The Cinncinati Reds from 1970-76 aka "The Big Red Machine".
The Big Red Machine may have been the best baseball team ever fielded. From 1970, when they posted a regular season record of 102-60, until 1976 when they swept the Yankees in 4 games to win their 2nd straight World Series.
Over that span, the team won five National League Western Division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series titles.
The team's combined record from 1970-1976 was 683 wins and 443 losses, an average of nearly 98 wins per season.
The Big Red Machine featured Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, and was supported by George Foster, César Gerónimo, Ken Griffey, Sr., and Dave Concepción.
The eight players most frequently referenced as members of the Big Red Machine include baseball's all-time hit leader in Rose; 3 Hall of Fame players in Bench, Peréz and Morgan; 6 National League MVP selections; 4 National League home run leading seasons; 3 NL Batting Champions; 25 Gold Glove winning seasons, and 63 collective All-Star Game appearances.
The starting lineup of Bench, Rose, Morgan, Pérez, Concepción, Foster, Griffey, and Gerónimo (collectively referred to as the "Great Eight") played 88 games together during the 1975 and 1976 seasons, losing only 19.
wil..
PS. They are the only National League team during the last 85 years to win back-to-back World Championships. Before them, the 1921 and 1922 New York Giants are the last NL team to accomplish this feat.
The Big Red Machine may have been the best baseball team ever fielded. From 1970, when they posted a regular season record of 102-60, until 1976 when they swept the Yankees in 4 games to win their 2nd straight World Series.
Over that span, the team won five National League Western Division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series titles.
The team's combined record from 1970-1976 was 683 wins and 443 losses, an average of nearly 98 wins per season.
The Big Red Machine featured Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, and was supported by George Foster, César Gerónimo, Ken Griffey, Sr., and Dave Concepción.
The eight players most frequently referenced as members of the Big Red Machine include baseball's all-time hit leader in Rose; 3 Hall of Fame players in Bench, Peréz and Morgan; 6 National League MVP selections; 4 National League home run leading seasons; 3 NL Batting Champions; 25 Gold Glove winning seasons, and 63 collective All-Star Game appearances.
The starting lineup of Bench, Rose, Morgan, Pérez, Concepción, Foster, Griffey, and Gerónimo (collectively referred to as the "Great Eight") played 88 games together during the 1975 and 1976 seasons, losing only 19.
wil..
PS. They are the only National League team during the last 85 years to win back-to-back World Championships. Before them, the 1921 and 1922 New York Giants are the last NL team to accomplish this feat.
My second best team ever.
The Boston Bruins from the 1970 thru 1972. "There were stars, superstars, and then there's Bobby Orr."
Phil Esposito, Orr, Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge finished 1-2-3-4 in the NHL scoring race in 1970-71. Amazingly the Montreal Canadiens led by a rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden who stood on his head to knock off the Bruins in seven games in the quarterfinals of the 71 season. Dryden had only played in 6 NHL games before that series.
The Bruins won the cup in 1970 and 1972 before the team for a myriad of reasons began it's decline.
Stanley Cups: 2
Regular Season Winning %: .731
Individual Trophy Winners: 13
Individuals Selected To All-Star Teams: 9
Hockey Hall of Famers: (4)
Johnny Bucyk, Gerry Cheevers, Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr
Other Star Contributors:
Don Awrey, Wayne Cashman, Ken Hodge, John McKenzie, Derek Sanderson
Key Team Records:
Most Wins: 57 (1970-71)
Most Points: 121 (1970-71)
Most Goals: 399 (1970-71)
Key Individual Records:
Most Goals: 76 (Phil Esposito in 1970-71)
Most Assists: 102 (Bobby Orr in 1970-71)
Most Points: 152 (Phil Esposito in 1970-71)
wil.
PS. BTW there are some great teams mentioned in this thread such as the 76 Steelers, the 85 Bears and others that easily could be the all forever team for me...
The Boston Bruins from the 1970 thru 1972. "There were stars, superstars, and then there's Bobby Orr."
Phil Esposito, Orr, Johnny Bucyk and Ken Hodge finished 1-2-3-4 in the NHL scoring race in 1970-71. Amazingly the Montreal Canadiens led by a rookie goaltender named Ken Dryden who stood on his head to knock off the Bruins in seven games in the quarterfinals of the 71 season. Dryden had only played in 6 NHL games before that series.
The Bruins won the cup in 1970 and 1972 before the team for a myriad of reasons began it's decline.
Stanley Cups: 2
Regular Season Winning %: .731
Individual Trophy Winners: 13
Individuals Selected To All-Star Teams: 9
Hockey Hall of Famers: (4)
Johnny Bucyk, Gerry Cheevers, Phil Esposito, Bobby Orr
Other Star Contributors:
Don Awrey, Wayne Cashman, Ken Hodge, John McKenzie, Derek Sanderson
Key Team Records:
Most Wins: 57 (1970-71)
Most Points: 121 (1970-71)
Most Goals: 399 (1970-71)
Key Individual Records:
Most Goals: 76 (Phil Esposito in 1970-71)
Most Assists: 102 (Bobby Orr in 1970-71)
Most Points: 152 (Phil Esposito in 1970-71)
wil.
PS. BTW there are some great teams mentioned in this thread such as the 76 Steelers, the 85 Bears and others that easily could be the all forever team for me...
Without cheating (I am a Yankee fan, I remember 1976) Borbon and Eastwick jump to my mind out of the pen, don't recall the others, I remember Gullet having a monster year as a starter, Billingham, and I especially remember Zachary (traded for Seaver) the other two starters I don't remember.
World Number One
You are correct the BRM pitching staff was very odinary and really depended on it's outstanding bullpen more than most great teams. I guess Jack Billingham and Don Gullet were the two best known starters on several of the staffs. Gary Nolan won 110 games in ten years with the Reds. He was 18-7 in 1970 and 15-5 in 1972. Nolan also won the World Series clinching game four of the 1976 World Series defeating the Yankees 7-2.
Reliever Clay Carrol won game seven of the famous 1975 World Series between The BRM and The Boston Red Sox. Tied 3-3 in the top of the 9th at Fenway Joe Morgan singled in Ken Griffey Sr. with the series wining run off Boston reliever Jim Burton. Will McEnaney pitched a perfect bottom of the 9th to get the save and give Carrol who faced just 3 batters in the 8th. the win.
However the '76 Reds had the greatest starting eight of all-time.
In 1976, seven of the eight Reds starters made the National League All-Star team. The one who didn't -- centerfielder Cesar Geronimo -- hit .307 and won his third straight Gold Glove.
wil.
You are correct the BRM pitching staff was very odinary and really depended on it's outstanding bullpen more than most great teams. I guess Jack Billingham and Don Gullet were the two best known starters on several of the staffs. Gary Nolan won 110 games in ten years with the Reds. He was 18-7 in 1970 and 15-5 in 1972. Nolan also won the World Series clinching game four of the 1976 World Series defeating the Yankees 7-2.
Reliever Clay Carrol won game seven of the famous 1975 World Series between The BRM and The Boston Red Sox. Tied 3-3 in the top of the 9th at Fenway Joe Morgan singled in Ken Griffey Sr. with the series wining run off Boston reliever Jim Burton. Will McEnaney pitched a perfect bottom of the 9th to get the save and give Carrol who faced just 3 batters in the 8th. the win.
However the '76 Reds had the greatest starting eight of all-time.
In 1976, seven of the eight Reds starters made the National League All-Star team. The one who didn't -- centerfielder Cesar Geronimo -- hit .307 and won his third straight Gold Glove.
wil.
