The Red Stockings were charter members of the National League in 1876 but dropped out in 1881 because the NL banned beer sales at ballparks. They reappeared in the more liberal American Association in 1882, retaining only two players from the 1880 team, and captured the AA pennant on the strength of Will White's 40-win season and the best fielding in the league. They continued to contend in the AA until the franchise was switched to the NL for the 1890 season in an attempt to bolster the league's defense against the Players' League challenge. The club declined after that season and was sold by John T. Brush in 1902. He became famous later as the owner of the more lucrative Giants. The new owners were a group of city political bosses who named colleague August "Garry" Herrmann club president, a role he held until blindness forced him to retire in 1927. He was also the third member of the National Commission as long as that body existed. In 1905 Cy Seymour won the team's first batting title with a .377 average that still stands as the club record.

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The Reds won their first NL pennant in 1919, only to have the Black Sox scandal taint their World Series victory. The team was built around Heinie Groh and Hall of Famer Edd Roush. A strong team, they were in contention through the end of Herrmann's tenure. Sidney Weil took over the club after Herrmann's resignation, but he was a victim of the Depression. Radio magnate Powel Crosley wanted to ensure the team would stay in town and bought the club in 1935, two years after Weil had had to turn over the club to the Central Trust Company, the bank that had held it for Weil after his financial collapse. Crosley was persuaded to buy by GM Larry McPhail, whom the bank had hired. McPhail's innovative style led to the first night game in 1935 and a thriving minor league system developed by Frank Lane. When McPhail resigned in mid-1936, Warren Giles took over. The club won back-to-back pennants in 1939-40 and beat Detroit in the 1940 World Series. Stars on the club included Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi, 1939 MVP Bucky Walters, 1940 MVP Frank McCormick, Paul Derringer, and Johnny "Double No-Hit" Vander Meer, who had pulled off his famous feat in 1938. The team contended through the end of WWII, but then fell to the second division. A bright spot on the weak post-war teams was feared sidearm pitcher Ewell Blackwell, who became the only man to pitch in six consecutive All-Star Games.

Giles was named NL president in 1951 and was replaced as Reds GM by Gabe Paul, who built a slugging team featuring Ted Kluszewski. At about this time the club began to call itself the Redlegs, due to the association of "Reds" with "Communists" during the Senator Joe McCarthy years. The Redlegs almost won a tight three-team race in 1956, but finished third, two games behind the Dodgers. They tied the NL HR record with 221 that season and Birdie Tebbetts won Manager of the Year honors.

Bill DeWitt succeeded Paul after the Reds had sunk to a 67-87 record in 1960, and DeWitt did a masterly job, instantly rebuilding the team with a series of brilliant moves and trades. Led by MVP Frank Robinson and ace Joey Jay, the team won a surprise pennant in 1961 under the direction of manager Fred Hutchinson, who would tragically die of cancer during the 1964 race. The season was chronicled in Pennant Race by pitcher Jim Brosnan, who had written The Long Season about the 1959 campaign.

The Reds were often contenders through the rest of the decade. The team was purchased in 1966 by a group headed by Francis Dale after rumors of a move. DeWitt's reputation was tarnished by the ill-advised trade of Robinson to Baltimore in exchange for Milt Pappas, and DeWitt was replaced by Bob Howsam in 1967. Sparky Anderson was named manager in 1970 and immediately won the NL pennant. The decade of the "Big Red Machine" was at hand. Featuring Rookies of the Year Johnny Bench (1968), Pete Rose (1963), and Tommy Helms (1966), other superstars such as Tony Perez, Davey Concepcion, and Lee May, and the young arms of Gary Nolan, Don Gullett, and Wayne Simpson, the team dominated the NL with 102 wins. With the addition of George Foster (acquired in exchange for Frank Duffy), Joe Morgan, Jack Billingham, Tom Seaver, and Ken Griffey, the offensive powerhouse won six division titles in the 1970s, with four NL pennants and back-to-back World Championships in 1975-76. They averaged 95 wins a season in the decade, and only in 1971 did they finish below second place. Bench was named MVP in 1970 and 1972, Rose won in 1973, Morgan took consecutive awards in 1975-76, and Foster won in 1977 with league-leading totals of 52 HR and 149 RBI.

