Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench Talks Pete Rose, Mantle, Aaron & More w/Dan Patrick | Full Interview

when did you know ken griffey jr. was gonna be special oh he was in the locker room he was the biggest thief that we stole everything out of my locker he would he would come in all of a sudden something be missing and and they'll and it used to look like you know I don't know what you're talking about he and his brother Craig yeah but there you go and if you left your locker empty it had anything in it it was gone well what were they taken it would be batting gloves it would be you know anything shirts whatever okay so you knew he was gonna be a boolean light but what do you know he's gonna flee at high school he was talked about Moeller I mean just there wasn't anything he couldn't do you know you've I went it to a pool one day and he's doing these backflips and stuff and diving like he's the most natural kid you ever saw in your life he was a good football player too oh he could do it all and the thing that I think about Kenny was that he didn't want to be it he just wanted to play he didn't want the spotlight he didn't even when he went to Seattle he just sort of slid under it when he got to Cincinnati was a second coming of God yeah you know when he got traded back there yeah it's just really you know he was he just wanted to be Kenny he was just one of the nicest guys you liver and most talented guys you've ever seen but don't you see that with Mike Trout that I don't think trout wants to be I think he just what he's trying to keep his the best he wants to be himself but we want him to be bigger than the sport right and I don't think he embraces that no I better you know for what he does and the way he carries himself I think it's phenomenal for what how he does it yeah because he could if he wanted to but somehow they upbringing the parents the whatever the his environment was always so special to him than he respected that you know I it in 1966 I was in Carolina League and they asked me about what I wanted to do and I said well I talked about the fear of failure in 1966 but it wasn't failing myself it was failing all of those people back home all those people that believed in me all those people that picked up a newspaper you know I couldn't imagine something happening I did something in my parents had to face what they you know anyway and I talked about that and I and I just think that Mike Trout is to me the epitome of what baseball players are I mean it's just so humble and so great and so talented he hits the ball he ducks his head he runs and you know he doesn't try to show anybody up and and I were blessed with a lot of great talent I mean we were seeing that I mean some fun stuff last night at the at the at the Home Run Derby and people said did you ever have a homerun Derby I said yeah every game and so here we re Cubs right Paulie 1965 was my high school night last year the number the scout for the Chicago Cubs name was Billy Capps and he loved me he loved me he wanted me so badly and he brought a his supervisor down and I went 1 for 4 and he stay over stay over we just got back from a senior trip stay over he said I can't so the next time I went four for four with two doubles two home runs and the Cubs decided they tried to draft me in the third round I haven't good Joe I'm gonna go jump out the window you know but think about I mean not to be that Hundley cuz they move me up quickly I could have been you know I could have been 22 or 23 by the time I got in the major we would have been patient mr. Bench we needed yes Randy Hundley was underrated though oh he was rody he and grody did he teach you to put your hand behind your back now I just I broke my thumb twice but it found out yeah and I'm thinking you know this is stupid and it's hard to miss that thumb I don't know if you'd say there's some right it's hard to miss that and I broke it twice and I said this is stupid and I saw Randy had caught like 160 games and he was using it so when I got there I just stuck my hand down and stuck it out of the way and I never had another broken bone on my right hand it was but it was just something I had to do and I have a book called catch every ball how did I handle life's pitches and I kids people come up to me and say my kid wants to be a catcher what I tell them let's catch every ball if you learn to catch every ball the same thing in life but catching every ball all of a sudden say man this guy can really catch him or this lady can really catch did you have knuckle balls I'm trying to think who your we had a guy named Ella Bree Gatewood Gatewood and Triple A in 1967 and he was a journeyman and he was on the way out so he said he throw the knuckleball I mean it was embarrassing I don't care I don't care how good a hands you are this thing is dodging and bumping on and so all Bree didn't make it and I came to the major leagues and I did it and I was very good I went along no knuckleballers and Sparky called me in the office one day smarty Anderson the manager