This is the 50th anniversary for the first of the back-to-back World Series titles for Major League Baseball's storied Big Red Machine, and out of all the books written about those Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s, this is the most unique. It is filled with great storytelling through vivid writing. It involves Terence Moore who pulled a rarity. He went from living and dying with his sports heroes as a youth to dealing with them up close and personal on a regular basis. They say you should never meet your heroes. Terence did . . . and more. Not only that, but Terence built a lifetime bond with several of them while becoming an award-winning journalist and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter. Terence began hugging those Reds as a fan during the late 1960s, and he continued into the 1970s. Then on May 7, 1978, he graduated from Miami (Ohio) University, located 35 miles north of Cincinnati, and a week later, he became a professional sports journalist for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He often was assigned by the paper to write about those Reds. Terence had to learn in a flash how to control his awe around a clubhouse filled with perennial All-Stars and future Baseball Hall of Famers. Since newspapers still were in their heyday during the Big Red Machine's era, he also had to find ways to survive and to prosper in that massive and competitive media environment. That was despite two things: (1) Terence usually was the youngest writer by far consistently around those Reds, and (2) he was the first full-time African American sportswriter ever to work for a major metropolitan paper in the region. In fact, he was one of just two African Americans in the country writing about baseball on a consistent basis in that capacity, and he gives fascinating details on his Jackie Robinson role. Baseball Hall of Fame announcer Marty Brennaman, who was the radio voice of the Cincinnati Reds for 46 years through 2019, said of the book: "After you read this by Terence Moore, you will be absolutely amazed." Brennaman added that he thought he knew everything there was to know about those powerful Reds teams of the 1970s with more victories in that decade than anybody. "But 70 percent of this is brand-new stuff," Brennaman said, referring to large portions of Terence's personal journey with those Reds who grabbed the first of their consecutive world championships in 1975. The book is called "My Big Red Machine: The tales, drama, and revelations of a fan turned journalist covering baseball's greatest team." They say you should never meet your heroes. Well, Terence did just that regarding his baseball heroes, and this book is filled with riveting stories about his life before, during and after he encountered them up close and personal. Those Reds featured a slew of Baseball Hall of Famers and perennial All-Star players. They ranged from Johnny Bench and Tony Perez to George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr. Terence eventually developed deep relationships with several of those legends, but Pete Rose and Joe Morgan topped the list. Terence gives a slew of anecdotes regarding the Big Red Machine, and many are new, not only to the public, but to those close to the team (see Marty Brennaman above). Terence also moves deftly throughout the book between the past and the present. More specifically, whenever Terence discusses something from his days as the Big Red Machine's most passionate fan, he often jumps ahead to when he encountered that "something" as a reporter. That leads to many of those anecdotes. Terence Moore is based in Atlanta, where he has been a nationally renowned sports columnist and commentator since 2009 after 33 years as an award-winning journalist for major newspapers. In addition to writing for Forbes.com, Terence is a frequent contributor on local and national television, including MSNB and ESPN "Outside The Lines." Terence is the author of two books that already have been published: "The Real Hank Aaron: An Intimate Look at the Life and Legacy of the Home Run King" and "Red Brick Magic: Sean McVay, John Harbaugh and Miami University's Cradle of Coaches." Terence's has two more books slated for publishing within the next two years: His personal revelations on the Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s called The Big Red Machine, baseball's all-time greatest team (October 2025) and the autobiography of college basketball coaching legend Tubby Smith (fall of 2026). Terence does work for NFL Films projects that run often on the NFL Network and elsewhere. In addition, since 2005, he has starred every week for WSB-TV in Atlanta on Sports Zone Sunday, which is the most-watched show of its kind in the country.Terence also has been a visiting professor of journalism at Georgia State University since 2023 after a similar role for the previous eight years at Miami of Ohio University, his alma mater.