Monday, October 25, 1999

Bench: 'I changed catching'

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Honored on All-Century team Sunday

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

From left, Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson, Johnny Bench, Ernie Banks, Yogi Berra and Cal Ripken wave to fans in Atlanta. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        ATLANTA — Willie Mays used the “basket catch.” But nobody else did.

        According to legend, Henry Aaron briefly batted cross-handed. He eventually straightened himself out.

        History's greatest players weren't necessarily pacesetters who accelerated baseball's evolution. Johnny Bench was an exception.

        The former Reds star furthered the use of the hinged catcher's glove, contrasting with the skillet-shaped lump of leather men of his position had favored. Gifted with unusual dexterity, he caught with one hand, sparing his right hand from the danger of foul tips and backswings and quickening his throwing release. Common sense led him to wear a batter's helmet underneath his mask instead of his felt cap, affording him further protection.

        Bench wasn't necessarily a pioneer. Randy Hundley used a special glove with extra protection around the thumb. Sherm Lollar, said Bench, also wore a helmet. But no other catcher combined the technical developments, the defensive excellence and the offensive prowess Bench did for 16 full seasons (1968-83).

        “I changed catching,” Bench said Sunday without a hint of boasting.

        Bench, 51, was ranked among the finest catchers ever almost immediately after he was named the National League's Rookie of the Year in 1968. He then won 10 consec utive Gold Glove awards, 389 home runs and helped the Big Red Machine entrench itself in baseball lore. Small wonder he led the voting among catchers for Major League Baseball's All-Century team, which was honored before Game 2 of the World Series.

        Small wonder, too, that Bench felt at home with his fellow All-Century members.

        “They always made me feel like a part of them or equal to them,” Bench said. “It was never like somebody was mythical.”

        He reveled in the presence of Yogi Berra, the only other All-Century catcher.

        “We talked like two old guys sitting on the porch at the general store, trying to figure out what the weather's going to be that day or what the price of eggs might be,” Bench said.

        He appreciated the basic decency of Aaron, whose hand he shook when the all-time home run king crossed home plate with his record-tying 714th home run on Opening Day, 1974. Said Bench, “Hank was the nicest guy from the time I was a rookie until the day he retired, and even today.”

        He basked in the humor of Mays, who remained incredulous at the skill of All-Century left-hander Sandy Koufax: “I asked Willie, "Tell me how you hit Koufax's fastball.' Willie said, "I never saw it, so how could I hit it?'”

        Standing alongside the other living All-Century members for a group photo reminded Bench of his Cincinnati experience. After all, he made the Hall of Fame along with second baseman Joe Morgan and played with two other certified legends, Pete Rose and Tony Perez.

        “It was sort of like playing with the Reds,” Bench said. “We were pretty good.”

        For Bench, it was easy to recall how he inherited his fa ther's passion for the game. Ted Bench, whose dreams of playing organized ball were dashed by his wartime service, played endlessly with his three sons, including young John, as they grew up in Oklahoma.

        “It was all possible because of him,” Bench said.

       

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