Sparky Anderson has died at 76

[Clyde]

:thumb: My dad loved it so much he read it in one day.

 

Life of the retired man.

[stickymitts]

Anyone else shocked to know Sparky was only 76? He looked 76 when managing the Reds.

[Clyde]

Anyone else shocked to know Sparky was only 76? He looked 76 when managing the Reds.

 

What I was most shocked about was being reminded that he coached the Tigers for 17 seasons.

[Wildcat Dad]

RIP SPARKY, Always will remember as A RED. He never looked right in that Tigers Uniform

[Jim Schue]

Anyone else shocked to know Sparky was only 76? He looked 76 when managing the Reds.

 

It was said his hair went white well before he got on board with the Reds at age 36.

 

In his 20s, according to this SI article from '93.

 

The new perfesser

Edited November 5, 2010 by Jim Schue

[oldrambler]

Sparky Anderson needless to say was certainly one of if not the greatest managers of all time. Sparky knew people/players and how to get the absolute best out of them. That was just one quality that made him great.

 

My prayers go out to his family. This is a sad day for me and all baseball fans, MLB and all players. As the Old Lefthander Joe Nuxhall would say, Sparky has rounded third and now is home. R.I.P. George Lee "Sparky" Anderson.

 

 

I couldn't help but think today that "The Main Spark" and "The Old Lefthander" were having themselves a time talking baseball and "The Big Red Machine".

[FarBeyondDriven]

:thumb: My dad loved it so much he read it in one day.

Did the same myself. My 13 yr old daughter loved it too.

[mcpapa]

If you're of a certain age you can picture Sparky coming out of the dugout to argue with or question an umpire with his hands in his back pockets. He did that because of an incident he had in the minors. An argument got heated with arms flailing and it ended up with Sparky and the umpire rolling around on the ground. Of course Sparky was ejected. While sitting in the lockerroom he figured his days as a manager were over. The umpire came in and said "you were out of line but so was I. I'm not going to write this up."

 

Sparky decided then and there to keep his hands in his pockets as much as possible.

 

Great story - reminds me a bit of Earl Weaver always turning his hat backwards so the bill wouldn't hit the umpire in the face.

 

RIP, Sparky.

[oldrambler]

Marty had trouble finishing his interview with Willie today. This and the loss of Joe has hit him hard.

 

I would imagine that this news about Sparky just brought back a rush of memories with working with those two. People can say what they want about Marty but he is another one that is the Cincinnatti Reds, a person just automatically thinks of his name when anything about the Reds is talked about.

[redsfan]

I didn't realize how close Marty and Sparky were. Marty said he knew of every trade being discussed and every trade the Reds were making before they happened because Sparky always kept him in the loop. Marty knew Sparky was being fired when he talked to Sparky about a presser that was coming up the next day. Marty assumed it was to announce that the Reds had traded for Lee Lacy. Sparky told him that he couldn't tell him about the details of this one but afterwards he'd answer all of Marty's questions. Marty hung up the phone knowing that Sparky had been fired.

 

Marty had trouble finishing his interview with Willie today. This and the loss of Joe has hit him hard.

 

To coin a couple phrases of today's generation: Really, Seriously? What a bone headed move. One of many that busted up the Machine.

[redsfan]

Ya know guys those years in the mid 70's now seem like a fantasy. Almost like life was perfect. Those were our heros, wow what a team, just thinking about them brings tears to my eyes. I heard Chris Welsh on 700 yesterday talking about him throwing BP and hitting Bench. He did his impersonation of Perez saying he wasnt getting in against him and then Rose jumping in and wanting to play a game of get me out if you can. That is exactly how I would picture those guys interacting. We have only our memories of that time and that team and if things were any different than I remember them, I dont wanna know about it.

Sparky Anderson was a Cincinnati Red and always will be !

[swamprat]

It was the summer of 68 when I first remember listening to Jim McIntyre and Joe Nuxall call the games on WCCT in Corbin. Listened to them call the 1970 Baltimore WS, then Al Michaels call the 72 Series with the A's, when the Big Red Machine was cranking up. Marty didn't become the voice of the Reds until 1974. It's hard to believe Sparky only managed the Reds 9 years. He and the Big Red Machine were such a big part of my summers growing up, it just seems longer, I guess.

[Clyde]

It was the summer of 68 when I first remember listening to Jim McIntyre and Joe Nuxall call the games on WCCT in Corbin. Listened to them call the 1970 Baltimore WS, then Al Michaels call the 72 Series with the A's, when the Big Red Machine was cranking up. Marty didn't become the voice of the Reds until 1974. It's hard to believe Sparky only managed the Reds 9 years. He and the Big Red Machine were such a big part of my summers growing up, it just seems longer, I guess.

 

How about your first game as a MLB broadcaster is when Hank hits 714.

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

http://www.thepostgame.com/features/201105/other-side-sparky

[Getslow]

Funny that this thread should resurface now. I snapped this photo from my seat at Comerica Park in Detroit on Saturday.