Thread: Bobby Cox: Best of our generation

Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1 Bobby Cox: Best of our generation 
    Rebel Yell
    Rebel Yell is offline
    Senior Member Rebel Yell's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    South GA
    Posts
    5,173
    Default 07-16-2010, 01:54 PM
    Manager of the Era.

    There's no such award, of course. And I'm in no way advocating for baseball to add yet another piece of dust-collecting hardware to its already expansive list of accolades.

    But if there were such a laurel, it should be bestowed upon Bobby Cox, the Buddha-like curmudgeon who's been sitting at the front end of the bench in the Atlanta Braves' dugout for what seems like forever.

    The guy who reminds us why late-age men shouldn't wear body-hugging baseball uniforms.

    One by-product of Bobby Cox's longevity: He's been tossed from more games than any other manager in history.The guy who has taxed more nerves of more umpires than anyone else in the game's history.

    The guy who has been the best manager in baseball pretty much since I got out of college more than three decades ago.

    Cox says he's retiring at the end of this season. He'll walk away with that gimpy gait after 29 years as a major league manager, the past quarter-century with the Braves. He's won 15 divisional titles (14 straight during one remarkable run; no one counts the strike-tainted 1994 season, which ended in August with the Braves in second place), five National League pennants and a World Series championship.

    He won't retire as baseball's winningest manager -- Connie Mack managed for 53 seasons, after all -- and some will certainly argue that this fictitious Manager of the Era Award should go to Joe Torre. Or Tony La Russa. Or maybe Sparky Anderson. All four men are in baseball's all-time top 10 in victories. As the season gets underway again Thursday night after the All-Star break, La Russa is third overall with 2,599 wins, Cox is fourth (2,465) and Torre is fifth (2,295). Hall of Famer Anderson, who retired in 1995, is sixth with 2,194 wins. (Though he trails this bunch in wins by a wide margin -- he has 1,460 as the Tigers begin the second half of the season -- Jim Leyland's three Manager of the Year awards, two pennants and one World Series title earn him at least a mention in this discussion, too.)

    Torre, with four World Series titles and six American League pennants, is the era's trophy king. But it's my award, and I'm going with Cox.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/comme...johnson/100715
    Love the Braves or hate 'em, Bobby Cox is a class act.
    I feel that once a black fella has referred to white foks as "honky paleface devil white-trash cracker redneck Caspers," he's abdicated the right to get upset about the "N" word. But that's just me. -- Jim Goad
    Reply With Quote  
     
  2. #2  
    lacarnut
    lacarnut is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    11,970
    Default 07-16-2010, 06:51 PM
    He is one of the greats. The Braves will miss him.
    Reply With Quote  
     
  3. #3  
    Bubba Dawg
    Bubba Dawg is offline
    Senior Betwixt Member Bubba Dawg's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    In my own private Alamo on The Mountain in Georgia
    Posts
    13,581
    Default 07-16-2010, 07:21 PM
    Good thread. I like Bobby a lot.

    I'll miss him too.
    Hey careful man! There's a beverage here!
    Reply With Quote  
     
  4. #4  
    lacarnut
    lacarnut is offline
    Banned
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Posts
    11,970
    Default 07-16-2010, 11:36 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Bubba Dawg View Post
    .

    I'll miss him too.
    Me too. My dad and I watched many games on TV together. I think he had just about every hat the Braves sold.
    Reply With Quote  
     
  5. #5  
    JB
    JB is offline
    Senior Member JB's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    7,205
    Default 07-17-2010, 04:42 PM
    No. And the reason why? Leo Mazzone. Leo Mazzone made Braves games unwatchable for me and Cox sat next to that nutjob all the time.

    That's my answer and I'm sticking to it. :D
    Reply With Quote  
     
  6. #6  
    Bubba Dawg
    Bubba Dawg is offline
    Senior Betwixt Member Bubba Dawg's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    In my own private Alamo on The Mountain in Georgia
    Posts
    13,581
    Default 07-17-2010, 04:51 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by JB View Post
    No. And the reason why? Leo Mazzone. Leo Mazzone made Braves games unwatchable for me and Cox sat next to that nutjob all the time.

    That's my answer and I'm sticking to it. :D
    Come on man. You don't like Leo? You must be off your rockrockrockrockrockrock-er. :D
    Hey careful man! There's a beverage here!
    Reply With Quote  
     
  7. #7  
    JB
    JB is offline
    Senior Member JB's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    7,205
    Default 07-17-2010, 04:55 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Bubba Dawg View Post
    Come on man. You don't like Leo? You must be off your rockrockrockrockrockrock-er. :D
    Cool it. I'm getting agitated just thinking about it.
    Reply With Quote  
     
  8. #8  
    NJCardFan
    NJCardFan is online now
    Power CUer NJCardFan's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    13,144
    Default 07-20-2010, 12:01 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by Rebel Yell View Post
    Love the Braves or hate 'em, Bobby Cox is a class act.
    Dude. He's a wife beater. I'd hardly call that a class act. As for his managerial skills, I'd put Tony Larussa and Joe Torre ahead of him. All of those division championships and he only won 1 World Series. He's basically the Marv Levy of MLB.
    "Any Government Big Enough To Give You Everything You Want Is Also Big Enough To Take Everything You Have."-Thomas Jefferson
    Reply With Quote  
     
  9. #9  
    Rebel Yell
    Rebel Yell is offline
    Senior Member Rebel Yell's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    South GA
    Posts
    5,173
    Default 07-20-2010, 08:47 AM
    Quote Originally Posted by NJCardFan View Post
    Dude. He's a wife beater. I'd hardly call that a class act. As for his managerial skills, I'd put Tony Larussa and Joe Torre ahead of him. All of those division championships and he only won 1 World Series. He's basically the Marv Levy of MLB.
    Leave it to a Phillies fan.:D

    Seriously, even at the time, I said the Braves didn't have the team to win the World Series. They were built for the marathon season, not the sprint of the playoffs.

    A monkey could have managed those Yankees teams. Larussa's known for the big chokes, too.
    I feel that once a black fella has referred to white foks as "honky paleface devil white-trash cracker redneck Caspers," he's abdicated the right to get upset about the "N" word. But that's just me. -- Jim Goad
    Reply With Quote  
     
  10. #10  
    NJCardFan
    NJCardFan is online now
    Power CUer NJCardFan's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Posts
    13,144
    Default 07-20-2010, 12:34 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Rebel Yell View Post
    Leave it to a Phillies fan.:D

    Seriously, even at the time, I said the Braves didn't have the team to win the World Series. They were built for the marathon season, not the sprint of the playoffs.

    A monkey could have managed those Yankees teams. Larussa's known for the big chokes, too.
    Larussa also has 2 world championships with 2 different teams in 2 different leagues. Cox's Blue Jays blew a 3 games to 1 lead in the 1085 LCS. But only winning 1 world championship is astounding. And if you're not going to build a team to win a championship, why are you playing? Not to mention he lost to some really inferior teams. Look at my '93 Phillies? We had 1 pitcher yet won in 6 games. However, it's the wife beating that I really can't get past.
    "Any Government Big Enough To Give You Everything You Want Is Also Big Enough To Take Everything You Have."-Thomas Jefferson
    Reply With Quote  
     
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Bookmarks
Bookmarks
Posting Permissions
  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Forum Rules