Cincinnati Red and Dodger Blue - by Tom Van Riper (Paperback)

About the Book

For a period of time in the 1970s, the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Cincinnati Reds was one of the best rivalries in Major League Baseball. This book takes a fresh look at these two powerhouses and the players that made them so pivotal, including Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, ...

Book Synopsis

For a period of time in the 1970s, the Los Angeles Dodgers versus the Cincinnati Reds was one of the best rivalries in Major League Baseball. This book takes a fresh look at these two powerhouses and the players that made them so pivotal, including Johnny Bench, Steve Garvey, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Don Sutton, and Ron Cey.

Review Quotes

[An] essential summer read if you're a sucker for baseball history.

Reds fans will certainly enjoy Riper's dissection of the subject and fully grasp the thesis of the book, articulated in his concluding statement about all the great talent on both teams: 'With that kind of talent supplementing a slew of Hall of Fame-calibre players and three Hall of Fame managers, you've got a rivalry for the ages -a rivalry that ought to be remembered more than it is.'

With a rich history that includes a storied rivalry with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees, author Tom Van Riper looked beyond traditional history to dive into the 1970s matchups between the Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers in Cincinnati Red and Dodger Blue: Baseball's Greatest Forgotten Rivalry.

About the Author

Tom Van Riper wrote about the business of sports for Forbes for ten years. His body of work includes two cover stories for Forbes magazine which featured Major League Baseball player Matt Kemp and NFL coach Bill Parcells. Prior to Forbes, Van Riper covered the business beat for New York's Daily News. He is the author of The Glory of '86: The Year Boston Ruled the Sports World.