piazza.

probably so. I am not a big believer in the "steroid" had much to do with HR's in the late 90's. think it was the ball...little Brett Boone hit 42 one year. Bench did EVERYTHING right and I am partial to anything Big Red Machine...very biased.

Lol boone was juiced to the gills that year, read the canseco book

Yadi molina

Tom Yazel Pudge did both great

I can't imagine any intelligent conversation about ANYTHING on late night TV these days

Actually 35. Born December 7, 1947.

@@dongiller I was being a dink. His hair

It's called getting older.

@@captainedc Johnny Bench may have a grandfather on his mother's side that was probably bald.

Who else can do that?

@@dongiller Who gives a shit?

Cuz you're simple minded and have dainty little girl hands

@@PlayerToBeNamedLater1973 Whatever makes you feel better dude

@@stevewyche5232 you having girl hands doesn't make me feel better.

sparky admits to using johnny too much and he burnt him out

I had no idea.

heard it many times you can look it up

The numbers still kick ass for that position

Catching is the most physically difficult day-in-and-day out position in baseball. Grueling to your knees, back, arm, etc. For games played he was a machine.

kyokogodai Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree. I give Berra his due . His 3 MVPs and his lifetime .285 BA deserves merit. But Bench was supernatural. I believe his 1970 MVP season of 45 hrs and 148 ribs is still a record for catchers. And in 72, he won his 2nd MVP, with 40 hrs and 125 rbi. In 1974,He led the league in rbi with 129 , on the strength of 33 hrs. He was a slugger, with a rocket arm that even Lou Brock thought about twice about stealing on him. Even in an injury riddled 76 season, he won the WS MVP, as the Reds swept a tough Thurman Munson led Yankee team. Truly dominant from 1968 to 1978. In the postseason, he took Dave Gusti deep to win the 1972 pennant, and homered off of HOF Tom Server in the 1973 playoffs. He hit the best pitchers in baseball when it counted. Berra was great, but Bench was in a class by himself.

Like Berra didn't hit the best pitchers in baseball in his era? Berra took Don Larson (all nine innings) in a perfect game, in the World Series!! Oh, and Yogi caught 3 no-hitters. Berra hit 2 HR off Don Newcombe in game 7 of the 1956 WS. He also hit the tying HR in game 6 (Yankees down 3 games to 2) in the 7th inning in 1952. As for Brock vs. Bench, Brock would steal on anyone. Brock did only steal 3 bases against Cincinnati during his 118 steal season. But those 3 came in two days but Bench did throw him out twice during the season (you did know box scores are available online, right?). As for 1976, that Reds team was far superior to that Yankees team, and it showed (the Reds out scoring the Yankees 22 to 8, with the Reds having 17 XBH-42 total hits and the Yankees 5 XBH-30 total hits). Berra was better, through and through.

kyokogodai Wow. Yogi Berra couldn't carry Johnny Benchs fu**in socks. R u 4 real.? Sparky Anderson said it best, " It's not fair to compare anyone to Bench " .

And yes, the 1976 Reds were far superior to the Yankees, because of Johnny Bench.

hey michael semmi jr...wow is right.....what a freak.

In what sort of bizarre world does a man's life depend on hitting .300???

He could but wanted to hit homers. Hit .293 in 1969 and 1970. But once lost muscles due to an operation in 1972, he could only hit homers.

nice comment...especially since there have only been 205 career .300 hitters in the history of major league baseball...guys like you, if you even played, were striking out while bailing out of the box...

Mike Larimore...I think 46dc9er was meaning in a season. Bench did hit .300 once. In the strike season (1981), he hit .309 in 52 games. He only hit .280 or better 5 times, over 17 seasons. He wasn't a high average hitter, for sure. His power was great, for only 4 seasons (hitting 30+ home runs). The rest of the time he had good power (hitting 20+ HR 11 seasons). But his catching is what made him truly a HOF"er.

He didn't need to hit. 300 . In his 1st MVP season, 1970, he led the league in homers, 45, and rbis, 148 , and he hit. 293. He led the league in homers and rbis again in 72, when he won his 2nd MVP award. He also led the league in rbi in 1974, with 129, on the strength of 33 hrs. And led the Reds to 2 straight WS championships in 75 and 76. He didn't need to hit. 300. He did everything else. Best catcher ever. Bar none.

Adrian Garza If rose wanted in the HOF, he should have swallowed his pride and done what Bench said to do. Watch the Dan Patrick interview with Bench. He explains how.

Nope, not even close... Piazza won 10 Silver Slugger awards and was a 12 time All Star, but he never won a Gold Glove, was a very average defensive catcher and never a MVP. Bench set the bar for all other catchers today to follow. Bench was a two-time MVP in 1970 and 1972, a World Series MVP in 1976, (when he closed the door on the sweep of Yankees with two home runs in Game 4), a 14 time All Star and a 10 time Gold Glove winner. Both Bench and Yogi Berra were voted to the All Century Team in 1999.

Piazza was the greattest hitting catcher of all time, but widely regarded as one of the worst defensive catcher of his era. If he played AL ball he would have been considered the greatest DH of all time. (With possible exception to edgar Martinez)

Brett Vogel yeah...he's a catcher all right.

Thanks for the laugh Bud!!

wasn't there a huge controversy about whether Piazza used steroids?? there were reports that he had horrendous acne on his back and during the season it was worse but "miraculously" improved in the off season