I have been told that, in simpler times, when I was but a child, I had two imaginary friends. Their names were Johnny Bench and Pete Rose. So, yeah, I may have some interest in watching this documentary that the MLB Network recently released.

The video clip above touches on two of my favorite Johnny Bench stories. The first was his catching a pitcher’s not-so-fast-ball barehanded to prove a point. Inspired by this, while playing first base on my high school team I did the same to all the high-arcing throws from a freshman third baseman.

The other story was the oft-told one about how Bench could hold seven baseballs in one hand. Others can do this as well, but in my mind the stunt originated with him and was a great set-up for his defensive skills. Many of the strategies and approaches catchers do today started with Bench. From his biography on the Society for American Baseball Research website:

It was for his defense that Bench garnered his most praise. Of his throwing arm, which would keep would-be base stealers honest for the next decade, Roy Blount, Jr. wrote, “It is about the size of a good healthy leg, and it works like a recoilless rifle.”6 Bench had grown to 6-feet-1 and 200 pounds, but he seemed both larger and more agile. He had huge hands—he could palm a basketball in high school, and could hold seven baseballs in his throwing hand (a feat he was often called on to perform for the cameras). He caught one-handed, one of the first catchers to do so, with his right hand resting behind his back to protect it from foul tips—Bench had broken his thumb in Buffalo in 1966, after all. He used a hinged catcher’s mitt, rather than the prevalent circular “pillow” style, allowing him to better make plays on bunts or on plays at the plate. After Bench took a high throw and tagged out a Chicago runner in his rookie year, Cubs manager Leo Durocher exclaimed, “I still don’t believe it. I have never seen that play executed so precisely.”7 Herman Franks, the Giants’ manager (and former major league receiver), saw Bench make a similar play against his club, and said afterwards that Bench was the “best catcher I’ve seen in 20 years.”8 It was no surprise when he became the first rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove for his defense.

Last year an auction house took bids for the display from the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum that had mounted seven baseballs in the configuration Bench would use to accomplish his feat. It went for $1,150. I can see where it would make a nice conversation starter to have around the house. Best part of the description, though, is where the auction house felt obliged to add the disclaimer: “Second photo shows Mr. Bench with the exhibit – Mr. Bench is not included in this lot.”