oh yeah the great he said John we have a chance to trade for Negro what do you think I said thank you better trade for his catcher Johnny Bench we're back after this and the Dan Patrick show hall-of-famer Johnny Bench Big Red Machine joining us here in the man cave it is weird though you get to this point in in this in my career where you start to meet people that you watched on TV or you looked up to and I don't know our age difference here but it's like meeting you meeting Jerry West meeting some of these people and it's like feel the same way he's Algeria does show I'm telling you you know the physique from cabman qicang then i found that he doesn't like to be called zeke you know I read his book West by West yes and and you didn't like it he dealt with a lot of different things and everything else but I mean he was still in that blue blazer on the end oh he still looks crummy and it was GQ all the way and I mean it was just because when I'm his kid in the gym you know shooting hot rod Hundley yeah Jerry West and so you still I mean I'm still in awe of a lot of these guys in that you know it I'm 70 years old in December I asked a lady friend of mine I said do I look 70 and she said no but you used to [Laughter] [Laughter] help me remember this story about doc Ellis against the Big Red Machine so doc Ellis was pitching for the Pirates in Pittsburgh and he was trying to hit every member of the well he had taken LSD cause he wanted to see what it was like to pick on pitch on LSD but did you know that there was something off about well after he got first three guys and missed me twice yeah we you know I'm going like this he hit the first three guys and then I ducked twice you know and then they came out and took him out and then you later found that he was well that's what he told right that's where we were told ya that he sort of said that he thought it was a good idea to try it but did anybody think about going to the mound going after it no that was what we did every every series you know we fought every series brewskies and Candelaria is a great rivalry oh it's unbelievable and they were good no they were really good if we don't if we're not there the Big Red Machine is not there Pittsburgh would have been known as one of the great teams period they were that good I mean they had Hebner and ed Robertson they had Clemente and Stargell yeah now Oliver could hit yeah Clemente I try to tell people that there was a gracefulness about Clemente thank you had a great arm so oh and he when I break with him in Puerto Rico and and wonderful yeah he was a hypochondriac man well I say that but I think you just didn't want to go warm up I think you just didn't care about it cuz he played this season he played hard yeah but we'd be in there he'd be in the training and then in the game would start and he would like put on the Cape and fly over and jump over buildings and he was turning around and throwing it from the fence and a hundred miles an hour and a great team mate just you know so sad but but stars you went Stargell now you had certain guy Frank Howard was six seven like you have Erin judge now but Frank Harry was a big dude Willie Stargell was a big dude Willie McCovey bullying McGovern I couldn't imagine being a first baseman when Stargell or McCovey came to the players don't some about the metal bats we saw yes Goods last night yeah launching it in the back roads and everything else and that was I loved that love those kids they just went up there and just right out yeah I mean it just wasn't any hesitation and here you got the major leaguers they're barely squeaking it over the fence and they're hitting in the last row and of course you know it's been metal but that was that was special but for me McCovey was the guy I couldn't ever pitch to I had no pitcher that could have a pitch to get him out I mean I had every other player I thought I could get out but not with him not with my Cubs so you could pitch the maze more than you couldn't because oh sure yeah I mean Willie he was all-time greatest he was you know Willie was in 1960 I played my first all-star game for in the Astrodome and I'm sitting there in my locker you know I was chosen as this ultimate catch I was sitting in my locker you know I'm not I got my feet tucked in I don't want to trip anybody and here since Willie right across from me and he walks across the room he said you should have been starting catching so then and Willie and I got a offer all along forever I don't know it was just a great react and so he's down there and he's got that swing going you know I stir spreads out and he's got that hung and everything else and I'm just sitting there and he steps out after about eight to ten swings I said you're gonna call a pitcher what I said yes looking back here swing his head back every time to be going back and forth to see my side often we're guys doing that oh you know peanuts Lowry was the first base coach for the Giants every time he kind of even always tip off pitches because every picture basically tips if somebody's got his