Sparky Anderson Dead at 76

Baseball Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson has died at 76. Anderson guided the Cincinnati Reds to World Series championships in 1975 and 1976 and then led the Detroit Tigers to the 1984 title. Anderson had been in hospice care, and a family spokesman said the cause of death was complications from dementia. The Detroit Free Press recently reposted a lengthy feature on the beloved manager. Read it here.

"Sparky was, by far, the best manager I ever played for," said Pete Rose. "He understood people better than anyone I ever met. His players loved him, he loved his players, and he loved the game of baseball. There isn't another person in baseball like Sparky Anderson. He gave his whole life to the game." (More Sparky Anderson stories.)