Owensville resident pens a history of 1940 Reds

Leo Bradley of Owensville has recently authored a very informative, easy-reading book that any fan of the Cincinnati Reds should read.

“Underrated Reds” tells the story of the Cincinnati Reds’ 1940 world championship season and of the 1939 season that was instrumental in leading the Reds’ to the World Series title. Bradley describes this championship as the Reds’ “first undisputed championship.”

Dr. Bradley is a full professor and chairman of the Department of Educational Leadership and Human Resource Development at Xavier University. A member of the Society for American Baseball Research, he is a long-time fan of the Cincinnati Reds. This is the seventh book he has written and the first not having as its major topic, educational leadership.

"I love baseball and the Reds. This book is the result of many years of love for the Reds," Bradley said.

Bradley credits his older brother Ed and his tales of the Reds of the 1939 and 1940 seasons as inspiring him to research and discover more about that the teams he describes as the "underrated Reds."

"Just about every Reds fan knows the story of the 1919 world championship when the (Chicago) White Sox threw the series, but some historians believe the Reds could have won the series anyway. Then everybody is familiar with the Big Red Machine and its back-to-back championships (1975-76). The Reds of 1939 and especially 1940 deserve to be recognized and remembered. That is why I wrote this book."

In his research, Bradley interviewed players from the teams of those two seasons and thoroughly researched local and national newspapers and other writings of the period. The results are very impressive.

There is a very helpful complete index, many photographs, and photocopied articles written during that time.

Bradley's book is a must read for Reds' fans and any fan of professional baseball.