No love for Johnny Bench

[brm7675]

This Saturday the Reds will be paying tribute to probably the greatest catcher of all time and one of the most beloved Reds of all time with a new statue and such, yet it appears that ticket sales for the game are not very good. I am driving over from Indy to see this, really surprised that ticket sales are so bad...:(

[justincredible]

I'm not going, but only because I already have tickets for Friday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

[smoke6]

JB is propably the best catcher to play the game and without a doubt one of the most recognizable Reds. I loved him as a kid. Since my opinion has changed. My Dad worked as his caddie at a golf event and said he was an absolute prick. He treated everybody he met (including small kids) with extreme sarcastic disrespect. Maybe others can say different, but to me, he is now just a grumpy old man who thinks people owe him something. I wouldn't pay a nickel to shake his hand.

I have met Pete... Nice guy, wants to have a conversation. Just my 2 cents though.

[will5979]

JB is propably the best catcher to play the game and without a doubt one of the most recognizable Reds. I loved him as a kid. Since my opinion has changed. My Dad worked as his caddie at a golf event and said he was an absolute prick. He treated everybody he met (including small kids) with extreme sarcastic disrespect. Maybe others can say different, but to me, he is now just a grumpy old man who thinks people owe him something. I wouldn't pay a nickel to shake his hand.

I have met Pete... Nice guy, wants to have a conversation. Just my 2 cents though.

Thats wild, I have heard the exact same thing...I did meet Bench at the 2010 Reds HOF game, but it was only for a handshake and hi how are you?

[Stray]

Yeah a long time ago I went to a golf event at a course near Kings Island. I think it was a senior event maybe... I don't really remember. I went with a friend and his Dad and we were pretty young. Johnny Bench was there playing and before his round we were all lined up with other people to give him a five or whatever else, and some other kid tried to get an autograph and Bench told him no. Then he turned his back and started walking away from all of us while talking to another guy motioning back like we were some nuisance to him.

No doubt he was a great catcher, but that kinda stuff is lame.

[mroby85]

JB is propably the best catcher to play the game and without a doubt one of the most recognizable Reds. I loved him as a kid. Since my opinion has changed. My Dad worked as his caddie at a golf event and said he was an absolute prick. He treated everybody he met (including small kids) with extreme sarcastic disrespect. Maybe others can say different, but to me, he is now just a grumpy old man who thinks people owe him something. I wouldn't pay a nickel to shake his hand.

I have met Pete... Nice guy, wants to have a conversation. Just my 2 cents though.

I've never had any personal run ins with Bench but i've heard this same thing from a lot of people.

[bounty37h]

JB is propably the best catcher to play the game and without a doubt one of the most recognizable Reds. I loved him as a kid. Since my opinion has changed. My Dad worked as his caddie at a golf event and said he was an absolute prick. He treated everybody he met (including small kids) with extreme sarcastic disrespect. Maybe others can say different, but to me, he is now just a grumpy old man who thinks people owe him something. I wouldn't pay a nickel to shake his hand.

I have met Pete... Nice guy, wants to have a conversation. Just my 2 cents though.

I agree 100%!!!!! I was a HUGE Bench fan as a kid, prob my all time fav player/idol. For my 10'th birthday my parents drove me from NC to Pittsburgh to see one of his last games, I dressed up as his 1983 baseball card, went to his HOF induction and slept on the street to be up close, etc. Met him in 2000 at a charity golf tourney, he was by far the rudest athlete (person?) I have ever met, and I have met a lot. He refused to sign or take a pic with anyone (I was the only one there at the time when I asked and asked him very nicely, and was wearing a Reds hat), which was fine but he was very rude about it. Then when a newspaper comes along to take his picture he picks up a little black girl to pose, then makes semi racist comments after the pic and she runs along. I wouldnt walk across the street to say hi at this point.

[NorthofDayton]

Looking for parking pass under the GABP for Friday game v. Brewers.

[BluegrassRedleg]

Reds fans will ALWAYS love Johnny Bench, but once the school year starts, if the Reds are out of the race, it's officially football season. The timing of the event is not good.

[texasdave]

Reds fans will ALWAYS love Johnny Bench, but once the school year starts, if the Reds are out of the race, it's officially football season. The timing of the event is not good.

They must have figured they would still be in the race at this point. Oops.

[brm7675]

I will be shocked if there are over 20,000 there....

[BRM13]

JB is propably the best catcher to play the game and without a doubt one of the most recognizable Reds. I loved him as a kid. Since my opinion has changed. My Dad worked as his caddie at a golf event and said he was an absolute prick. He treated everybody he met (including small kids) with extreme sarcastic disrespect. Maybe others can say different, but to me, he is now just a grumpy old man who thinks people owe him something. I wouldn't pay a nickel to shake his hand.

I have met Pete... Nice guy, wants to have a conversation. Just my 2 cents though.

Hey, am I your dad? :D

I met Bench when I was caddying way back in the day. He was wearing a cast to give you an idea of when we are talking about. Could really hit a golf ball a mile even with that leg cast. Impressive as hell. Sadly, he was jerk. But, he was a prince among men compared to Bryant Gumbel who I met around that same time while caddying. In addition to be an insusfferable ass, Gumbel was wearing these really effeminate pink golf shoes. :laugh:

[texasdave]

Hey, am I your dad? :D

First "Who's your daddy?" post I've seen on this board in a long time. :D

[Krawhitham]

Reds fans will ALWAYS love Johnny Bench, but once the school year starts, if the Reds are out of the race, it's officially football season. The timing of the event is not good.

there is no football season in Cincinnati

[jwmann2]

I agree that the timing is not that great, attendance would be great if the Reds had the same record as last season. I plan on going tommorow night just because I have free ticket vouchers I need to get rid of.

