From 1972 to 1976, the Cincinnati Reds—the franchise known as the Big Red Machine—dominated the National League, winning four division crowns, three league pennants, and two World Series titles. But their 1975 season was the stuff of sports legend.
In The Machine, award-winning sports writer Joe Posnanski captures all of the passion and tension, drama and glory of a baseball team considered to be one of the best ever to take the field. Featuring a who's who of stars—including Pete Rose, Ken Griffey, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, George Foster, Cesar Geronimo, Dave Concepcion, and Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson—The Machine brings to vivid life all the hopes and excitement, fireworks and controversy of a remarkable team's extraordinary year in a rollicking thrill-ride of a real-sports story.
About the Author :
Joe Posnanski has been a sports columnist at the Kansas City Star since 1996 and is a contributing writer to Sports Illustrated. He has twice been named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He has also won the nation’s top honors as a feature writer and project writer, and has been nominated for awards by the Associated Press Sports Editors nineteen times. In 2004, he became the first sports writer to be nominated in four separate categories. He is the author of The Good Stuff, a collection of his columns, has contributed to ESPN’s College Football Encyclopedia and The Sporting News’ 25 Greatest NFL Moments, and his work has been anthologized in Best American Sports Writing. He lives with his family in Kansas City, Missouri.
Review :
"If you like baseball you will love this book.... The writing in this book is inviting, the storytelling magical and the detail fanatical." - The Chronicle (Augusta, GA)
"Need something to lift your spirits as a sports fan? Then you need to turn to the Cincinnati Reds.... I'm talking about The Machine, a new book released this week about arguably the greatest team of all time, and written by arguably the finest sportswriter plying his craft these days, Joe Posnanski." - Oxford Press (Ohio)
"Posnanski brings the 1975 Big Red Machine to life.... He imparts an insider's feel for the clubhouse dynamics among the players and for the thinking of their sneaky-smart manager, Sparky Anderson.... [A] winner of a baseball book." - Booklist
"I didn't put it down until I had read straight through... The best baseball writer around, Joe transports the reader back to 1975 for a detailed look at arguably the greatest team ever. No Reds fan will want to miss this book. No baseball fan should either." - Jim Callis, Baseball America
"The best book ever written about the Big Red Machine.... [A] fast-paced narrative that takes the reader not only into the clubhouse but inside the players' heads.... The book that will be the one fans read 100 years from now to figure out what made the greatest assemblage of 1-8 position talent tick.... More than anything, though, I think the reason I liked the book so much is that it made me care again." - Cincinnati Enquirer
"The best sports book I've read in recent months is The Machine.... A fun engaging and fascinating look at one of baseball's all-time great teams." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"One of the best sports writers in America offers a definitive account of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. [His] coversational style brings to life a great season." - Washington Times
