INTRODUCTION

      IT’S A COMMON DREAM AROUND HERE—from the tiny towns that cling to the river-banks of Northern Kentucky, to the farms of southeastern Indiana, to the streets of Cincinnati’s urban ring, to the sprawling suburbs spread out, across, and well beyond the city’s seven hills. In the past nearly 150 years, probably a million boys from these places have vowed, “Someday I’m going to play for the Reds.”

      Since 1869, when the Red Stockings, the world’s first professional baseball team, played its inaugural season, 105 local boys have achieved that dream. Some found great success—Hall of Famers Buck Ewing and Barry Larkin come to mind. Others only took a sip of the proverbial cup of coffee. Like Moonlight Graham in the film Field of Dreams, Eddie Hunter, for example, played just one inning and never got to bat. Some began their careers here but went on to success elsewhere. Still others were stars for other teams before coming home for a last hurrah. Most fell somewhere in between.

      In the team’s long history, only once have more than three seasons passed without a local guy wearing red. That time is now. Since Junior left late in 2008, the team has not had a player from the Greater Cincinnati area suit up and take the field.

      Only 15 seasons in franchise history have lacked a local player—a staggering feat. No statistics are kept on the subject, but a smart betting fan might want to place money that no other market can make the same claim. Why? Well, in part, because those markets don’t care as much. They don’t place the same premium on featuring local players. “I don’t know if, per capita, there have been more in other markets, but I’d say there’s more pride in those players here,” Greg Rhodes, the Reds’ team historian, told us. “In bigger markets you don’t get that same sense of ownership.”

      Though one of the smaller markets in Major League baseball, Cincinnati has produced far more than its share of big leaguers, and many have played, at some point in their careers, for the hometown team. Though more than two million people live in the area, the city retains a certain small-town sense of itself. And it holds in high regard a local boy in a Reds uniform. No dream is better understood as hoping to play for the Reds.

      The Local Boys tells the story of the men who achieved the dream. From Ethan Allen to Don Zimmer, from Charlie “Bushel Basket” Gould, who played on the first team in 1869 to Junior Griffey. Alongside big-name stars such as Dave Parker and Buddy Bell, you’ll find Ralph Kraus, an 18-year-old local kid, whose heroic moment with the team occurred in 1945 when he rushed out of the dugout and into the stands at Crosley Field to club a rat scurrying among the fans.

      To tell their stories, we moved beyond statistics available online. We dove into newspaper and magazine databases and wound through library microfiche. We pulled together genealogical research, which sometimes led to interviews with family members. Efforts were made to contact every living local Red. Most of them generously agreed to talk. A few didn’t respond. A couple we simply couldn’t find. Our goal: to provide a clear picture of the local boy—professionally and personally.

      But first we had to define “local boy.” After much thought, we included only those players who grew up in counties bordering Hamilton County. Reds players from just beyond those borders—Dayton’s Dave Burba, for instance, or Springfield’s Brooks Lawrence and Will McEnaney—fall outside the zone. We also had to define what being “from” the area truly means. A number of Reds who were born here—such as Rudy Hulswitt, Tom Hume, and Eduardo Perez—left very early in their lives and never called Cincinnati home again.

      Through the years, many local guys played in the Reds organization but never made it to the big league team. And there have been many local big leaguers who never donned the red and white, such as Jim Bunning, Jim Wynn, David Justice, and Kevin Youkalis. Local heroes all—but not local Reds. Russ Nixon of Western Hills managed the Reds, but because we’re focused here on “players,” we didn’t include him.

      In compiling our local boys, Joe began years ago with Lonnie Wheeler’s classic 1987 book The Cincinnati Game, which includes a list of local guys who played in the major leagues, with a very short summary of each. We hadn’t heard of most of the names and wanted to know more. We kept adding to the list as new local Reds arrived on the scene.

      And speaking of the scene—because this book is about local guys, it’s written with local fans in mind. We know you know that Newport is located across the Ohio River from downtown, for example, and that you’re well acquainted with Over-the-Rhine. You know what’s meant by “eastside” and “westside.” No explanation is needed—or given. We hope you enjoy browsing through the stories of players who share with you the connection of a city, a team, and a dream.