First Posted: 1/25/2015
LIMA — Hall of Famer Joe Morgan weaved his way through the masses to the stage.
While the former second baseman for the Big Red Machine now uses a cane, he waved and smiled to everyone who yelled, “Hey Joe.”
Morgan, now a senior adviser to Reds owner Bob Castellini, was on the Reds caravan last week at the Lima Mall.
Even at age 71, Morgan remains a Cincinnati Reds’ icon.
The two-time Most Valuable Player (1975, 1976) was the spark plug of the Big Red Machine, one of the greatest teams ever, which won world championships in ‘75 and ‘76.
In fact, in the July 4, 2011, edition of The Sporting News, the magazine ranked its top 10 baseball teams of all-time.
The 1927 New York Yankees, which had six Hall of Famer players, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, ranked No. 1. The 1975 Reds came in at No. 2.
Morgan agreed with the ranking.
“Look, the Yankees were supposedly the greatest team ever, with all those hitters,” Morgan said in Lima. “I think my answer to that was, ‘I’ll take my guys and I’ll play anybody, any time, and I don’t know, but I think we’d win in seven games.’
“That’s the way most people would view it (that the Reds would be No. 2 and), the Yankees of 1927 were the best team, but I’d like to play them. I was told by people who played back then, that defensively, they weren’t all that great, but they could hit, and that was obvious with those guys.”
In 1975, Morgan hit .327 with 27 double and 17 home runs. He had 94 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. He also had 132 walks and an on-base percentage of .466.
Then, in his second straight MVP year of 1976, he hit .320 with 27 home runs and 111 RBIs. He had 60 steals, 114 walks and an on-base percentage of .392.
The Reds appeared headed for a third straight title until they were derailed by a terrible trade.
On Dec. 16, 1976, they traded Hall of Fame first baseman Tony Perez and reliever Will McEnaney to Montreal for 37-year-old Woody Fryman and reliever Dale Murray.
Big Red Machine manager Sparky Anderson said the trade, “was the biggest mistake we ever made, because we didn’t realize that Tony Perez was the heart and soul of the Big Red Machine.”
Morgan said, “Actually, when they traded Perez, I got in trouble. I said, ‘Did anyone ever stop and think maybe we can’t win without him?’ … I definitely believe we would have won the next year in ‘77, but that’s just a belief.”
Morgan finished his career with a .271 career average, 689 stolen bases and 1,133 RBIs. He also had 2,517 hits, 1,650 runs and 268 home runs.
Morgan made 10 All-Star teams and won five straight Gold Gloves (‘73, ‘74, ‘75, ‘76, ‘77).
With his current adviser position, he’s had a close watch on the Reds.
On Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, Morgan said, “He’s the best defensive second baseman I’ve ever seen.”
Morgan said Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, who had 56 steals on 79 attempts as a rookie last year, just needs experience.
“He played in the minor leagues and stole 155 bases (in 2012 at A and AA), but they didn’t have guys like Devin Mesoraco to throw him out,” Morgan said. “He could just take off. If I had one thing to say to him, it would be, ‘concentration at first base.’ I think his concentration needs to be a little stronger at first base, so he doesn’t get picked off and he picks the right pitches. … He was very valuable to us last year, and especially defensively. I don’t know why he didn’t win a Gold Glove. He was that good.”
Of Morgan’s 22-year career, eight came with the Reds. But he’ll always be known for his days with the Big Red Machine.
“We were just not a team. We were close friends and we still are, all these years later,” Morgan said.
