Season 6, Episode 3: "My Big Red Machine" With Terence Moore

Send us Fan MailTerence Moore on My Big Red Machine and the stories behind the Big Red Machine.Randy Freking and Jack Greiner welcome sports journalist, columnist, professor, and author Terrence Moore to discuss his book "My Big Red Machine" and his lifelong baseball fandom that shaped it. Moore traces his journey from a Cubs fan in South Bend to a Reds-obsessed journalist in Cincinnati, with Pete Rose, Sparky Anderson, and Bob Howsam at the center of the conversation.We discuss Moore’s path into journalism, the inside stories he gathered from years covering the Reds, and the spiritual through-line he sees connecting his life, career, and the making of the book.Key topics:Moore’s childhood baseball fandom;Growing up in South Bend, Indiana, he was a Cubs fan because Chicago was the nearest pro baseball connection;He remembers watching snowy Cubs telecasts on WGN through a rooftop antenna;Why Hank Aaron was his first favorite player;As a kid, Moore idolized Hank Aaron;That early admiration later turned into a 40-year friendship and a book, The Real Hank Aaron;Pete Rose became his all-time favorite;Moore says Pete Rose was the player who changed everything for him;He tells the story of seeing Rose in person at Crosley Field in 1969, diving for a fly ball, running out a walk, and hustling into second base head first;The hustle lesson from Pete Rose;Moore says Rose’s effort became a lifelong model for how he played sports and approached work;He still teaches mentees to give the same effort in everything, not just journalism;Sparky Anderson as the best manager he ever covered;Moore has covered 19 managers and says Sparky Anderson was the best;He praises Sparky’s charisma, wisdom, and the way he treated a young reporter like a veteran;The Hall of Fame plaque moment in Cooperstown;Moore describes being at the Baseball Hall of Fame for My Big Red Machine and unexpectedly meeting Sparky Anderson’s niece at Sparky’s plaque;The encounter turned emotional and reinforced the book’s theme of fate and spiritual timing;The book’s major revelations came from Bob Howsam;Moore explains that a 2006 recorded conversation with Big Red Machine architect Bob Howsam became the closing chapter of the book;Howsam shared details about the Big Red Machine and the 1973 NLCS incident; with Pete Rose and Mets fans that Moore says had never been fully told before;Sparky’s view on whether the Big Red Machine could have won a third title;Sparky told Moore the team would not have won another championship because they were “bored” after their early success;Moore disagrees, saying Tony Perez was the glue that held the club together and that trading him was a major turning point;Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, and clubhouse friction;Moore says Bench and Rose had real tension, partly because Bench was more nationally known while Rose was more beloved in Cincinnati;He also shares Sparky’s blunt response when Dave Concepcion complained about being treated differently than the stars;What really happened when the Reds let Pete Rose go;Moore says Howsam told him law enforcement warned Rose was so involved with gamblers that keeping him in Cincinnati could have put him in danger;He frames the move as about more than money, despite Rose’s record salary at the time;Breaking into journalism and learning the old-school craft;Moore describes how a visit to Miami University at age 13 helped convince him where he wanted to go to school;He later became the first Black writer at the Miami Student and the first Black editor in the paper’s history;A tough lesson from Jim Schottelkotte;Moore shares the story of being reprimanded after covering a drag racing event and missing a nearby fire;The lesson was clear: a reporter is a reporter first, not just a sports writer;His experience as the first Black Reds beat writer;Moore explains the mix of support and hostility he faced in the Riverfront Stadium press box in the late 1970s;He recalls a moment when veteran columnist Paul Meyer supported him after a public jab from another writer;Favorite baseball book and movie;Moore names The Boys of Summer as his favorite baseball book besides his own; and for baseball films, he chooses The Pride of the Yankees for its old-school feel and Lou Gehrig connection.Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction: Terrence Moore, Reds roots, and the new book01:59 - Growing up a Cubs fan in South Bend with a snowy WGN signal03:22 - Hank Aaron as his first favorite player and later lifelong friend04:25 - Pete Rose becomes the defining baseball hero05:49 - First trip to Crosley Field and the Pete Rose moment that sealed it08:17 - How Pete Rose’s hustle shaped Moore’s own playing style09:24 - The managers Moore covered and why Sparky Anderson stood above the rest11:11 - Bob Howsam’s revelations and the real story behind the Big Red Machine13:19 - What made Sparky special with young reporters in the clubhouse14:16 - Cooperstown, Sparky’s plaque, and the emotional niece encounter17:48 - Sparky’s firing and the newsroom reaction in 197819:53 - How a visit to Miami University helped shape Moore’s future22:53 - Why Miami’s student newspaper changed everything25:24 - Getting his first Cincinnati Enquirer internship27:43 - Jim Shadakati’s old-school standards and the drag racing lesson32:04 - The 2006 Bob Howsam interview that became a book centerpiece34:56 - Tracking Howsam down in Arizona and uncovering new details38:21 - Finding the old cassette in the basement and realizing its value40:35 - Sparky’s surprising claim that the Big Red Machine was too bored to win again44:25 - Pete Rose and Johnny Bench’s friction, plus the ego battle in Cincinnati46:23 - Sparky’s blunt response to Dave Concepcion’s complaint47:42 - The real reason the Reds moved on from Pete Rose49:31 - Being the first Black Reds beat writer and what the press box felt like51:31 - Covering the Reds with Ray Buck and the old newspaper workflow55:23 - The hostile press box moment and Paul Meyer’s unexpected support59:44 - A painful Reds memory away from the ballpark: the 1975 World Series ending60:44 - A joyful radio memory: Hal King’s comeback homer in 197362:41 - Favorite baseball movie: The Pride of the Yankees63:45 - Favorite baseball book: The Boys of Summer65:38 - First time at Crosley Field and the family’s shift from Cubs to Reds68:43 - Where to get My Big Red Machine and the hardcover option70:59 - Praise from Marty Brennaman and Hal McCoy71:40 - Closing thanks, Miami University connection, and final sign-offNotable quotes“Everything happens for a reason.”“You’re a reporter first. You’re not a sports reporter. You’re a reporter first.”“I was bored.”SPONSORED BY CITY VIEW TAVERN It's a New Era At City View! Jack thanks the listeners