Sparky Anderson

[Tom Poje]

My favorite all time quote of his, was after Jack Morris pitched a no-hitter, and Sparky's comment was

"I never managed a no-hitter before"

(Thank heavens no one else was managing who might have blown it!)

But I bet the Sieve has better stories and memories.

[david rigby]

35 years later, The Big Red Machine is still the most impressive team in my memory. Sparky should get most of the credit.

[movedon]

Best Sparky quote - "I’ve got my faults, but living in the past is not one of them. There’s no future in it."

So long, Sparky.

[Guest Sieve]

Yeah, Detroit got hit with its second baseball tragedy of the year when Sparky died--the other was Ernie Harwell's passing. Couldn't ask for 2 nicer guys to be part of a baseball team--or any other enterprise--at the same time!! Or 2 nicer guys, period . . . The 2 of them used to take walks together every morning when the Tigers were on the road--oh, to be a fly on the windshield during those times they spent together. As of yesterday, I suspet those walks have begun anew.

He truly could get more out of a team than any manager of his era. The Tigers of 1984, with no hall-of-famers, won the World Series thanks to Sparky--the team that year was truly more than the sum of its parts, and Sparky was the difference. I think he won pennants with 5 different minor leage teams in his 7 years managing in the minors. Of course, pitchers didn't really like Mr. Hook a whole lot--but, he was just a little bit ahead of his time.

My favortie story -- Sparky was only a high school graduate--and he always said he had to cheat his way to his diploma. But, as you know, he came from the Casey Stengel School of Fractured English (whose most famous graduate, of course, was Yogi Berra). When Sparky was named Reds' manager, his wife suggested he get a diction coach so he could sound more polished & refined, but Sparky immediately rejected the idea outright by saying "It ain't gonna help me!". Then he apologized to his wife and corrected himself, and said: "It ain't gonna help me none!"

Rest well, Sparky.