glove he'll open it he'll do it squeeze it he'll get the seams behind his back so if peanuts called it you know called a pitch and he had homerun peanuts got a new suit was always trying to find something to do it oh I mean if you tell me what's coming I'll hit 700 I mean that's the difference in what it makes to know what's on the way wait so you would want to know so oh boy yeah so if somebody's at second base like if Pete's at second base or Jill Morgan's at second base would they signal no no they never did them cuz you get beamed on that then they thought you were stealing signs they throw it right at your head I mean they didn't we didn't mess around like you know some of the guys know they yeah you know they're leaning over and strutting and looking at you know they're standing there taking 32 seconds to get around the bases oh they're going down who went after you who really tried to hit you aside from doc Ellis a junior rich over laying those nasty 97 mile an hour fastball 92 mile an hour slider and I don't think you liked anybody you got a hit off of him you know but Nolan Ryan was that way to all those mean but you just gave him respect you know Cal Daniel's hit a home run off of him and oh my gosh she was glaring at he was ran on the bases next time up he gets a double and burr Nolan's an old hot so he turns it so he turns around to pick off Daniels at second base Cal wouldn't even leave he drilled him and one of the great stories I was a banquet one night bill Terry the old batting champion yeah years ago he was a manager and he told me about this young kid he they called it from the minor leagues and they're paying him like five hundred dollars or something you know say they bring a kid in he said if you don't hit this guy coming up the plate it's closer to your $50 I mean the kid $50 I mean that's a lot so the guide steps in kid winds up throws it goes between his helmet and his head the guy goes down at ball actually misses the helmet and a it goes right between it while the guys getting back up the catcher's thrown the ball back the guy hits the guy while he's getting up in the batting spar Richards was underrated too when you think of how nasty he was oh that was he was 6 7 yeah nasty and I mean and he would come inside and you know you didn't lean over the plate did you ever homer off Nolan Ryan I think I did I think I should remember yeah I got like seven or eight concussions so I don't remember a lot of stuff did you ever have somebody you thought serve one up too you know because remember that was the story with Denny McLain and Mickey Mantle yeah that you know make Denny would do that yeah where do you want it it's pointed make it where you want it and make big hit right here well he's probably up ten to two or something like that he's won 30 games already it's not like they're going anywhere but and when did you meet mantle at a spring training game in 1966 I went on we got his autograph because you're both from Oklahoma yeah and he was you know he was it he was Mickey Mantle that's what inspired me when I was 3 years old to hear Mickey Mantle batting and I said you can be from Oklahoma and play in the major leagues I was asking my dad and that's how I did it and then he came to my I had a golf tournament hearts the heart fund Invitational in Tampa and he came to the tournament and I had pictures on my wall of him pitching pennies with my dad outside the Ramada him and that night Mickey comes up to me I'm staying over there and he said hey John let's go have a drink Vicky's asked me to go have a drink because it right across the street is the Marriott and it's a disco you know we got those back in those days it's disco they got the glass balls and everything else I said sure so we walked across the street to the Marriott and we walk up to the door the disco and a big bouncer Zarin says John you can come in but we've already kicked out how much partying went on though back when you pull out for us not much for us you guys were that boring we were that conscientious I think you know in spring training when Sparky came he he gathered all the guys around he said look alright you twenty-five are going to Cincinnati she said now there's two sets of rules here Pete Johnny toe Johnny you know you don't have rules I'm thinking alright you know even though we weren't staying out I mean it was like but if you had a something happen and you got you're fine you don't have to sneak through the kitchen do this stuff and then he said rescue guys you're gonna do this this and this and then he said and I think this is something going on he said I don't have to worry about those four guys because they know what it takes they know they'll be in they'll have some time but they're gonna know what it takes to win and it was just such a psychological thing for us but we were respected him we really we really didn't I mean it was really a lot of times after a game if you went to arrest on her bar we you could take a team picture because we all hung out together yeah but no drinking I didn't say