Reds Hall of Fame Website Review

The following review concerns the information from the Cincinnati Reds website. Visit the Reds history page here.

The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame portion of the Cincinnati Reds website contains not only information about the hall of fame, but also an impressive section on Reds history. The web page qualifies as an electronic exhibit, and targets the general public, specifically fans of the Cincinnati Reds.

Because the site exists more to satiate the curiosity of non-historians than to serve as an actual academic source, the site authors are not likely to be concerned about keeping up with the latest historical scholarship or analysis. Even so, the authors should still be concerned with keeping accurate and important information on the site, and for the most part, they succeed. While perhaps the page design of Reds history portion of the site is slightly more outdated than the rest of the site, it is not terribly so.

Perhaps the single most informative portion of this history section is a timeline chronicling the team’s history, beginning with its emergence as the first all-professional baseball team in 1869, through the 2012 season. In addition to the timeline, the site contains impressive and easy-to-find information concerning the evolution of the team’s uniforms, logos, and ballparks. I was pleasantly surprised to find the opening day lineups listed, dating back to 1900, as well as an all-time roster which included not only players with such legendary careers as Pete Rose,  Ted Kluszewski, and Barry Larkin, but also those with less-than-legendary careers, such as Chris Sabo and Pete Rose, Jr. What is particularly impressive about this roster is that site visitors can click on the names and be redirected to a page about that player, including date and place of birth, position, Major League debut, and all of their player statistics, for every team for which they played.

I do have one significant criticism. While the site does contain a roster with the names of all former managers, including the years each one managed and their win-loss record while with the Reds, there is important information lacking in this section.  As a baseball fan myself, I have had many conversations and debates with other fans about managers, past and present. When arguing with someone about whether or not Dusty Baker is a worse manager than Bob Boone, it would be helpful to be able to go to the Reds history page, find a list of Reds managers, including their win-loss totals, both throughout their entire managerial careers, and while with the Reds ball club. Such information as post season appearances, post season wins and losses, any notable managing achievements or records, along with reason for dismissal or resignation would also be useful. Perhaps less important but still helpful would be a link to a roster containing the names of players for each year the manager worked for the Reds.

Aside from that single criticism, the Reds history section of Reds.com is quite comprehensive and impressive. It includes much valuable information, as well as photos and video footage. As an academic historian and Reds fan, I see this website as a valuable resource for anyone researching Reds history.