My memories of Sparky Anderson -- and the memories of anyone younger than 40 or so -- are of him managing the Tigers. But while he had longevity and success in Detroit, he had even more success in Cincinnati, and that gives us a good reason to turn to this story from the Cincinnati Enquirer recounting a number of little known Sparky anecdotes.
There’s some good stuff about his minor league playing days and his version of why he was fired by the Reds which I somehow missed when he told it a couple of years ago. The best one, though, is about why he would always have his hands in his back pockets when he came out of the dugout for pitching changes or arguments with the umps.
Great stuff about a great guy. Check it out.