The original [Cincinnati Red Stockings]?, baseball's first openly all-professional team, was founded in 1869 and was a charter member of the [National League]? in 1876, but was expelled from the league later, in part for violating league rules by serving beer to fans at games. When the American Association, a rival league, began play in 1882, it included a team from Cincinnati, which was also called the Red Stockings. By some accounts, the AA team switched leagues in 1890; by other accounts, the AA team folded the same year the new NL team started, and the new team simply signed many of the AA team's star players.
In any case, the current franchise won its first NL championship in 1919, albeit tainted by having been handed it by the Black Sox scandal. Another 20 years passed before their next, led by pitchers Paul Derringer and Bucky Walters. Their greatest success came in the 1970s, when the "Big Red Machine", managed by Sparky Anderson and featuring Hall of Famers [Johnny Bench]? and [Joe Morgan]? as well as [Pete Rose]?, became the first NL team in 50 years to win back-to-back World Series. Their latest World Championship came in 1990, as the Reds led the National League through the entire season and swept the Oakland A's.
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