Marty Brennaman Autographed Baseball

Marty has been the Reds radio announcer for the team since 1974. For thirty years he called play-by-play with former Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall until Nuxhall's retirement from broadcasting in 2004. Some of the most notable events in Reds history that Brennaman has called include: the Reds World Series victories in 1975, 1976 and 1990, Pete Rose's 4192nd hit, Tom Browning's perfect game, and Ken Griffey Jr. 600th career home run. Marty was the recipient of the Ford C. Frick award in 2000 for major contributions to the game of baseball. 

Hal McCoy Autographed Baseball

I know the majority of you readers out there are asking "Who the hell is Hal McCoy?" Well, to those who don't know allow me to illuminate. Hal is currently the Reds writer at FoxSportsOhio.com and has been writing about the Reds since 1972 when he was the beat writer for the Dayton Daily News. Hal was the person who coined the phrase "Big Red Machine". In 2002 he won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing. I'm thrilled to have his autograph as part of my Reds collection.

Who Else Stayed Up Late Watching Shop at Home and Don West?

Just curious. I'm just glad I never bought anything from Shop at Home.

Pete Rose Autographed Jersey

The pinnacle of my Pete Rose collection. I don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said of Pete Rose. He's still my favorite Red and while I don't agree with him betting on baseball (even though he said he bet on the Reds to win during his wagers) I respect his accomplishments on the field. Charlie Hustle had a love and desire for the game you really don't see in today's players. Do I think Pete will ever be admitted to the Hall of Fame....probably not. If Joe Jackson, who put up amazing numbers during the 1919 World Series while allegedly helping to throw the series, still isn't enshrined in Cooperstown then the chance of Rose ending up in the Hall doesn't bode well. Baseball is an imperfect game filled with flawed heroes, and that suits me just fine since I'm not perfect...only human.

1976 World Series Ticket

The way I'm going, I don't think I'll complete my 2012 Card Collection goals, but that's ok. I recently picked up this World Series ticket to add to my Cincinnati Reds collection. Cincinnati swept New York in four games during the 1976 series finally bringing an end to all the heartbreaking losses to the Yankees in the 1939 series and 1961 series. I already had a ticket from the 1990 series and the 1975 series so that leaves me with only the 1940 and 1919 series tickets. 1976 was the last year of the Big Red Machine's appearance in the World Series before the machine was slowly dismantled in the late 70s and early 80s. Even though the Reds were able to acquire Tom Seaver, the losses of Rose and Perez as well as the ouster of Sparky lead to a post season drought that lasted fourteen seasons. Although I was born in 1975 and never watched the Big Red Machine play, the legacy of that team adds to the aura of baseball's first professional team and makes me proud to be a Reds fan. Now maybe I can get back to finishing some of my Reds team sets!

George Foster Autographed Bat

Here's another bat that's a part of my Reds autograph collection. This fine, but broken, specimen (if that's even possible) of a bat is a Louisville Slugger model that Foster autographed with the inscription of his 1977 National League MVP award. Foster was still with Cincinnati at the time and his numbers were very impressive that year. 124 Runs, 52 Home Runs, 149 RBIs and a 1.013 OPS. A five time all-star with the Reds, he was an integral part of Cincinnati's back-to-back World Championships in 1975 and 1976.

The Grass is Always Greener...When it's FAKE!

Another relic I have from Riverfront Stadium (aka Cinergy Field) is this 9 inch by 9 inch piece of AstroTurf that was used prior to it's removal and installation of grass just before Cinergy Field's demolition after the 2002 season. This is a nice oddball piece in my collection, and while I wish I would have been able to snag a piece with the foul line on it, I guess beggars can't be choosers. I am hoping to eventually get some game used dirt from both Riverfront and Great American Ballpark, which I think would complement this turf nicely. I don't suppose anyone would know where I could get a brick from Crosley Field or an usher's uniform used at Crosley?