Position: Reds Hall of Fame second baseman. Commentator for ESPN TV and radio.
Date of Birth: September 19, 1943
Birthplace: Bonham, Texas
Baseball Inspiration: “Jackie Robinson and Nellie Foxx. Jackie Robinson because he made it possible for me to play. Nellie Foxx because he was the kind of player I wanted to be like. I got a chance to play with Nellie Foxx his final year. He was a player/coach and he really helped me a lot.”
Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “Golf. I’ve done a little bit of everything. I played golf, tennis, ski. Those are my athletic things that I do.”
Nicknames: “Lots of ‘em [smiles]. Little Joe, Chicken Wing, lot of different nicknames.”
Favorite Movies: “I have two. The Wild Bunch. Love westerns. And sci-fi would be with Harrison Ford – Star Wars. I’m a sci-fi and western kind of guy.”
Favorite TV Shows: “Friends and Stargate Atlantis.”
Last Book Read: “Good question. Probably my own. I did a series of For Dummies books and I read them.”
First Baseball Memory: “Probably the earliest was just traveling around with my dad’s semi-pro team when he played and I was the batboy.”
Pregame Feeling: “Well, I was always nervous before, but once the games started I was able to relax. But I always had – I don’t know if it was nervousness or nervous energy – but I felt that I was a little nervous with butterflies before the game. And I always felt that was good.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “I had too many for one. I was fortunate enough to play with a lot of great players and we had a lot of great moments together. Probably winning the first World Series, getting the game-winning hit (with two outs) in the ninth inning of the ‘75 World Series, probably (Reds won 4-3 vs. Boston). But when I say that, next year comes up just as big. And the following year. But I have a lot of great memories because I played with a lot of great guys.”
Most Painful Moment: “Probably when I had decided I was leaving the Reds (went to Houston in 1980).”
Favorite Uniforms: “That’s a tough one. I still kind of go back to the Yankees and the Dodgers. The old uniforms they used to wear. The Yankees still are the Yankee pinstripes and the Dodgers still kind of pronounce Dodgers blue. Those are probably the two nicest.”
Favorite Ballparks To Play: “I enjoyed Pittsburgh because Willie Stargell played there. And he and I grew up in the same area. It was always fun to go there and compete against him and the Pirates. I think the Pirates were the team I enjoyed playing the most because they were so competitive with us. They had great hitters. It was just a lot of great games we played with them.”
Closest Baseball Friend(s): “Jimmy Wynn was my first roommate and he still is very close. Pete Rose. I have a lot of close friends. Enos Cabell. (Johnny) Bench, (Tony) Perez, all those guys are very close to me.”
Funniest Player(s) Encountered: “Pete. Pete probably. He was always making jokes. And he laughed at himself if we made him the butt of the jokes.”
Toughest Competitors: “Bob Gibson – from a pitching standpoint. Playing – I’d have to say Pete was in there.”
Embarrassing Baseball Memory: “Yeah, I got a lot of those. One in particular, I was playing in Atlanta one day and a ground ball hit to me for a double play. I caught the ball, as I turned to throw it to second base, the ball flew over my left shoulder out into the outfield. It wasn’t very funny but it was embarrassing.”
Funny Baseball Memory: “Lots of funny memories. Like I said, we were a close-knit group of guys. Pete, once again. Well, Perez was always, he was the one that could get to Pete the most. And we played in San Diego one day and Pete was playing in left field. And there was a hit and run. They lined out to Pete. And he threw it back to first base but he didn’t have a good arm, he had to throw it so high, it got in the lights and Tony Perez turned and ran away. And everybody laughed and Pete was mad [smiles]. That was one of my favorite funny stories.”
Favorite Players To Watch: “They have a lot of great players today. They have a lot of great hitters. Albert Pujols comes to mind. Alex Rodriguez, even though he’s in the trouble that he’s in. There are a lot of great hitters. Manny Ramirez. I like to watch great hitters work and those are three great hitters.”
Other Sports Favorites: “I’m a basketball and football fan. I like all other sports. In basketball, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James. Football, I like watching certain wide receivers. I was a big fan of Steve Smith. Now I’m a fan of Larry Fitzgerald. (Tennis?) John McEnroe was always my favorite player. I’m not as big a tennis fan as I used to be. Tennis is not as exciting as it used to be.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Well, I like to see people who are mentally tough. Can handle all the ups and downs that go with their sports. Probably, if you had to pick one guy, you’d say Tiger Woods because Tiger is probably more mentally tough than anybody. And golf is such a tough sport to master. But before he finishes, I think he will.”
Career Accomplishments: Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame 1990; World Series champion 1975 & 1976; Ten All-Star Game appearances 1966, 1970 (with Houston), 1972-79 (with Reds); Gold Glove Award winner 1972-76; 2,517 total hits; 268 home runs; Career BA of .271; NL MVP 1975, 1976; 1972 All-Star Game MVP; also played for Houston Colt .45s, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics.
Topics: Batboy, Bonham Texas, Chicken Wing, Dummies Books, Espn, Espn Tv, Ford Star, Great Memories, Greatest Sports, Hall Of Fame Second Baseman, Harrison Ford, Joe Chicken, Little Joe, Nervous Energy, Painful Moment, Player Coach, Reds Hall, Sports Moment, Stargate Atlantis, Texas Baseball
Biofile with Joe Morgan | 