"Sparky
had a way of making everybody look in the mirror at themselves. As far as I'm
concerned, that's the key to being a good manager."— Joe Morgan
Congratulations Sparky!!!
The following is taken from the Baseball Hall of Fame website. Visit the Hall at:
Thank you!
"Sparky
had a way of making everybody look in the mirror at themselves. As far as I'm
concerned, that's the key to being a good manager."
— Joe Morgan
"We had a remarkably talented team, but Sparky was the catalyst.… He
believed in playing the game the right way. He believed in acting the right way.
He set images and roles. When somebody gives you that, you carry it along the
rest of your life."
— Johnny Bench
"He's done things no other manager in history ever has done. And he's
meant so much for the color of the game."
— Tommy Lasorda
Born: February 22, 1934, at Bridgewater, South Dakota.
Sparky Anderson, the scrappy former infielder who managed the powerhouse Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970s, is one of the most respected managers in baseball history. Anderson — the only manager ever to win World Championships in both leagues — had 18 consecutive winning seasons and ranks third on the all-time managerial win list, trailing only Connie Mack and John McGraw.
George Lee Anderson grew up in Los Angeles, where he got his start in baseball as the batboy for coach Rod Dedeaux's USC Trojans. He signed with the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school and spent six years in the minors before finally getting the call to the big leagues. An intelligent, hustling player, Anderson was the Phillies' regular second baseman in 1959. He batted .218 with no homers and 34 RBI, and although he fielded his position well, he never got another chance to play in the majors. Anderson quit playing in 1964 to pursue managing, a role in which his scrappy determination — the source of his nickname — served him well. After managing five years in the minor leagues, he was named manager of the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 1970 season.
With Anderson at the helm for nine seasons, the Reds won 863 games, four pennants, and won more than 90 games seven times. Spurred by a lineup that included Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, and Johnny Bench, the Big Red Machine averaged more than 100 wins per season from 1972 through 1976. Anderson guided the team to World Series victories in 1975 — a dramatic, hard-fought win over the Red Sox — and 1976 — a dominating sweep of the Yankees.
After the 1978 season Anderson left the Reds. The next year he joined the Detroit Tigers in mid-season and picked up where he had left off, posting a winning record in each of his first 10 years with Detroit. In 1984 his inspired Tigers team, led by Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker, defeated the San Diego Padres in the World Series. The key moment came in Game 5, when Kirk Gibson hit the series-winning home run off ace reliever Goose Gossage.
Throughout his career Anderson was known for his superb handling of young players. Under his sure-handed guidance players like Trammell, Gibson, Morris, and Ken Griffey Sr. blossomed into stars. He retired in 1995 after winning 1,331 games in 17 seasons with the Tigers. Overall, Anderson's winning percentage was .545 with 2,194 total wins. His career record in postseason games is 34-21 for a stellar winning percentage of .618.