Johnny Lee Bench ( born December 7, 1947 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ) is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

At the post-World Series press conference, Reds manager Sparky Anderson was asked by a journalist to compare Munson with his catcher, Johnny Bench.

Anderson replied, " You don't compare anyone to Johnny Bench.

The Cincinnati Reds proclaimed September 17, 1983, " Johnny Bench Night " at Riverfront Stadium.

Starting with the college baseball season, the best collegiate catcher annually receives the Johnny Bench Award.

In a September interview with Heidi Watney of the New England Sports Network, Johnny Bench, who was watching a Cleveland Indians / Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, did an impression of late Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray after Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, a native of Cincinnati, made a tough play.

* Johnny Bench: Number 1 Home Run Hitter of All Catchers, Baseball Digest, December 1980

* Johnny Bench: From Binger to Cooperstown, Baseball Digest, February 2000

He is second on Cincinnati's all-time home run leaders list ( 324 ) behind Johnny Bench and is the Reds'all-time leader in slugging percentage (. 554 ).

Other Reds players in the unit included Johnny Bench, Bobby Tolan, and Darrel Chaney.

On a team with many great players, Rose, along with Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, was viewed as one of the club's leaders.

From 1983-1989, Buck teamed with the likes of Sparky Anderson, Bill White, and Johnny Bench for World Series radio broadcasts on CBS.

Buck, along with CBS Radio colleagues Johnny Bench and John Rooney, was on hand at San Francisco's Candlestick Park on October 17, 1989, when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit.

A few of the many Carolina League players who have gone on to star in the Major Leagues are: Johnny Bench ( Peninsula, 1966 ), Wade Boggs ( Winston-Salem, 1977 ), Barry Bonds ( Prince William, 1985 ), Rod Carew ( Wilson, 1966 ), Dock Ellis ( Kinston, 1965 ), Dwight Evans ( Winston-Salem, 1971 ), Dwight Gooden ( Lynchburg, 1983 ), Andruw Jones ( Durham, 1996 ), Chipper Jones ( Durham, 1992 ), Willie McCovey ( Danville, 1956 ), Joe Morgan ( Durham, 1963 ), Dave Parker ( Salem, 1972 ), Tony Pérez ( Rocky Mount, 1962 ), Andy Pettitte ( Prince William, 1993 ), Jorge Posada ( Prince William, 1993 ), Darryl Strawberry ( Lynchburg, 1981 ), Bernie Williams ( Prince William, 1988 ), and Carl Yastrzemski ( Raleigh, 1959 ).

" He also said Johnny Bench ( who played for him in Cincinnati ) " will never throw a baseball as hard as Mike Heath " ( a catcher who played for him in Detroit ).

Major League Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench grew up in Binger.

He came in third in the Most Valuable Player voting behind Billy Williams and winner Johnny Bench, his Cincinnati Reds teammate who had one of the best offensive seasons in the history of catchers that year (. 293 / 45 / 148 ), in addition to winning a Gold Glove.

During the decade of the 1970s, Pérez was second among all major-leaguers in RBI, with 954, behind only his teammate Johnny Bench.

* Johnny Bench, a former Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983

Other players with 10 or more wins include shortstop Omar Vizquel ( 11 ), catcher Johnny Bench ( 10 ), third baseman Mike Schmidt ( 10 ), and outfielders Ken Griffey, Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Al Kaline ( 10 each ).

The feat had previously been accomplished by Mickey Cochrane, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk, all in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Reds catcher Johnny Bench was named World Series MVP.

A fairly obvious comparison of opposing backstops was made to Reds manager Sparky Anderson during the post-World Series press conference, to which, Anderson responded, " Munson is an outstanding ballplayer and he would hit. 300 in the National League, but you don't ever compare anybody to Johnny Bench.

Don't never embarrass nobody by comparing them to Johnny Bench.