that if you drink every day you're fine yeah the guy it's the pitcher that pitches you know drinks after the game where you know in his I've got a problem yeah rest of the I've had a problem if I had an open draft right now and I you're gonna start your Tim are you starting with micro okay it would be second well I really you know if I'm gonna go to position players I really love Salvador Perez you know as a catcher and what he's I think the kid Realmuto which is the kid from Miami that's not getting any recognition at all I mean he's hitting over 300 he's got home runs he's got a 45 RBIs he's not getting and I'm looking for a kid that will catch and provide me offense as well I don't think I think Buster Posey calls as good a game as anybody in baseball right now but I'm looking for a kid like Arenado I'm looking for you know trout I'm gonna probably forget are you a hard for fan you know I I guess I admire his talents I think he doesn't do it mechanically the way he can I think he doesn't utilize how much skill and talent he has because you can't hit you can't be that way and hit 215 yeah you know I mean I can hit 23 home runs but that's when you make contact but you know I want to pull for him you know he's been a kid that's been in the spotlight since he was 14 15 years old that's all we've heard about and everything else and you know he but the fans like him and that's that's what really matters in a lot of ways yeah but I've got to have production you know I've got to have somebody like Tony Perez that's gonna drive in the runs and gets up there in a situation I want Altuve at second base you know I'll take you know I'll take Cory outs at shortstop there's a lot of guys out there and the Machado and and people like that that I could build stuff around but there's guys that have to mesh and you know there's some there's some great things going on with these kids it will overlook some of them aren't the names but we'll overlook these how different would your career be if you're playing now well I probably wouldn't be here I'd probably be on a jet and Al Capone course 500 million yeah I mean you know let's face it what's the most you ever made nine hundred thousand okay yeah that was big money back that was I made 2.2 in my entire career so I was eleven thousand my first year I was working here made 20 as MVP made 40 as MVP again I made 80 I know it's big money okay I know what did you do with all that I had I had I had you know I had a lot of things so I mean one that four days after I turned 25 I had lung surgery I had part of my lung taken out I had major surgery with a which was the first staple surgery in America and then I got ran over in 75 and it damaged my AC joint and crushed that I had six cortisone shots every three weeks to finish remover Gary Matthews who peed through a 17 hopper in from left field and so and we laugh about it all the time I would run on Pete yeah yeah yeah I wouldn't be afraid to run on Pete Rose now but he got me with a forum and that was in April I had six cortisone shots every three weeks to finish the season and so you know I but after this lung surgery I wasn't the same player I wasn't nearly as you know what I would thought I was hurt but most you hit was 45 homers I'm sorry yeah yeah well Erin never hit 50 no in that amazing that is I mean really truly remarkable that the guy with that many home runs never hit 50 and you know if he took away 755 homeruns he still had 3,000 his oh I think he's the most underrated player in baseball you know what because he didn't have it he didn't have the Mays he didn't have the mantle I mean if you look at him and people talk about look how their bodies change well you know Hank was 165 or 70 pounds when he went to you know play with Boston and Milwaukee whatever it was he had his wrist though oh and he'd lean out there and in he was the kindest gentleman yes and then you but you never saw it until he walked up to the plate and then you saw the forearms you had so you're catching when he ties Babe Ruth homerun record rights right so Billington Jack Billingham is on the road good is okay do you remember the pitch you called that he hit out it was a little fastball out over the plate okay well I shook his hand at home play oh you did I you know he he never failed to say hello to me the first at-bat hi John hello Amy and to this day we still hi John hello Henry did you understand what was going on at the time where death threats no no with with Hank and the fact that Commissioner made him like didn't he have a problem he wanted him to set the record in Atlanta yeah Bowie Kuhne say yeah I want you to go and set the record in Atlanta and then of course the first and then we held him you know we held him but another story about Hank is I was in center field and fielded his 3,000th hit no I didn't know that I caught the first game of the doubleheader he went over for and I played centerfield in the second game and he had a ball up the middle that I filled it I why I didn't keep that ball I can't keep if I had all of the current