Sparky Anderson, the white-haired Hall of Fame manager who directed Cincinnati Reds's Big Red Machine to back-to-back World Series championships and won another one in Detroit Tigers, died Thursday. He was 76. Anderson died from complications from dementia, family spokesman Dan Ewald said. A day earlier, Anderson's family said he had been placed in hospice care. Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins. His Reds teams featuring Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan that won crowns in 1975 and 1976 rank among the most powerful of all time. Led by Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell, Anderson won with the Tigers in 1984. Anderson's win total of 2,194 was the third highest when he retired after the 1995 season, trailing only Connie Mack and John McGraw. He's still sixth on the career list. Always affable and ever talkative, Anderson was equally popular among players, fans and media. Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5764168
One of the great characters and managers in the game. Always great on TV in interviews. Thanks for the memories.