John McNamara replaced Anderson as manager in 1979, and the Reds lost the LCS. The aging team dropped to third in 1980, and although it had the best record in the NL in the strike-split 1981 season, second-place finishes in both halves left the club out of postseason play. The Reds collapsed to last place in 1982 and 1983, with the emergence of Mario Soto as the staff ace the only high point. Howsam, who had moved up to club president, returned to the GM role in 1983, and brought back Rose to manage the team at the end of 1984. That year, colorful Marge Schott, who made her money in used cars, assumed control of the team. The Reds went on to finish second four years in a row (1985-88). The team played 1989 under the cloud of controversy regarding Rose's gambling. (JFC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » March 27, 1886: The Cincinnati Reds announce that the pennant they won in 1882 will be flown at home games this season "for luck." » November 4, 1891: Charlie Comiskey, having had enough of Browns owner Chris Von der Ahe, signs to manage and captain the National League Cincinnati Reds. » March 16, 1895: John Brush, owner of the Cincinnati Reds and the Indianapolis team of the Western League, transfers six Reds to his minor league team. This sort of exchange becomes increasingly common in the 1890s as owners of more than one team shuttle their players between their teams throughout each season in an attempt to stock their most profitable team of the moment. This strategy causes much distrust among fans, who feel that their loyalties are being trampled. » May 5, 1900: Chicago's Jimmy Ryan leads off against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Noodles Hahn by lining a home run, the 20th time he he's hit a leadoff round tripper. The Colts win, 4-3. » May 8, 1901: Amos Rusie, onetime Hoosier Thunderbolt, makes his first start for the Cincinnati Reds after a two-year layoff and is bombed 14-3 by the Cards. Emmett Heidrick snags five singles off Rusie. After two more appearances, he goes back to digging ditches, having won 245 games, mostly for the Giants, in nine years. » April 20, 1902: In an exhibition match in Chicago, the Milwaukee Brewers top the White Stockings, 3-2. Chuck Comiskey scheduled the tune-up with the American Association squad after the Brewers took three straight from the Cincinnati Reds. » July 8, 1902: John McGraw, accused by Ban Johnson of trying to wreck the Baltimore and Washington clubs, negotiates his release from the Orioles and officially signs to manage the Giants at $11,000 a year, although he'd already secretly signed a contract several days earlier brought to Baltimore by Giants secretary Fred M. Knowles. McGraw says, "I wish to state that I shall not tamper with any of the Baltimore club's players." But conspiring with National League owners Brush and Andrew Freedman, McGraw swings the sale of the Orioles their way, enabling them to release Orioles Dan McGann, Roger Bresnahan, Joe McGinnity, and Jack Cronin for signing by the Giants. Joe Kelley and Cy Seymour go to Brush's Cincinnati Reds. » September 9, 1902: John T. Brush sells the Cincinnati Reds to Julius and Max Fleischmann, George B. Cox, and August "Garry" Herrmann for $150,000. Brush then buys control of the Giants from Andrew Freedman. » February 1, 1904: The Cards purchase veteran first baseman Jake Beckley from the Cincinnati Reds. The future Hall of Famer will have four decreasingly productive years in St. Louis before retiring. » July 20, 1905: SS Phil Lewis has a busy afternoon at Washington Park in the Brooklyn 2-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Lewis has 18 chances and comes up with seven assists, six put outs and five errors, the latter tying the NL record. » March 6, 1906: Rookie owner Charles W. Murphy puts the last pieces of a Cubs dynasty in place, trading rookie infielder Hans Lobert and lefthander Jake Weimer to the Cincinnati Reds for 3B Harry Steinfeldt. Not a heavy hitter, Steinfeldt completes the Tinker-Evers-Chance infield. » June 18, 1907: In a Giants win, Roger Bresnahan is hit in the head by a pitch from Andy Coakley of the Cincinnati Reds and is given the last rites while he lays on the field. Hospitalized for 10 days, he will develop a primitive headgear for batters during his convalescence. Teammate Dan McGann is also hit by a Coakley pitch in the same inning (4th), breaking his arm, and will be out of action until the 1st of August. » June 25, 1908: The Cincinnati Reds debut two college twirlers, Jean Dubuc of Notre Dame