THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Sparky Anderson was walking in his Thousand
Oaks neighborhood last Friday when he finally recognized the
significance of his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"It sunk in (that) morning. I realized that when I walk away from
the microphone, it will mean the end of my baseball career. I will
never lose another game, nor will I ever win another game," he said.
|  | | Sparky Anderson won 1,331 games in 17 seasons with Detroit. |
Only George Lee (Sparky) Anderson, native son of Bridgewater, S.D.,
(population 630) and favorite son of Thousand Oaks for nearly 35
years, could put such a precise and unusual spin on his incredible
accomplishment.
But when Anderson, accompanied by his wife Carol, sons Lee of
Newbury Park and Albert of Ed Dorado Hills, daughter Shirlee of
Granite Bay and nine of his 14 grandchildren, is inducted Sunday into
the Baseball Hall of Fame in ceremonies at Cooperstown, N.Y., it will
be a bittersweet moment.
"The cycle will have made its full cycle," said Anderson, who
became a professional ballplayer with the Dodgers in 1953 and became
the third-winningest manager in baseball history with 2,194 victories.
"It's kind of sad, not that it wasn't a great trip."
He managed Cincinnati for nine years, winning two World Series
(1975, 1976), and he piloted Detroit for 17 years, capturing the World
Series in 1984. He retired after the 1995 season.
A year ago this past Sunday Anderson, 66, underwent successful
triple bypass surgery in Thousand Oaks.
"If I felt the way I do today, I never would have left baseball. I
loved managing," he said.
"I was tired the last few years of managing. I'd get up and have
breakfast, then at 10 o'clock, I'd take a rest until 1."
Still, Anderson has no regrets. The election to the Hall of Fame
has more than kept him busy since he got word in late February he
would be enshrined among the greats of baseball.
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Fast facts
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George Lee (Sparky) Anderson
Born: Bridgewater, S.D.
Residence: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Age: 66, born Feb. 22, 1934
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 170
Family: Wife, Carol; three children; 14 grandchildren
Managerial history: Managed Cincinnati Reds for nine years and
Detroit Tigers for 17. No. 3 on baseball's all-time win list with
2,194 victories. Only person to win World Series titles in both the American and
National league (Cincinnati, 1975, 1976, and Detroit, 1984)
Playing history: An infielder, he played professionally from 1953
to 1963. Batted .218 with no homers, 34 RBI in only major league
season (Philadelphia, 1959).
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"Al Kaline told me my life would change in a big way when I went
into the Hall. Boy, was he right."
Since his election to the Hall of Fame, he has had more than 20
speaking engagements and countless radio and television interviews.
He's also been inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame.
Anderson is humble and quick to praise others yet proud of his
accomplishments.
He has three significant achievements:
He is the only manager to win World Series titles in both
leagues.
He is the only one to win 100 games in both leagues.
He is the franchise leader in victories for both the teams he
managed.
And he's also proud to be the only South Dakotan in the Baseball
Hall of Fame.
Even though he managed Detroit longer, Anderson is wearing a Reds
cap for his Cooperstown plaque.
"The Reds gave a 35-year-old a chance to manage in the big
leagues. They were crazy to go out on a limb, because if anyone said
they knew I'd be a success, they'll be telling a big lie."
Anderson had a simple managerial philosophy.
"I didn't tell them how to do it; I showed 'em how," he said.
"Managers like to make excuses. That's the easy way. The hard way is
to show them.
"I always was at the ballpark early. My door was always open to my
players. They knew they could talk with me and I could show them
how."
Anderson is not a big believer in massive planning.
"I went in, assessed the situation and dealt with it," he said.
Anderson said he developed his own philosophies. He learned the
most from Lefty Phillips, who managed the Angels for a year and a
half.
He was close to George Scherger, his first manager, at Santa
Barbara in 1953.
"George coached for me for nine years," Anderson said. "George had all the
brains."
There is no other game like baseball, according to Anderson.
"Baseball allows a person to be young his whole life. If a young
man plays Little League, he gets a lot. He'll get more in high school,
college and the pros. Baseball allows so many dreams to come true. The
game also allows a fan to be the manager. In the coffee shop and in
the beer hall, the fan talks about the game. It's the only game that's
open to so much criticism."
(Larry Ames writes for the Ventura County Star in Ventura, Calif.)
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