Reds Hall of Famer Chris Sabo: An uncommon All-Star

Although unscheduled, he arrived in 1988 at the right time, in the right town, with the right attitude. And maybe it was the goggles, or the flat-top buzz that epitomized Chris Sabo's all-business approach and made him a staple on the Reds' mantel of fan favorites. More likely, it was the way Sabo played, paired with his look and personality off the field that made him one of the most particular players ever to wear a Reds jersey.

His appearance was as distinct as his personality. He looked uncommon, and played as if at any minute the game would be taken from him. Soon enough, Cincinnati was enamored with Sabo's hustle.

"He reminded me of myself when I was a kid," said Pete Rose, Sabo's first big-league manager. "He played hard and he hated to lose. He had all the ingredients of a good player — you wish every player played like him."

The toughness and hard-nosed mentality can be traced to Detroit, his birthplace, where he grew up playing baseball and hockey. On the ice, he was a goaltender, and a good one — he had the hands for it, the same hands needed to hold down the hot corner. He chose the dirt over ice, and decided to play college ball at Michigan rather than sign with the Expos, who selected him straight out of high school.

"I always wanted to go to Michigan, that was always my dream," Sabo said.

An All-American, Sabo played three seasons with the Wolverines. Sabo and Barry Larkin were college teammates, and future Reds infielder Hal Morris walked-on at Michigan after Sabo and Larkin were gone.

The Reds drafted Sabo in 1983 with the second pick of the second round. The Reds soon found out the 6-foot, 185-pound third baseman was a special breed of ballplayer.

He doesn't remember the year, but in the mid-'80s during spring training in Tampa, Sabo worked at McDonald's while trying to make the big leagues.

"I was trying to make a little extra money and I worked at the McDonald's down the road from where we stayed. I walked there," Sabo explained. "I worked there until some of the Reds farm directors found out and made me quit."

Sabo had a willingness to work, another thing that endeared him to a city that shared his work ethic.

"I think there was a connection between him and the fans that was sort of immediate," Reds team historian Greg Rhodes said. "When people first saw him, they didn't know what to expect but they loved what they saw. His personality as it came out in quotes and stories, he just seemed like a down-to-earth guy."

Rose agreed: "I know for a long time he played, he drove the same car. He wasn't a material type of guy - he just wanted to play ball. That's why I liked him."

That car was a Ford Escort, which he drove deep into six figures on the odometer, and well after he began making big-league money.

Cincinnati met Sabo on Opening Day in 1988. Buddy Bell got hurt in the spring, and Sabo got the nod.

"That was my opportunity, and I tried to take advantage of it," Sabo said.

"We had to put somebody in there and Sabes was next in line," Rose said. "He never gave the job back up."

In '88, Sabo was National League Rookie of the Year, hitting .271 with 11 home runs, 44 RBI and 46 stolen bases in 137 games. He also joined Larkin and Danny Jackson as the only Reds to make the All-Star Game that year, the last time Cincinnati hosted the Midsummer Classic. Sabo was an All-Star two more times in his career ('90 and '91).

Sabo's style of play was impossible to ignore, and tough to maintain. He made you remember him, without ever trying to do so. He subscribed to the wanderlust theory of base-running - a reincarnation of Rose, who also loved to terrorize opponents on the base path.

"He probably reminded the city of me," Rose explained Sabo's popularity. "When you play hard every day, don't mind getting dirty and don't walk around like a big-shot, this blue-collar town will like you. He played hard every day and he got pissed at guys that didn't."

A pivotal piece in Cincinnati's 1990 World Series sweep of Oakland, Sabo hit .563 (9-for-16) with two home runs (both in Game 3) and five RBI. His 1990 campaign ended up being his career-best offensive season; he hit .301 with 26 homers and 88 RBI.

"I think he was a great teammate and a great player, probably underrated even though he made All-Star games and was Rookie of the Year," said Hal Morris, Sabo's teammate for five seasons with the Reds and now the L.A. Angels' director of pro scouting. "His knee gave him problems in the middle of his career, but he was a rare blend of speed and power … Sabes got overlooked, he had a great World Series."

Sabo was rare, and unequivocally tough. Morris said he remembered Sabo played through an unpublicized broken hand. He played like a throwback, comfortable in who he was and uninterested in the popularity contest that is professional sports. Cincinnati loved him, and Sabo's still not sure why.

"I just played baseball. I played as hard as I could. I didn't play any different when I was 30 years old than I did when I was 10," said Sabo, who was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2010. "To be perfectly honest, it doesn't matter if people liked me or hated me. A third of the people like you, a third hate you and a third don't give a crap. That's how I live my life."

Sabo played for the Reds until 1993, when free agency took him to the Orioles. He would play for the White Sox and Cardinals, too, before returning to close out his career with the Reds in 1996.

Sabo once famously said "I'd play for free," and he meant it. He would have worked part-time somewhere else to support his family. His priorities were unapologetic and steadfast. He played the game the same way his whole life. And for nine MLB seasons, it was always entertaining, and endlessly unique. People remember unique like they remember a scenic sunset.

"Once it was over, it was over," Sabo said. "It's only fun if you can play at a high level."

After his playing career ended, Sabo started scouting and coaching in the Reds' organization. His golf game picked up, and he even took law school classes at Northern Kentucky University. He didn't graduate, saying he "had no desire to be lawyer, I just sort of did it for fun."

Sabo's still a scratch golfer, and at the end of May he shot 73 and just missed qualifying for the U.S. Senior Open. As he describes it, golf's the only game he's got left.

He's also back on the field coaching again. Last year, Sabo moved to Florida with his wife, Susan, and their youngest daughter, Olivia, to take a job coaching at IMG Academy. Sabo's oldest daughter, Annie, graduated from Michigan, and his middle daughter, Brooke, is enrolled at Ohio State.

As a coach, he still likes the action. Aside from seeing the kids progress and improve, he most enjoys hitting fungo bats and tossing batting practice.

Today, on the 25th anniversary of the 1990 championship team and as the All-Stars return to Cincinnati once more, Sabo continues to stand out in memory.

"I think he's one of the most distinctive personalities to ever play for the Reds," Rhodes said. "He's one of a handful of guys that people tend to remember from decade to decade. As time goes on, guys start to fade in memory. I think Sabo will always be a part of the Reds story."