Sparky Anderson – 1973 Topps #296

George Lee “Sparky” Anderson (February 22, 1934 – November 4, 2010) was an American Major League Baseball manager. He managed the National League’s Cincinnati Reds to the 1975 and 1976 championships, then added a third title in 1984 with the Detroit Tigers of the American League. He was the first manager to win the World Series in both leagues. His 2,194 career wins are the sixth most for a manager in Major League history. He was named American League Manager of the Year in 1984 and 1987. Anderson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Anderson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a manager in 2000. Although he managed 17 seasons in Detroit and just 9 seasons in Cincinnati, his Hall of Fame plaque has him wearing a Cincinnati Reds uniform. He chose to wear the Reds cap at his induction in honor of former GM Bob Howsam, who gave Anderson his first chance at a major-league managing job. Before his induction, Anderson had refused to go inside the Hall because he felt unworthy, saying “I didn’t ever want to go into the most precious place in the world unless I belonged.” In his acceptance speech he gave a lot of credit to his players, saying there were two kinds of managers, “One, it ain’t very smart. He gets bad players, loses games and gets fired. There was somebody like me that was a genius. I got good players, stayed out of the way, let ‘em win a lot, and then just hung around for 26 years.” He was very proud of his Hall induction, “I never wore a World Series ring … I will wear this ring until I die.”
Anderson was also inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame the same year. On May 28, 2005, during pre-game ceremonies in Cincinnati, Anderson’s jersey number, #10, was retired by the Reds. A day in Anderson’s honor was also held at Detroit’s Comerica Park during the 2000 season. On June 17, 2006, Anderson’s number was retired by the Fort Worth Cats, for whom Anderson had played in 1955. In 2007, Anderson was elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Throughout the 2011 season the Tigers honored Anderson with a patch on their right sleeves. They officially retired his No. 11 on the brick wall at Comerica Park on June 26, 2011.