An Interview With Sparky Anderson

I never had the privilege to understand the true greatness of the "Big Red Machine" of the 1970s, mainly because I was alive only half the decade. But I read how great they were, what leaders they were and most importantly what professionals they were.

I recently had a chance to listen to (and later interview) Sparky speak to the Montgomery Women's Club at the Kings Island Theatre. He talked about a variety of topics in his speech - baseball,family, luck, human nature.

But it all revolved around his love of the game and how he will always appreciate the chances he received, especially by Bob Howsam, the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds who hired Sparky in 1969. He managed for five years in the minors before he got the call from Howsam. Before the Reds, Sparky said he didn't have many wins as a player and manager. He said that Howsam must have been thinking, "This guy has a bunch more games to win." When Sparky got to Cincinnati, he said the question in the papers was "Sparky who?" He added,"It also should have been 'Sparky why?'"

But 863 wins, four pennants and two World Series wins later, both questions were answered. He turned out to be a baseball genius, though Sparky always down plays how smart he really is. He may not be, as he says, that book smart, but he is one of the most street smart people around.

Despite winning nearly 2,200 games, Sparky didn't concentrate on his wins and championships. He didn't take his chance to manage a baseball team for granted. He said it was a privilege and honor play and be apart of a child's game. "Playing the sport is like having a license to steal," Sparky said. "It's like going to the bank with a water pistol....then after you get all the bank's money, you give (the bank teller) your address, phone number and name and tell her to give it to the police - and they'd never come."

Having this license doesn't automatically make you a baseball player. When Sparky went to the Detroit Tigers in 1979, it was like night and day from the Cincinnati Reds. Sparky said when he walked in the locker room in Detroit for the first time it was a mess. Their attitude off the field reflected their play on the field. Five years later they were world champs. Now the question is,"How did Sparky win?"

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