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Show Hope asked meto. America is free, and Johnny Bench: 2 “I Do WhatI Believe’ he can think any way he wants to, and that’s the same way I feel about how I think. He’s done a lot of great things, and I don’t think the magazines have been fair to him when they put him down for his opinions. He's being true to himself. I went to give a bit of my time to the boys to make Christmas a Is Right for Me!” The subject of this article is: e The youngest player ever to win the National League's Most Valuable Player Award (1968). e The 1970leader of both leagues in home runs (45) and runs-batted-in (148). e Designated by Ted Williams to become‘‘a Hall of Famerfor sure.” e Described by the Reds’ manager sory Anderson as a the best catcherever.”” little easier for them. That's what he was doing, too.” Does that mean that Johnny would make a political speech or take a public stand on a national issue? “Probably not,” he says, “unless it was for someonein office. It doesn’t matter if he’s a Democrat or Republican, I just feel you haye to back the man who has been elected. Like the Presidentis the President, and he gets my respect.” Is he worried, then, about what people will say about him? “No,I do what I believe is right for me. People are going to think whatever they want to anyway. Like the image they have of me as a swinger, with a girl knocking on my door every night. I like girls, but it’s nothing like that!” Well, then, what is it like for the $85,000-a-year catcher who is consid- ered the most eligible bachelor in baseball? What does this priceless catcher do when he’s not catching or making public appearances? “A lot of thingsinterest me away from the game.I like to golf and bowl. In fact, I do a lot of bowling in the alleys [teammate] Pete Rose and I own in Cincinnati. And, whet. the team’s traveling, I play cards on the plane: bridge, hearts, pinochle. I also enjoy watching football and basketball games and playing basketball in the off-season. I was a pretty good basketball player in high school, but I never gave it any consideration as a career—baseball’s always been my game. And I like dining out, with or without girls, eating all kinds of good food. I also like to listen to different Kinds of music, especially popular and Country and Western—songs withlyrics I can relate to. Whenever there’s time to catch a movie, I look for a good Western, one with a lot of excitement. But I don't go for movies with a hidden plot or that go against the Establishment. I just like those that are fun- ny, exciting er portray life the wayit reallyis, “Movies and music help meto relax; they're kind of an escape when I'm not playing. Television’s good that way,too. I like getting up on Saturday morning and watching cartoons like Road Run- ce ner, Dick Dastardly and Cool McCool. I le to laugh. The trouble todayis “If more people would take time to know each other and tostop and think about the other person, there would be a great many longer and stronger marriages.” Would you believe it? A handsome young man, with superior intelligence, outstanding athletic skills, patriotism, generosity, a deep sense of morality and honesty—a superhero in an age of nonheroes. Yes, he really exists, and his name is Johnny Lee Bench, the 23year-old catcher for the National League champion Cincinnati Reds. All that is a lot of reputation to live up to, along with the especially heavy burden of being called a definite Hall of Famecandidate after just three years in the major leagues. And so, as we sat ‘ Family Weekly, July 11,1971 downto talk, I asked him how hefelt about the early prediction of his baseball immortality. great!” he answered with an easy grin. “What hasbeen said has been very flattering. I just hope they're saying the same thing 10 years from now. That's that so many people are drab andseri- present yourself to kids and to the general public.” Since Johnny acknowledges that people are influenced by what he says and does away from theball field, how does he feel about being associated in the minds of many with the politically whenit'll really mean something. Right now, though, I don't feel any pressure to make it. I mean,it's not my whole life. Of course,all the publicity has cre- hawkish ated a kind of image for me, and I do anybody wants war; surely, everybody honestly feel I should try to live up to it. 1 think it’s important, the way you wants peace, or what are weliving for? I went over there to help because Bob Bob Hope, whose Vietnam tour Bench joined last winter? “I didn’t go with Bob Hope because of his ideas on the war. I don’t think ous, not taking time to get any fuout of life.” JohnnyBench's views reflect his fam- ily and the way he grew up. Born in OklahomaCity, Okla., the youngest of Katie and Ted Bench’s three sons, but older than his sister Marilyn, Johnnyis the product of a Southern Baptist upbringing. His father, who played some baseball in his time, has always been proud of his son's accomplishment “John was valedictorian of his class in bothhis junior and senior years in high school,” Mr. Bench recalls. “He was always a straight-A student, and I can't ever remember him bringing a book |