Sparky Anderson proud that his number will be retired

[CincyRedsFan30]

'Big Red Machine' manager proud that '10' is being retired

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | He began as "Sparky Who?" and finished as "The Main Spark." He is a man who fractured the English language, but fractured more managing records.

He says, "I only had a high school education and, believe me, I had to cheat to get that."

Now, Sparky Anderson, the man the media referred to as "Sparky Who?" when he was named manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1970, returns to Cincinnati on Saturday with a doctorate in baseball.

He will have his uniform No. 10 retired and displayed in Great American Ball Park.

Anderson is in baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the only manager to win a World Series in both leagues — 1975, 1976 with Cincinnati, 1984 with the Detroit Tigers — but he says having his number retired is a career-topper.

"That's the one thing I've wanted ever since I left Cincinnati, to have my number retired, never to be worn again, to have it up there for everybody to remember," he said from his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. "Cincinnati is my second home, where Bob Howsam took a chance and gave me a chance."

For Anderson to admit he wanted his number retired is stunning. He is a man without ego. He isn't afraid to tell the story about the time Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench told him one day in the dugout, "Sparky, just stay out of our way, lean back and enjoy it and we'll win it for you."

Actually, it is a credo with which Anderson always worked.

"The players make the manager and it is never the other way," said the now 71-year-old guy who had gray hair when he was 35. He's also a man who won 863 games for the Reds that included the two World Series rings, four National League pennants and five division titles from 1970-78.

"A baseball manager is a necessary evil," he said. "Baseball is a simple game. If you have good players and keep them in the right frame of mind you are a success."

That success will place the '10' on the facing of the press box along with Fred Hutchinson (1), Johnny Bench (5), Joe Morgan (8), Ted Kluszewski (18), Frank Robinson (20), Tony Perez (24) and Jackie Robinson (42), a number retired by every major-league team.

Amazingly, Anderson managed three of those players — Bench, Morgan and Perez. And while it is not officially retired, no Reds player has worn Pete Rose's 14 since it was taken away from him by Major League Baseball.

Anderson loves to low-key his part in the success of The Big Red Machine, but he was the driver.

"My idea of managing is giving the ball to Tom Seaver, then sitting down and watching him work," he said.

Sparky, though, only had Seaver in 1977 and he didn't win. He earlier had a young Don Gullett and he had Jack Billingham and he had Fred Norman, but never much of a staff to send fear through opposing clubhouses.

It was why his other nickname was Captain Hook. At the first sign of distress, Anderson was on the mound hooking his pitcher out of the game. As for his starting eight position players, he scribbled their names on his lineup card, crossed his legs in the dugout and watched them bludgeon the opposition.

"If you gave us the pitching some of those other teams had, then nobody would have touched us," he said. "God has a way of not arranging it that way. It wouldn't have been as much fun."

He loves to talk about his place in Cooperstown: "That it is special because your grandkids and their grandkids can go there and there you are. The great thing about baseball is that you only have to tell your grandchildren about the good things. If they ask about bad things, I'll tell them I have amnesia."

There wasn't much bad to remember about his years in Cincinnati, other than his untimely and mysterious firing after the 1978 season.

And it happened because Sparky was being the loyal royal guy he is. Club President Dick Wagner wanted to fire Anderson's coaches and he wanted Anderson to tell them. Sparky said, "You'll have to fire me first."

And that's how he won the 1984 World Series for the Tigers.

[redsrbetter]

Congrats Sparky. He was a seriously good manager. Wish he were an option for this team.