“I don’t want to embarrass any other catcher by comparing him to Johnny Bench.” -- Sparky Anderson
The legend of Johnny Bench began when he was still 18 years old and playing for Class A Peninsula in the Carolina League. When it was announced late in the season that he was getting promoted to Triple-A Buffalo, the team held a pregame ceremony and retired his uniform number. Everyone knew Bench was special, including Bench. The story goes that when he was called up to the majors, still just 19, he announced to the clubhouse that he didn’t come up to be the backup catcher.