Sparky Anderson dies at age 76

• Leonardo

  

  He was the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues.
• Rider_In_Ttown

  

  He is also the all-time winningest coach in both the Reds & Tigers history I think. He is the only coach to do that too. I thought i heard that on the radio earlier.
• vball10set

  RIP Skipper
  
  
  
• Speedofsand

  

  RIP Sparky
  
  I went to a few games as a kid when The Big Red Machine was on top. Those were the best of times. I remember once Sparky was asked about his white hair. He laughed and said 20 years from now all my friends will change & look older. Then you'll look at me and say 'He hasn't aged a bit.'
• THE4RINGZ

  

  Rest in Peace Skipper.
• Ironman92

  

  RIP
  
  Great baseball man/manager
• Little Danny

  

  I'm not trying to knock a guy down when he just passed away, but I remember Sparky from the early 80's Detroit teams. He seemed like he was 76 years back then. Hard to believe he would have been in his mid 40's.
  
  Also, what was the reason he got out of baseball so early in this life? He could have been coaching in the 90's and early 2000's and still not have been old.
• Ironman92

  

  He managed about 25 years as the main guy....pretty long time.
• Art Modell

  

  Very overrated as a coach. I could've won 5 or 6 world series with that lineup he had in Cincy. RIP Sparky.
• Mooney44Cards

  

  Art Modell;545363 wrote:Very overrated as a coach. I could've won 5 or 6 world series with that lineup he had in Cincy. RIP Sparky.

  
  Easier said than done. The Yankees have had probably the most talented team year in and year out since probably 1996, and they've won ONE World Series in the past ten years.
• gerb131

  

  RIP Sparky.
• killdeer

  

  classy and talented manager...every post on here that called Sparky a "coach" knows less about baseball than i do about kabuki dancing........yep Art that means you.
  
  He always looked way older than he was...
  Sparky was handed the managers job for the Reds as a 35 year old, amazingly.....had a cup of coffee with the Phillies, and caught the eye of many executives managing through the minor leagues, including Bob Howsam...and he inaugurated the Big Red Machine in 1970...when the Cincinnati papers hailed his hiring with the headline of "Sparky, Who?"
  
  Sparky was a genius at juggling personalities...he never made any bones about the fact that he managed his stars...Rose, Morgan, Bench, in different and preferential ways......
  
  One of the idols of my youth. RIP Capt. Hook.
  
  
  
• killdeer

  

  
• sportswizuhrd

  Little Danny;545225 wrote:
  Also, what was the reason he got out of baseball so early in this life? He could have been coaching in the 90's and early 2000's and still not have been old.

  I was watching a special about him a few minutes ago on the Detroit NBC and they said he got out of managing because he wasn't happy with the state of baseball right after the strike.
• killdeer

  

  " .....................Anderson's next call was to Pete Rose. Anderson wanted him to be the Reds captain.
  
  “Sparky, anything you want done, let me know,” Rose answered. “I'll go along with anything that's reasonable, and so will the other guys.”
  
  Anderson told Rose he wanted the Reds players to wear suit jackets on the road, wanted them to have relatively closely cropped hair and wanted them to portray a big-league image.
  
  “Done,” Rose responded. “If you've got me and Johnny Bench on your side, you're fine.”
  
  In that one phone call to Rose, the Reds' brass would later note, Anderson exhibited his strongest quality: He was always thinking ahead of how he could get the best out of people in such a way that it also meant bringing out the best for the team..................."