So, back in the mid 2000’s, I met and had the pleasure of working with one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever worked with in central Indiana. He had been a child prodigy at one point, and had actually played stadium organ with the Indianapolis Indians at only 9 years old! Weeks into our friendship, he found out I was a big Reds fan, and commented, as many people do, how big a fan he had been of the Big Red Machine growing up as a young boy. He told me Johnny Bench was his favorite player growing up.
He went on to relay a story to me that his father had taken him to his first Reds game sometime in the mid ’70’s, and he was so excited to get to see his idol, Johnny Bench play. He said, “I got to the game and looked around to see Johnny on the field, and I looked down the base line to the bullpen, and I see some guy named “Plummer” catching!”
I said, “Yeah, Bill Plummer.”
“You know who Bill Plummer is?”
“Of course I do,” I commented. “In fact, I may be one of the few people you’ll ever meet who knows who Bill Plummer is, but he was Bench’s backup in those days.”
“Yeah, well, imagine my disappointment,” my buddy complained, “to go to my first Reds game to see Johnny Bench play, and some weirdo named “Plummer” is catching. I never did see Bench the whole game!”
I laughed and jokingly teased him that he just happened to be at one of maybe three or four games Plummer ever played. It was a funny moment for both of us.
Flash forward about a year. I’m attending RedsFest, and as you may or may not know, autographs for Reds players are free once you pay your admission. So after years of attending the fan festival, I’d never had to pay for a single Reds autograph. However, this particular year, a local non-profit that had a booth set up had none other than Bill Plummer in the booth signing autographs for charity, and they were charging $20 for a signature and photograph. I told my wife, “I’m gonna get Plummer’s autograph and give it to my buddy as a gag gift.” So I did. I paid $20 for Bill Plummer’s autograph — the only Reds player autograph I have ever paid for in my life — and made sure my wife got a picture of him signing his name.
I bought a black and white Plummer 8x10 at another booth, and when I got home, I assembled the 8x10, the autograph, a 1978 Plummer Topps card and the picture of him signing into a frame. At our next band practice, I eagerly approached my buddy and told him I had procured him a gift from RedsFest. Excited it might be some Bench memorabilia, I instead handed him the Plummer frame. I exclaimed that he is now in possession of what might possibly be the only Bill Plummer shrine ever assembled. BIG laffs! And a big hug. He loved the gag, and the gift, and we laughed about it time and again.
Flash forward another three years. At 47 years old, my friend tragically died from a massive and very sudden heart attack. Having been summoned to his home by his family as one of his close friends, I was walking around his house in a grief-ridden fog. I strolled through his bedroom, and on top of his dresser I saw three items… One was a Colts football signed by Peyton Manning. Another was a signed photo of an Indiana Pacer who I cannot remember now. And in between them both was the 8x10 shrine of Bill Plummer. I’m tearing up now writing this as I did at that moment I saw the picture.
I walked outside and spoke to my buddy’s father-in-law, a local pastor and another dear friend of mine. I told him about the picture and that I didn’t want things to be odd, but I’d like to have it back if and when the family decided it was OK. He said to me, “Paul, nobody knows anything about that picture. Go take it now. No one here is going to be bothered by that.”
I took it home with me, and it hung in my Reds Room in Indy, and I am proud to say it now hangs right by the door in a very prominent place in my Reds Room here in South Carolina. It was one of the first pieces to go up when I moved here seven years ago and it is one of my most prized pieces. I’ve included a picture of it here for you to see. Perhaps you’ll find it as amusing as we did.
I share this with all due respect to Bill Plummer, who had a fine MLB playing and coaching career, and will live forever in our hearts as a special member of the BRM. My sympathies and prayers go out to his family at his loss. For me, seeing the glee on my buddy’s face as an adult at my gift after what must had been a massive disappointment as a young boy in not getting to see his idol play is one of the most cherished memories I have.
Thanks, Bill. Maybe say Hi to Bobby for me.