and Bert Sincock from Michigan. Dubuc starts and Sincock relieves him. Unimpressed by the degrees, the Cubs trounce the pair by the score of 7-0 (as noted by Richard Thompson). » November 9, 1912: Frank Chance is sold to the Cincinnati Reds by the Cubs; when all National League clubs waive claims to him in December, the Reds free him to manage the Yankees. » July 8, 1915: The Pirates make just two assists, both by 2B Jim Viox, in a 9-inning game to tie a record set by the Giants August 9, 1906. On July 22, 1906, the Cincinnati Reds had no assists in a 7-inning game versus the Phils. » February 27, 1931: Finally cut loose by the New York Giants, for whom he refused to play in 1930 in a season-long holdout over salary terms, 2-time batting champ Edd Roush returns to the Cincinnati Reds. » November 10, 1932: Donie Bush, pennant-winning manager of Minneapolis (American Association), is named manager of the Cincinnati Reds. » November 30, 1932: The Chicago Cubs get Babe Herman from the Cincinnati Reds for Rollie Hemsley and three others. » November 6, 1933: Sidney Weil quits as Cincinnati Reds president. Larry MacPhail acquires an interest in the team and is elected director. MacPhail will become GM. » December 29, 1933: Yankees owner Jake Ruppert refuses to release Babe Ruth so he can become manager of the Cincinnati Reds. » February 3, 1934: Powel Crosley, local millionaire, heads a syndicate that buys just over half the stock in the Cincinnati Reds from Sidney Weil. No price is announced. Crosley, owner of a 500,000 watt radio station, is on the board of the Central Trust Bank, and it is the bank that had loaned money to Sidney Weil and his syndicate to buy the Reds. Weil was in the process of raising money to pay off the bank when Crosley's purchase takes place. The Reds' home park will be renamed Crosley Field. » February 13, 1934: In an item discovered by historian Doug Pappas, the National League loans the Cincinnati Reds $50,000 at 4.5% interest. Powel Crosley, who bought the team 10 days ago, will repay the Reds' debt in full by 1938. » February 16, 1934: Eppa Rixey of the Cincinnati Reds announces his retirement after 21 seasons and a career 266-251 mark. The next day Urban "Red" Faber retires, leaving a 20-year career mark of 254-212, all with the Chicago White Sox. » July 28, 1934: Chuck Dressen, who will win pennants in Brooklyn and manage 16 seasons in the ML, begins by replacing Bob O'Farrell at the helm for the Cincinnati Reds. » May 24, 1935: After a day's delay because of rain, the Cincinnati Reds host the Philadelphia Phillies in the first ML night game, winning 2–1 before a crowd of 24,422. On the initiative of Larry MacPhail, FDR throws the switch at the White House to turn on the lights. the Phils Mike Chiozza is the first batter as the Reds Paul Derringer outduels Joe Bowan, though the Reds are outhit, six to 4. The Reds will play seven night games in all, one each against the other National League teams. » February 7, 1936: The Cincinnati Reds sail to Puerto Rico for a month's spring training before returning to Tampa to finish up. » March 21, 1936: The Cincinnati Reds trade Jim Bottomley to the St. Louis Browns for Johnny Burnett. Sunny Jim will have a strong season in 1936 and, midway through the 1937 season, will be named manager. » July 1, 1936: Powel Crosley, Jr. exercises his 2-year option and buys controlling interest in the Cincinnati Reds. » November 29, 1936: Judge Landis declares Lee Handley and Johnny Peacock of the Cincinnati Reds free agents. They had been covered up on minor league teams by the Reds. » August 27, 1941: Charlie Root uses his arm and then his bat with a clutch single in the ninth inning to win his 200th game. Trailing the Cincinnati Reds 4-3, the Cubs win 6-4 with the 42-year-old Root going the route. » August 30, 1941: The Cardinals Lon Warneke no-hits the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 with only three balls hit to the outfield. It is Warneke's 15th victory of the season and, with the Dodgers' doubleheader loss to the Giants, puts St. Louis in first place by two percentage points. » August 9, 1942: The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 10–8 in 18 innings at Cincinnati. The Reds tie the score in the 9th, 10th, and 12th innings before the Cubs hang on. Stan Hack collects five hits and three runs for Chicago. Both teams combine to notch 25 base on balls for the match, and the Cubs strand 23 runners, while the Reds leave 21, a major-league record until 1974. Each team uses six pitchers, a ML record. The