CINCINNATI -- Sure, George Anderson was born in South Dakota, spent most of his life living in Southern California and had a successful managerial run in Detroit, but to Reds fans, Sparky Anderson belonged to Cincinnati. Anderson, the Hall of Fame manager who died Thursday at the age of 76 following complications from dementia, had his iconic career begin with the Reds. From 1970-78, there was no one in the game that was better. After all, this was the man who helmed the Big Red Machine -- one of the greatest dynasties in baseball history.
"One of the all-time greats," Reds Hall of Fame radio voice Marty Brennaman said Wednesday when word came that Anderson was in hospice care. "I laugh at anyone that says they could have managed those Reds teams. The hell they could. There were a lot of egos in that clubhouse. They had to find a way to make it work before they got on the field."
"Baseball lost an ambassador today," Rose said in a statement. "Sparky was, by far, the best manager I ever played for. He understood people better than anyone I ever met. His players loved him, he loved his players, and he loved the game of baseball. There isn't another person in baseball like Sparky Anderson. He gave his whole life to the game."
http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/art ... n&c_id=cin
He was the best Manager that I have ever seen manage the Reds. I didn't even realize that he passed away until I stumbled onto this article. It is a good read.