[markymark69]

Wish that I could go. As for those who may not be attending because of the type of person that Bench is - I don't get it. The celebration is not about Johnny Bench the person - its about Johnny Bench the player - and there has never been a better catcher - and never will be!

How many of us have not been rude to somebody? A telemarketer calling during your dinner? Your kid interrupting you while you're having a conversation? We have all done it - doesn't mean we're all jerks.

I have heard horror stories about Bench and Pete Rose and others - but there are very few if any of us who were alive during the Big Red Machine days that didn't think these guys walked on water.

So if you have a chance to go - go and enjoy what is sure to be a great night.

[Stray]

Wish that I could go. As for those who may not be attending because of the type of person that Bench is - I don't get it. The celebration is not about Johnny Bench the person - its about Johnny Bench the player - and there has never been a better catcher - and never will be!

How many of us have not been rude to somebody? A telemarketer calling during your dinner? Your kid interrupting you while you're having a conversation? We have all done it - doesn't mean we're all jerks.

I have heard horror stories about Bench and Pete Rose and others - but there are very few if any of us who were alive during the Big Red Machine days that didn't think these guys walked on water.

So if you have a chance to go - go and enjoy what is sure to be a great night.

I'm too young to have been around for the BRM. Had I been around it might be a little different. Him being an ahole isn't the reason I'm not going to the game though. It wouldn't be a deciding factor either way.

We've all been rude sure, but for a guy in Johnny Bench's position in this town, there's no excuse for being rude to kids. Ever.

[CrosleyField]

I have a friend who is a big card collector he had a Morgan/Bench card he gave me that Morgan had signed but Bench refused.

Bench is still my favorite Red.

[code]

I will be making the trip to GABP today :)

Hopefully I can make my streak 3-0 for this season.

[izzy's dad]

I will be making the trip to GABP today :)

Hopefully I can make my streak 3-0 for this season.

Have fun, see you at the party.

[markymark69]

I'm too young to have been around for the BRM. Had I been around it might be a little different. Him being an ahole isn't the reason I'm not going to the game though. It wouldn't be a deciding factor either way.

We've all been rude sure, but for a guy in Johnny Bench's position in this town, there's no excuse for being rude to kids. Ever.

Not saying that his actions are right - but the celebration is about what he did on the field - not who he is as a person - and what he did on the field is worth celebrating. Again, I wish I could go.

[Vottomatic]

there is no football season in Cincinnati

Just heard Ken Broo on WLW saying there is rumored to be 30,000 tickets still available for the Bengals first home game of the season.

Apathy has set in.

[Vottomatic]

Not saying that his actions are right - but the celebration is about what he did on the field - not who he is as a person - and what he did on the field is worth celebrating. Again, I wish I could go.

I definitely am a Bench fan. Not his biggest, but I grew up during the BRM era. Perez, Rose, Foster, Bench, Morgan, Griffey, Concepcion and Geronimo will always hold a special place in my heart for the golden memories they gave me.

I would like to meet Bench sometime and see if the rudeness rumors are true.

[code]

Have fun, see you at the party.


worst game ever.

[texasdave]

worst game ever.

Until today.

[brm7675]

I went to Sat's game. Good crowd, better then I thought. The ceremony at the statue was nice and as was the pre game ceremony. The game on the other hand proved that Dusty is a pure idiot or he like I feel the players have given up on this season. His handling of the pitching staff in this game was almost criminal. I would love to be able to ask Bob after the game "how in the world are you allowing this manager to return"?

[bounty37h]

Wish that I could go. As for those who may not be attending because of the type of person that Bench is - I don't get it. The celebration is not about Johnny Bench the person - its about Johnny Bench the player - and there has never been a better catcher - and never will be!

How many of us have not been rude to somebody? A telemarketer calling during your dinner? Your kid interrupting you while you're having a conversation? We have all done it - doesn't mean we're all jerks.

I have heard horror stories about Bench and Pete Rose and others - but there are very few if any of us who were alive during the Big Red Machine days that didn't think these guys walked on water.

So if you have a chance to go - go and enjoy what is sure to be a great night.

For the record I had no plans to go either way, and still love Bench as my fav player all time, but was simply sharing a story of what a jerk he was. I think its worse that fans need a reason to go to any game outside the game itself, but thats another post.

[BRM13]

Wish that I could go. As for those who may not be attending because of the type of person that Bench is - I don't get it. The celebration is not about Johnny Bench the person - its about Johnny Bench the player - and there has never been a better catcher - and never will be!

How many of us have not been rude to somebody? A telemarketer calling during your dinner? Your kid interrupting you while you're having a conversation? We have all done it - doesn't mean we're all jerks.

I have heard horror stories about Bench and Pete Rose and others - but there are very few if any of us who were alive during the Big Red Machine days that didn't think these guys walked on water.

So if you have a chance to go - go and enjoy what is sure to be a great night.

I didn't mean to imply that I wouldn't go to the game because he was a jerk to me once upon a time. I'm still a big fan of the player. i couldn't go because I was coaching my son's basketball team. I was just responding to an earlier post that recounted an experience eerily similar to one that I had with him years ago.

[texasdave]

I don't collect autographs or souvenirs or paraphernalia. Never interested me. Just my two cents.