RIP Sparky Anderson

[JSngry]

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101104&content_id=15996288&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

[Matthew]

Man, that is sad. A ton of memories of Sparky from the Big Red Machine days.

[GA Russell]

RIP. I had his bubble gum card in 1960, when he was known as George Anderson, outfielder for the Phillies.

Not only did he enjoy success as a manager, but he was more well-spoken than most managers are. He was good for a quote.

[MarkWeissEarwopa]

So if Sparky Anderson had a jazz avatar, who would it be? Red Rodney?

[Dan Gould]

This is sad news for my Mom, she really loved Sparky and those Big Red teams. Amazing that it had just been announced he had been moved into hospice and just like that, he's gone.

Anyone remember his appearance on WKRP in Cincinnati? Very fine performance for a non-actor. I think I'll dig out my DVD set and watch this weekend. RIP.

[paul secor]

A manager I respected - RIP, Mr. Anderson.

This may not be the place for this, but I'm reminded of a piece that Bill James wrote years ago about what various baseball managers would be doing if there were no baseball. The two I remember were - Billy Martin would be doing five to ten for manslaughter, and Sparky Anderson would be a house painter. When I read it, I thought, yeah, I could imagine both of those being true.

I can also remember seeing an television interview where he was humorously complaining that people thought that he was much older than Mickey Mantle, when in fact he was three years younger.

[Chalupa]

Oh dang. R.I.P. Sparky.

[Hardbopjazz]

A great person for baseball. RIP Sparky.

[Big Al]

The game has lost one of the greats. RIP

[Quincy]

This is sad news for my Mom, she really loved Sparky and those Big Red teams. Amazing that it had just been announced he had been moved into hospice and just like that, he's gone.

Yeah, I thought the announcement of his death was an error at first given the timing. It was also a bit of a jolt when the hospice story came up as the headline I read said "former Tiger manager." And then I remembered he spent double the amount of years managing the Tigers as he did the Big Red Machine.

Not that my hair has gotten that white, but I think Steve Martin & Sparky Anderson had a profound effect on me that going grey (or silver or white) at a young age is a perfectly fine to do and thus I've never had the urge to dye my hair, no matter what Keith Hernandez or Walt Frazier say otherwise. Sparky's white hair did a better of showing off his red face when he was angry with umpires too.

Edited November 4, 2010 by Quincy

[Ted O'Reilly]

I worked as the morning show DJ at a radio station in a small city just north-west of Toronto (Brampton, ON), in the summer of 1964. It was the first year Sparky Anderson ever managed a ball team -- the triple A Toronto Maple Leafs. Yup, same name as the hockey team, but unrelated. (In fact, the ball team had the name before the puck boys: 1911 Eastern League, 1912-1967 International League).

Anyway, my station got the rights to do the recreated away games of the Leafs. (To be honest, I don't think anyone else wanted them, the ball interest was so slight in those days). As a promotion one time, before the game the club mounted a three-inning tilt between Media and some of the coaches -- coulda been 5 per team. I was drafted for Media, squibbed a puny grounder and was tagged out between home plate and first by Sparky, who was playing sorta first AND second base, but still way up on the grass. One of my great sports moments...

[JSngry]

Sparky indeed! :tup:tup:tup:tup

Sparky Rips The Press (NSFW Bad Language!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgJ2jFVp1bc

[Randy Twizzle]

Roger Kahn writing about Sparky in 1977

[Chuck Nessa]

He did his job well and seemed to be a nice man. Not an easy task.

[Tim McG]

I loved the guy's style....sad to see him go.

RIP Sparky.

[PHILLYQ]

He did his job well and seemed to be a nice man. Not an easy task.

I think that's exactly it, he had a tough job but he was also a decent guy, not always so easy to accomplish.

[papsrus]

RIP Mr. Anderson. One of the greats.

[Van Basten II]

Most of us remember him as the Reds Manager, but I enjoyed his run with the Tigers especially with the great team of 1984, RIP Mr Anderson.

[alocispepraluger102]

Most of us remember him as the Reds Manager, but I enjoyed his run with the Tigers especially with the great team of 1984, RIP Mr Anderson.

i'm wearing my reds tee today.

one still remembers the reds lineup from the 70s, and perhaps even the batting order, and joe and marty.

while with the tigers, the unflappable sparky did daily call-ins with wjr legend jaye p. mccarthy(just the best radio host that ever was). mixing that with ernie doing the tiger games with the classy voice of paul caray--wow.

i've a cassette or two in the attic somewhere.

[Matthew]

Interesting article on Sparky