Presenter Gary Crouch proposes that the trade of future-Hall of Fame slugger Frank Robinson, rather than being one of worst trades in Reds or baseball history, actually aided in the creation of the Big Red Machine and may have been instrumental in its success. We’ll review the Big Red Machine years (1969-1979) focusing on player transactions including the Tony Perez trade. A Reds fan since age nine and a freelance writer, Crouch has published many articles on Cincinnati baseball and also volunteered at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame.