By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune Managing Editor
Rain threatened to delay the start of the Florence Freedom game Friday night, but the fans who turned out to see the stars were not disappointed.
Big Red Machine legends Johnny Bench and George Foster were on hand to sign autographs and meet fans prior to the Freedom game against the Joliet Slammers.
The Freedom chose the 5-15 date to honor the uniform numbers of Bench and Foster, who wore 5 and 15, respectively, in their playing days.
The former Reds also mingled with players threw out ceremonial first pitches and served as base coaches during the game.
Fans paid $125 for the pre-game meet and greet and few if any of the 150 available tickets for the event went unsold.
Marla Pressley, 44, of Marshville, North Carolina, drove 500 miles Thursday night to meet the idols she grew up watching.
“I grew up in Kenwood and when I heard they were going to be here, I wasn’t going to miss it,” Pressley said. “Bench was my favorite, but I really liked George (Foster) too.
Pressley got Bench to sign a 1970s era game bat that she purchased at an auction a few years ago.
The former Reds also answered questions and, not surprisingly, Pete Rose was a topic of discussion.
Bench initially dodged a question about whether Rose belonged in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, (“Next, question,” he said), but later answered bluntly when asked again.
“If you think Pete should be in the Hall of Fame…just go home and tell your kids that there are no more rules,” Bench said. “Let’s just get this out of the way because it’s always this (stuff) every time I go somewhere; it’s been 27 years and I’m tired of answering it. If you know the rules, you’ve got to live by the rules.”
Bench added that Rose had three chances to get reinstated and he “messed them up.”
“I’ve been on the committees, I know he’s had the chances,” Bench said. “So, it’s up to him. If you’ve got a problem go get into rehab and come back and say you’re sorry.”
Rose remains enormously popular in the Greater Cincinnati area and more than a few fans seemed to take offense with Bench’s comments. Last year the Freedom held a similar event featuring Rose that drew a crowd of 3,000.
Most of the other questions for Bench and Foster were limited to inquiries about their playing days.
Troy Plumer of Louisville, however, asked Bench if he would encourage his children to play using an old Milnot milk can as a baseball. Bench has recounted several times over the years how he learned to hit using the milk can as a baseball during his youth in Oklahoma.
“I do already,” Bench said. “A Milnot can, once you hit it two or three times, you could throw screwballs, curveballs, sliders and everything else with it and that really helped me…start to learn to be a better hitter.”
Plumer, 50, said he idolized the Reds as a youth and wanted to ask the Hall of Fame catcher a question he didn’t hear every day.
“Growing up, the Big Red Machine was everything and that was a sweet time,” Plumer, who was raised in Seymour, Indiana said. “In 1976, the Reds won the World Series, it was the Bicentennial and Indiana University went undefeated and won the NCAA Basketball Championship, so that was a big year for me.”
The former players answered questions for about 15 minutes then signed autographs for fans who paid for the meet and greet.
Bench and Foster also talked to several players from both the Freedom and the Joliet Slammers. Bench was even giving some pointers to members of the Freedom pitching staff.
The Freedom will also host Ken Griffey Sr., another member of the Big Red Machine and the father of another of baseball’s all-time greats, Ken Griffey Jr., on Father’s Day.
Freedom Owner Clint Brown knows he is setting the bar high with so many high-profile guests (Jose Canseco will also appear this year), but plans to continue the practice.
“We learned a lot from the Pete Rose night and this is modeled after that,” Brown said. “Pete was just great interacting with the players and the fans and I don’t know how often you can go back to the well, but he’d love to come back and we’d love to have him back.”
On the field, the rain held off and more than 2,000 fans watched the Freedom defeat the Slammers 6-5 and raise their record to 2-0 this season. The Freedom downed the Slammers 3-1 in Thursday’s season opener.