Good day everyone!
Up
on the blog today, we have the "missing" 1978 N.L. All-Star manager
card, and for the second year in a row it is Cincinnati Reds skipper
Sparky Anderson, who guided the "Big Red Machine" to a second straight
World Series victory in 1976 over the New York Yankees:
After
a phenomenal 108 win season in 1975 that saw them march to a title over
the Boston red Sox, the Reds kept on winning, taking home 102 victories
the following year before disposing of the Yankees in four straight.
For Anderson, it was his fourth first-place finish in five years, with only a second place finish in 1974 the only "blemish".
In
the All-Star game, the national league beat the American league once
again, this time winning 7-1 as they pounced on starter Mark Fidrych for
two runs in the first two innings before touching Catfish Hunter for
two more runs in the third and then three runs to break it wide open in
the eighth off Frank Tanana.
Anderson would go down as one of the greatest managers in Major
League history, moving on to the Detroit Tigers in 1979, where he would
go on to manage 17 years, giving him a combined 26 years of Big League
managing, even taking home another title with that great 1984 Tiger team
that was in first "wire-to-wire", winning 104 games before beating the
San Diego Padres in the World Series.
All told the man won
2194 games as a manager, finishing with a .545 winning percentage, three
titles, 5 pennants, and of course a Hall of Fame induction in 2000.
Legend, and perpetually looking like an "old man" even when he was in his 30's!