Reds take game two by a 2–1 score. » August 22, 1942: Cubs catcher Clyde McCullough, SS Lennie Merullo, and 1B Phil Cavarretta combine on a triple play in the top of the 11th, and Bill Nicholson home runs in the bottom half of the inning, as the Chicago Cubs stun the Cincinnati Reds, 5–4. » September 6, 1943: Woody Williams of the Cincinnati Reds collects his 10th straight hit in 2 games. He is stopped by the Cubs Eddie Hanyzewski. Prior to the run, Williams had only 39 ML hits. » February 18, 1944: Fifteen-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs a contract with the Cincinnati Reds just one day after playing in a high school basketball game. » June 10, 1944: P Joe Nuxhall of the Cincinnati Reds is the youngest player in major-league history. Nuxhall, only 15 years, 10 months old, pitches 2/3 of an inning in an 18-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. He manages to give up five walks and two hits before Bill McKechnie takes him out. » August 10, 1944: Red Barrett of the Boston Braves throws only 58 pitches and shuts out the Cincinnati Reds 2-0. This is the major-league record for fewest pitches in a nine-inning game. The game takes one hour, 15 minutes, the shortest night game ever. » August 11, 1946: Stan Musial gets eight hits in nine at bats, as the St. Louis Cardinals sweep the Cincinnati Reds 15-4, 7-3. » June 18, 1947: Ewell Blackwell of the Cincinnati Reds no-hits the Boston Braves at Crosley Field 6-0. Rookie Frankie Baumholtz, who played in the NBA the previous winter, collects with four hits. » July 30, 1947: The New York Giants edge the Cincinnati Reds 6-5 in 10 innings, ending Ewell Blackwell's winning streak at 16 games. All games are complete games and five are shutouts. » April 29, 1948: Cards relief pitcher Ted Wilks bows 5-4 in 14 innings to the Cincinnati Reds on rookie Hank Sauer's single. It is his first loss after 77 mound appearances dating back to 1945. He had won 12 in a row. » September 27, 1951: Gabe Paul replaces the newly elected National League President Warren Giles as GM of the Cincinnati Reds. » July 28, 1952: Rogers Hornsby, after being fired by the St. Louis Browns, replaces another former Brownie manager, Luke Sewell, as manager of the Cincinnati Reds. » June 23, 1956: Hal Jeffcoat of the Cincinnati Reds hits Dodger SS Don Zimmer in the face with a pitch, breaking his cheekbone. This is the second time that Zimmer suffers an injury that nearly ends his career, and he is out for the season. The Dodgers win 7-6. » June 16, 1958: The Cincinnati Reds acquire Dodger P Don Newcombe. » January 30, 1959: The Cincinnati Reds trade C Smoky Burgess, P Harvey Haddix and 3B Don Hoak to the Pirates for 3B Frank Thomas, RHP Jim Pendleton, OF Johnny Powers, P Whammy Douglas, and cash. The deal will turn out to be one on the worst in Reds history. » September 10, 1959: Brothers Jim and Ed Bailey form the battery for the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd game of a doubleheader against the Cubs. Jim is charged with the 6-3 loss in his ML debut. » October 24, 1978: The Cincinnati Reds leave on an exhibition tour of Japan. They will play 17 games, finishing with a 14–2-1 record. » January 31, 1980: Joe Morgan, a 2-time National League MVP for the Cincinnati Reds, signs as a free agent with the Houston Astros, his first team. » August 15, 1984: After a 51/2 year absence, Pete Rose is reunited with his hometown Cincinnati Reds when the Expos trade him for infielder Tom Lawless. The Reds immediately name him player-manager, replacing Vern Rapp. » July 8, 1985: Marge Schott becomes president and CEO of the Cincinnati Reds. » February 21, 1986: Rollie Fingers loses a chance to continue his career with the Cincinnati Reds when he refuses to shave his trademark handlebar mustache to comply with the club's policy. Says Fingers: "I'm not about to shave it off just to play baseball." » October 13, 1989: Bob Quinn resigns as GM of the Yankees to accept the same position with the Cincinnati Reds. » August 7, 1991: Schottzie, the St. Bernard mascot of the Cincinnati Reds, is put to sleep. The dog is buried at team owner Marge Schott's home, with a Reds' cap on its head. » February 3, 1993: Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott is fined $25,000 and banned from the day-to-day operation of her team for a year, resulting from her reported use of ethnic and racial slurs. » November 1, 1993: Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott returns to take over the day-to-day operations of the Reds following her 