Wire-to-Wire Reds: Sweet Lou, Nasty Boys, and the Wild Run to a World Championship

by John Erardi, Joel Luckhaupt, Marty Brennaman (Foreword)

Wire-to-Wire Amazin’! They were a one-year wonder, but oh what a year! The 1990 Cincinnati Reds stunned the baseball world by winning the National League pennant and then sweeping the heavily favored Oakland A's in the World Series. Lou’s boys held first place from start to finish―becoming one of only three wire-to-wire champions in major league history. Relive that fabulous season through new interviews with players, dazzling photographs, and statistical analysis that show the team in a whole new light. Award-winning Cincinnati Enquirer columnist John Erardi and blog-master Joel Luckhaupt provide a riveting story told as never before. They bring to life all the colorful characters and dramatic moments from that unforgettable year. With a foreword by Hall of Fame Reds announcer Marty Brennaman, The Wire-to-Wire Reds is the ultimate keepsake for every fan in Reds Country. “Nobody writes on the Cincinnati Reds better than John Erardi, and I’m happy to include myself in that statement. That 1990 team was fascinating in so many ways, and John and Joel bring it home. Read all about one of the most fun teams to ever shock the nation and win a World Series.”
―Joe Posnanski, Sports Illustrated Senior Writer and author of The Machine “The 1990 Reds flipped the baseball world upside down with their shocking wire-to-wire World Series run. This inside-the-clubhouse look at Piniella’s overachieving crew gives us fresh insight into one of the most enjoyable Reds’ years ever.”
―Chris Welsh, Reds TV analyst.

Genres: Sports, Baseball

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

John Erardi is a reporter and columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer and co-author of several books on baseball. He is the three-time winner of the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year award and an AP award-winner."

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was only 10 when the Reds won their last World Series title so I don't have many first hand memories from that season. This book was a lot of fun reading about the players and managers and that magical season where everything came together for the team. I did find a few editing errors in the book but otherwise it was a pretty easy read even for the casual fan. I also loved the pictures sprinkled throughout the book.

[John Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a future HoF member and a lot of home town favorites, not to mention the pitching and speed, this team was built to win.
Enjoy a new picture of Lou Pinella and the team built for Pete Rose that he was unable to take beyond second place.
If you're a Reds fan you will love the book. If you're a baseball fan you'll love it, too. It's a wonderfully crafted story laden with statistics and pictures that documents a team that was a wire-to-wire winner.

[Michael Barker · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book on the Championship Run in 1990.

[John King · Rating 4 out of 5]

fantastic little book about my favorite year of my favorite team.

[Seth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 1990 Reds were unlikely champions. They were coming off a season in which manager Pete Rose was banned from baseball they finished 5th in the NL West. Thanks to a hot start they were able to claim the division title in 1990, even though they posted a losing record after the All-Star break. The odds seemed stacked against them in the postseason when they faced off against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had both the NL MVP (Barry Bonds) and NL Cy Young winner (Doug Drabek) on the roster. Nevertheless, they prevailed and advanced to the World Series to face the defending champion Oakland A’s, who won a league-high 103 games and had both the AL MVP (Rickey Henderson) and AL Cy Young winner (Bob Welch) in addition to stars Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Dave Stewart, and Dennis Eckersley. The Reds went into the series as clear underdogs and yet from the moment of Eric Davis’ home run off of Stewart in the first inning of Game 1, they made it clear they were not intimidated by the A’s. They went on to complete a stunning four-game sweep of Oakland.

How did they do it? Too many reasons to go into detail here but in short, a smart managerial hire, a number of moves that reshaped the roster, strong pitching, the best bullpen in the league, star power in the form of Davis and Barry Larkin, and an aggressive style of play. The book will lay it all out from the hire of Lou Piniella in November of 1989 to Todd Benzinger hauling in a pop up to close out the World Series in October of 1990. Of course the book features a good narrative and plentiful pictures, but a strong feature of the book is the statistical analysis done on this Reds team. Some of that information simply didn’t exist back in 1990 or wasn’t widely available the way it is in the age of the internet.

A must have for the collection of the Reds fan, and something to consider for baseball fans in general.

[Charles Darlage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully insightful book on my favorite team from my favorite year. Brings back a lot of memories, I remembered a lot of the games that was mentioned. Loved the behind the scenes of the team.

[Eric A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable look at an underrated world champion