"Chief" Bender Retires - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

Unassisted · 01-13-2006, 06:12 PM

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=cin

Quote:

Reds honor retiring 'Chief'
01/13/2006 12:04 PM ET By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

The Reds are hailing their Chief.

The club hosted a private luncheon Friday afternoon for Sheldon "Chief" Bender, who is retiring after 64 years in baseball.

Chief spent the last 39 years with the Reds' organization in their scouting and player development departments. He was the team's farm director for 23 seasons, from 1967-89. Among the players he helped develop were Johnny Bench, Dave Concepcion, Ken Griffey Sr., Don Gullett, Mario Soto, Ron Oester, Tom Browning, Paul O'Neill, Chris Sabo, Eric Davis and Barry Larkin.

Bender's contributions to the organization were so large that in 2001, the Reds named their Minor League Player of the Year Award after him.

In December 1988, Bender was named the "King of Baseball" by the National Association for his longtime service and dedication to the game.

Bender played and managed in the Minor Leagues for 12 seasons and was in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization from 1948-66. A veteran of World War II, Bender earned a Purple Heart for his service.

As a special sendoff to the Chief, the Reds have announced that a duplicate of the commemorative bat given to Bender by Louisville Slugger will be put on display in the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum's front office exhibit.

KronoRed · 01-13-2006, 07:54 PM

Sad to see him go.

Caseyfan21 · 01-14-2006, 01:08 AM

I would retire right now if I were him too. No need to let the idiocy of the rest of the front office tarnish his image he's spent the last half century creating.

Sad to see him go but he's had a great legacy with the team and a long list of great players signed to his credit.

Cedric · 01-14-2006, 02:51 PM

Truly awesome man. I've met him many times and he is always classy and loves to talk about the inner workings of the business. His wife just passed away recently and Chief was ready to move on. He will always work for the Reds though, somehow someway.

RFS62 · 01-14-2006, 02:59 PM

Yeah, he's an old school legend.

westofyou · 01-14-2006, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RFS62

Yeah, he's an old school legend.

Last guy in the pool from The Howsam Party.

Team Clark · 01-15-2006, 06:09 PM

Great guy. Always willing to talk. He's forgotten more Baseball than most of us will ever know.

01-13-2006, 07:54 PM	#2
KronoRed The Lineups stink. Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: West N. Carolina Posts: 55,342	Re: "Chief" Bender Retires Sad to see him go. __________________ Go Gators!

01-14-2006, 01:08 AM	#3
Caseyfan21 Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 1,830	Re: "Chief" Bender Retires I would retire right now if I were him too. No need to let the idiocy of the rest of the front office tarnish his image he's spent the last half century creating. Sad to see him go but he's had a great legacy with the team and a long list of great players signed to his credit.

01-14-2006, 02:51 PM	#4
Cedric Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Monroe Posts: 6,218	Re: "Chief" Bender Retires Truly awesome man. I've met him many times and he is always classy and loves to talk about the inner workings of the business. His wife just passed away recently and Chief was ready to move on. He will always work for the Reds though, somehow someway. __________________ This is the time. The real Reds organization is back.

01-14-2006, 02:59 PM	#5
RFS62 Hey Cubs Fans Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: New York Posts: 16,567	Re: "Chief" Bender Retires Yeah, he's an old school legend. __________________ "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

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