9-month suspension for using racial and ethnic epithets. » May 11, 1997: Ruben Sierra, released by the Cincinnati Reds last week, signs a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. Sierra, 31, hit .244 with two homers with the Reds. The Yankees sent Sierra to Detroit last season as part of the Cecil Fielder trade, but Detroit is paying $4,875,000 of his $5.5 million contract. Sierra will play 14 games with Toronto, then get released again. » June 17, 1997: Omar Vizquel, Cleveland's #9 hitter, belts a three-run homer and drives in all five runs as the host Indians beat the Cincinnati Reds 5-1. » July 22, 1997: The Cincinnati Reds release veteran IF Terry Pendleton, who was signed as a free agent during the off season. » June 6, 1998: Hall of Fame 2B Joe Morgan has his uniform retired by the Cincinnati Reds in a ceremony at Cinergy Field. » June 21, 1998: The Cincinnati Reds start an outfield against the Astros of Dmitri Young, Mike Frank and Chris Stynes. Yup, for you movie buffs, that would be Young, Frank and Stynes. It is still a horror for the Reds as they lose their 8th straight, 4–2. Pete Schourek is the CG winner. The losing streak will reach 10 as the Royals will win the next 2. » February 15, 1999: The Cincinnati Reds announce that they are dropping their long-standing policy of no facial hair for players. The change is the result of a talk between owner Marge Schott and newly-acquired OF Greg Vaughn. » April 20, 1999: Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott agrees to sell her controlling interest in the Reds to a group headed by Carl H. Lindner, ending her 14–year tenure. The group will pay a total of $67 million. » June 9, 1999: Jerrod Wong of Atlanta's Myrtle Beach farm team, hits for the cycle while going 5-for-6 in Class A game. Tomorrow, Jerrod's younger brother, Travis Wong, drafted earlier this month by the Cincinnati Reds, will hit for a home run cycle in an American Legion game. Travis strokes a solo, 2-run, 3-run, and grand slam home run in a contest for the Boise Gems. » June 28, 1999: Hack Wilson ups his RBI total for the 1930 season to 191. 69 years after the season, an RBI is added by the commissioner's office, which also gives Babe Ruth six additional walks, raising his career-record total to 2,062. "There is no doubt that Hack Wilson's RBI total should be 191," commissioner Bud Selig said. "I am sensitive to the historical significance that accompanies the correction of such a prestigious record, especially after so many years have passed, but it is important to get it right." The missing RBI came from the 2nd game of a doubleheader between Wilson's Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds on July 28, 1930 where Charlie Grimm was credited with two RBIs in the game and Wilson with none. Ruth's walks total is now 2,062. Ted Williams is second, trailing by 43, and Rickey Henderson of the New York Mets is third, 134 behind Ruth. » September 15, 1999: Baseball approves the sale of the Cincinnati Reds to Carl Lindner for $67 million, ending Marge Schott's 15-year reign as owner. » November 8, 1999: Cincinnati Reds relief P Scott Williamson is named the National League Rookie of the Year. Williamson was not on the Reds roster at the beginning of the year, but ended with a 12–7 record. » November 10, 1999: Cincinnati Reds skipper Jack McKeon is named the National League Manager of the Year. » July 20, 2001: The Cincinnati Reds send OF Michael Tucker to the Cubs. In return, they get minor league pitchers Chris Booker and Ben Shafer. The Reds also recalled 1B D.T. Cromer. » April 1, 2002: A cow named Cinci Freedom, who jumped a six-foot fence to avoid slaughter and evaded capture for 10 days before being sent to a sanctuary by artist Peter Max and his wife Mary, is excused from scheduled participation in the Cincinnati Reds' opening day parade, because she is too skittish. Following the parade, Aaron Boone's 9th inning sac fly gives the Reds a 5–4 win over the Cubs. » April 3, 2002: At Oakland, the A's lose to Texas, 9–6, as the Rangers score three in the 8th. The loss snaps the A's strong of 20 straight wins at home stretching back to August 24. The A's move past the 1974–75 Cincinnati Reds for most consecutive home wins over two seasons; the Reds' mark was 17. » December 29, 2002: Cinergy Field, the former Riverfront Stadium, is demolished. The former home of the Cincinnati Reds was opened in 1970. The site will become the western concourse of Great American Ball Park and will include the Reds' Hall of Fame when it opens in 2004.