Hall of Famer Tony Perez is one of the “Big Four” members of the Big Red Machine, an all-time fan favorite, who was known as the BRM’s greatest clutch hitter. He was a great competitor and was the glue of the 1970’s Reds baseball dynasty. He was also a perfect gentleman and a great teammate as noted by Sparky Anderson below.
“I wish every athlete in all of sports, not just baseball, could act like this man. Never once in his career did I see him throw a helmet. He never once threw a bat. He never once made an alibi.” — Sparky Anderson
Sparky was quoted as saying this about the new Hall of Famer in the “Chicago Sun-Times” on January 13, 2000. This quote was found in Paul Dickson’s book “Baseball’s Greatest Quotations.”