You can say it in a single sentence: Sparky Anderson is among the best managers in Major League Baseball history.
There have been numerous characters who’ve occupied dugouts in Major League Baseball, from Connie Mack to John McGraw to Earl Weaver and, notably, to the subject of this commentary, Sparky Anderson. They were all good, too, but you can make an argument that Anderson was the best of the best.
Sparky Anderson managed for 26 seasons, first with the Cincinnati Reds (1970-1978) and then with the Detroit Tigers (1979-1995), and he won world championships with both teams.
Incredibly, Anderson led the Reds to the World Series in 1970, his first season at the helm. The Reds lost that year to the Baltimore Orioles, but it wouldn’t be the last time the Reds would make October noise. The reason is that Anderson had a stable of stars, such as Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, who joined the team in ’72, and more.
The Reds of that era were known, then and now, as the “Big Red Machine.” The Reds won consecutive championships in 1975 and 1976, accumulating over 100 wins each year.
But nothing lasts forever, especially in competitive sports, and the Reds fired Anderson after the 1978 season. The Tigers then became the beneficiary; they had their own stable of stars, including Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish, and Jack Morris. They would help Anderson win another championship in 1984, making Anderson the first manager to win a championship in both the American and National Leagues.
Anderson retired after the 1995 season, finishing with 2,194 wins, which ranks 7th all-time among managers. Five years later, he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Combining baseball savvy with eccentricity, the beloved Anderson put smiles on faces and made baseball a treat for fans. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 76 … gone but certainly not forgotten.
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