Sparky Anderson: The Life of a Baseball Legend

With his familiar shock of white hair and craggy, prematurely aged face and twinkling eyes, Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson was a one of a kind personality beloved by generations of fans not just in the two cities he led to World Series championships, but throughout the baseball world.

When he retired in 1995 he was third on the list of all-time winningest managers, having accumulated 2,194 victories in managing the Cincinnati Reds to two championships in nine years and adding another with the Detroit Tigers whom he managed for seventeen seasons.

Throughout his years near or at the top of baseball through his 2000 election to the Hall of Fame, Anderson rejected the airs of celebrity no how prominent he became, frequently reminding players and friends alike that, "As long as you remember where you came from, you'll always know where you're going."

Anderson served as mentor to countless young players, coaches, and other managers and his impact on their lives is perhaps best summed up by one of them, Tony La Russa, the only other manager to have won championships in both leagues. He said, "I have such a respect and affection for Sparky that I believe he's one of the greatest, not just managers, but baseball men, ambassadors for the game."

Triumph Books, with archival material from both the Detroit Free Press and the Cincinnati Inquirer is proud to present this tribute to one of the great baseball personalities of the twentieth century.