“…now we’ll get down to some hard rootin’!” – George “Sparky” Anderson, October 14, 1984
Yesterday there was a report that former baseball manager legend Sparky Anderson was receiving hospice care at his Thousand Oaks, California home due to complications of dementia. Fans of the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers–the teams Anderson led to 2,194 victories and three World Series championships during his 26 years as a manager–as well as baseball fans around the world were particularly concerned with Sparky’s condition.
I planned to write an entry at this site to honor him, and decided to choose as the quote his comment to President Reagan during their congratulatory post-World Series title phone call in 1984. With less than four weeks remaining until the 1984 presidential election that would keep Reagan in the White House, Sparky excitedly told the president–perhaps in response to Reagan remarking that he had been rooting for the Tigers–“I’ll tell you what, now we’ll get down to some hard rootin’!“ That quote has remained a favorite of mine ever since, especially for the way it reflected Sparky’s intrepid energy and youthful enthusiasm. I was going to write how I, like thousands of other baseball fans, were rooting hard for Sparky during this undoubtedly physically and emotionally difficult time for him and his family. But today came another report with the sudden and sad news that Sparky Anderson died at his home at the age of 76.
The greatness of his baseball resume ranks among the very best in the history of the game: fifth all-time in victories, a career winning percentage of .545, the first manager to lead a team in the National and American Leagues to World Series championships, and only six losing seasons among his 26 as a manager (remarkably only one in his first 19 seasons.) Sparky was also a mentor to many of the greatest players of the past 40 years: Bench, Rose, Morgan, and Perez with the 1970s Big Red Machine in Cincinnati; Gibson, Morris, Trammell, and Whitaker with the second winningest team of the 1980s in Detroit.
Expressions of love and appreciation are already filling the stories following his passing. They reflect the unique connection this colorful and dynamic figure had on his players and the game during his nearly four decades in baseball. However, the best tribute to Sparky was etched on his Baseball Hall of Fame plaque in Cooperstown, New York ten years ago: “Revered and treasured by his players for his humility, humanity, eternal optimism and knowledge of the game.” The only word missing from that tribute is “fans”, who also treasured Sparky and will always happily recall his genuine decency, consistent success, and irrepressible spirit.