Hall of Famers and I said one time vote for Pete to be in the Hall of Fame if I if I had everybody right now or put him on the ballot what do you think the current Hall of Famers would vote no not even put him on the ballot no okay well you know the story is and you know but we should make it in Commissioner of baseball gambling I mean if they're you know if it sounds a so ridiculous but if they're gonna start gambling in baseball maybe do it but the thing that is it I tell people is people who say yes that he should be then I say do you have kids and they said yeah and I said well go home and tell your kids there's no more rules and you know it kind of like makes you think about what it is now the the thing that upsets all of us is that he had a chance yeah the first year you know the first day when nuber off gave him the option of signing a paper and he said if you don't sign this and Jimmy Giamatti is going to nail you and that's the way it happened but I had three different meetings with the commissioners with with with a seagull and bud and I said look so we gave him it was we wrote it out they had it written out miss Schmidt Ian and Morgan and I and had it written out do this do this do this and you'll be you know you have a little time and then put you on them but it didn't happen yeah no and and all he had to do he had to show contrition and give back imagine if he went to them all the minor leagues and just said I'm gonna tour the minor leagues for baseball and talk about what I just I just did do I have career suicide and if he did that I really feel like he would have that was the oyster hall-of-famers that was one of the offers there what else did they ask Pete to do he had to admit it but he had to go away and he had to stop and he had to admit to what he was doing and he had you know say I did this and I did that and I admit to it meeting great Johnny is what is keeping it has kept like he refused to give in to anybody right oh yeah he said I'm gonna beat it mmm here we are yeah do you think he gets in posthumously I don't know I'll probably be dead by then - I don't know all right I I'll let you know how it goes cuz I [Laughter] when they bring out the cuff and put it around it's great to see you thank you for stopping by make it fun for all we appreciate thank you he's Johnny Bench the best catcher in baseball history thank you at least in my opinion thank you well the last century anyways yeah are you the best catcher ever I don't I think I am okay who's second you know I I y'all surprised you with I think Carlton Fisk okay he might agree - sure you know cuz somebody else a he said that on the radio I can't believe you sleep why would he say did you call the pitch from Darcy that Fisk it out for the calendar paddy pitch the 11th inning and threw a really great 11th inning and he went out to warm up in the 12th and it was like Dan I got to tell you you would have thrown it harder and I mean I was like reaching out for it and I looked over in the dugout to Sparky and I said no chance we're not going any farther than this inning really I said no chance I said I don't care who it was and the greatness of the game was that Carlton did it that was another way it happened it wasn't Korea it was down and you could have probably hit it off the wall now but and then he do all this gyrations and do you know that was one of the first drama things I think in so many ways I mean we've seen Mazeroski running with the helmet around there and we've seen things but when Carlton did this and it actually hit the pole you couldn't have scripted it more because during that game Bernie carbo hits a three-run pinch-hit homer that ties the game up they got at the bottom of the ninth they got the bases loaded they bring we bring in will McEnaney he crosses me up I call for a slider he throws a fastball I don't know if I'll catch him he fouls it off goes down the left-field line George Foster throws a one hopper to me I'd tag him out Denny Doyle there's Denny's on third you know and here's Don Zimmer going no no no and any thought I said go any I tagged him out and ice called timeout and I grabbed will I said well for God's sake you crossed me up I gave you the slider side and a left-handed reliever is only could do it and says yeah I guess I did well sometimes those things work and then Dwight Dwight Evans made that great tangible that was one of the greatest catches I've ever seen but you got your hellos yeah thanks for having me thank you buddy for more Dan Patrick show to the audience Channel 239 on DirecTV or download the Dan Patrick show app you

Channel: Dan Patrick Show

Views: 381,439

Rating: 4.7908082 out of 5

Keywords: Dan Patrick, The Dan Patrick Show, Danettes, Sports, Audience, DIRECTV, AT&T, dp show, mclovin, perloff, paulie, paul pabst, seton o'connor, fritzy, todd fritz, mlb, baseball, NBA, basketball, ncaa, college, what time is the super bowl, Johnny Bench, MLB All-Star Game, Reds

Id: -jzsVLeiXd4

Length: 25min 56sec (1556 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 17 2018