George "Sparky" Anderson, a born storyteller who became the first manager to lead teams from both the American and National Leagues to World Series titles, died Thursday at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 76.Anderson died as a result of complications from dementia. His family announced on Wednesday that he had been placed in hospice care.
"The baseball world lost one of its best today with the passing of Sparky Anderson," said Tigers owner Mike Illitch in a statement. "His success as a manager, both with the Detroit Tigers and the Cincinnati Reds, was about far more than wins and losses, it was about the character of the man. He cared about his players, he loved the fans and he put his heart and soul into the community. He will always be a favorite among Tigers fans and an important and memorable part of this incredible sports town."
Anderson managed 26 years in the majors, the first nine with the Cincinnati Reds and the rest with the Detroit Tigers. When he retired following the 1995 season, his 2,194 wins (against 1,834 losses) ranked third all-time behind Connie Mack and John McGraw.
Anderson was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame five years later, joining many of the players who had been instrumental in racking up all those wins. And he made clear in his induction speech how much his players had meant to him.
"Let me tell you this, and get it straight, and I hope every manager that follows me will listen very carefully: players earn this, by their skills," he said. "Managers come here, as I did, on their backs, for what they did for me. I never believed different, I will never believe different, and I think that's what made my career so lucky."
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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/11/04/sparky-anderson-dies-at-76-hall-of-fame-manager-led-big-red-mac/
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