Wednesday, March 01, 2000

Sparky's election was slam dunk

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BY TIM SULLIVAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sparky with the 1975 World Championship trophy at Fountain Square celebration. | ZOOM |

        TAMPA, Fla. — Sparky Anderson spent most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds battling the perception that he was playing a pat hand. The Big Red Machine was the surest thing in baseball during the 1970s, and the man who filled out the lineup card had to thank his lucky stars: Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez.

        Yet when his own case for immortality was made to the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee on Tuesday, the push-button manager was a rubber-stamp selection, awarded passage to Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility. As he did for almost a decade at what was then known as Riverfront Stadium, Sparky Anderson made it look easy.

        “Never in my wildest did I ever dream about the Hall of Fame,” he said. "I think the Hall of Fame is bigger than anything you could ever come up with. ... When you stop and think about what you're in there with, it's so scary, it's unbelievable.”

        Tuesday, Anderson's Hall of Fame company included 19th century Reds second baseman Bid McPhee and Negro Leagues star Turkey Stearnes. On July 23, they will be honored in Cooperstown along with Perez, Carlton Fisk and Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman in an induction ceremony with a decidedly Cincinnati flavor.

        The Anderson decision was made with little dissent. The announcement was received as an anticlimax. George Lee “Sparky” Anderson is still the only baseball manager to win the World Series in both leagues, and he trails only Connie Mack and John McGraw in career victories.

        His induction was an inevitability. What little doubt existed about his candidacy was the doubt in Anderson's own mind.

        “I was out walking at 10 after six, which is a good 45 minutes before I'm usually off,” Anderson said from his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. “I had the "yipes.' The longer it went, I got very nervous. When it got to 11 o'clock, I said: "This is not so good. It's a bad sign.' I was extremely nervous, probably as nervous as I can remember.”

        When the telephone call finally came from Tampa, Anderson was in his garage. Told the caller was Joe Browne, the former Pirates general manager who chairs the Veterans Committee, Anderson allowed him self some optimism.

        “I know Joe wouldn't call me with bad news,” he said.

        Notoriously superstitious, Anderson has made several trips to Cooperstown but always avoided touring the Hall of Fame.

        “I always felt this way: I don't ever want to go into the most precious place in the world unless I belong there,” he said. “If I belong there, then I can go in and spend hours looking at everything.”

        Unlike the Baseball Writers Association of America, who elected Perez and Fisk in January, the Veterans Committee does not disclose its vote totals. Each committee member is allowed to vote for up to 10 candidates in four categories: 1) former major-league players; 2) executives, managers and umpires; 3) 19th century Players; 4) Negro League players. The top vote-getter in each category is elected, provided he appears on at least 75 percent of the ballots.

        With 14 of the 15 committee members participating — Buck O'Neill missed the meeting because of a hip injury — the minimum required for election was 11 votes. Other candidates receiving support in Anderson's category included turn-of-the-century Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss and former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog.

        All-time home run king Hank Aaron, the newest member of the Veterans Committee, was among those who spoke on Anderson's behalf.

        “To me, he was a tremendous manager — not only for Cincinnati but also for Detroit,” Aaron said. “He got along with his players. Even players who had less talent, he could get a lot out of them.”

        Bob Broeg, a retired St.Louis sportswriter, said he had hoped Herzog might make a better showing but acknowledged that Anderson was the more compelling candidate. Anderson's 2,194 victories, his five pennants and his three World Series titles exceed the totals of Hall of Fame contemporaries Tom Lasorda and Earl Weaver. He remains the only manager to lead two franchises in victories: Cincinnati and Detroit.

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