The world lost a great coach today with the passing of Greg Simmons. He was a legendary figure in the baseball world and will be remembered by many.
Coach Gus was a true Longhorn Legend in every way and a University of Texas treasure. He was a member of the 1952 SWC championship team.
Sparky Anderson
Sparky Anderson was a manager who managed a baseball team that earned the nickname “Big Red Machine.” He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Despite his lack of experience as a player, Anderson was named manager of the Cincinnati Reds in 1970 and won 102 games that year. He led his team to a National League West title and a sweeping sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL championship series.
Anderson was a true believer in the rules of baseball, which he enforced throughout his tenure with the Reds. General Manager Howsam had a rule that the Reds would be clean-cut and not be like the hippies from the Oakland A’s who won the 1972 World Series. He wanted his team to be disciplined and play hard, and Sparky was the man who made sure that everyone abided by this rule.
He also believed in teamwork, ensuring that every member of the team was on the same page. He emphasized this in his management style, and he did an excellent job of teaching his players how to work together as a unit.
In the mid-1970s, Anderson was hired as a manager by the Detroit Tigers. He quickly won over fans with his fiery style and stewardship of the team. He was the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues, and he was the American League Manager of the Year twice.
His career as a manager is remembered for many memorable moments, including his famous pitching change. He called it a “captain hook.” His aggressive and authoritative style of management allowed him to manipulate the pitchers on his staff to get the exact matchups that he wanted.
He was a strong leader, and his players respected him for it. He was a great motivator and had a knack for getting players to work together to achieve a common goal.
After retiring as a manager, he spent some time doing color commentary for the Angels and started a charity that he ran for sick children. He died in 2010 at the age of 76.
Joe Torre
Joe Torre is one of the most successful coaches in mlb history. He was known for his ability to lead his teams to high levels of performance and his commitment to the players he managed. His success has led to his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
His first job as a manager was with the New York Mets in 1977. After a rough start, the team was eventually able to improve their record, and Torre went on to manage the New York Yankees for twelve years. In that time, he won four World Series titles with the team and amassed 2,122 wins as a manager.
After his time with the Mets, Torre also managed the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, although he never achieved the level of success that he had with the Yankees. He was also criticized for his handling of player contracts, and he had trouble keeping players from leaving for other teams in the offseason.
As a coach, Torre is known for his excellent communication skills and strategy. He has a unique ability to understand the needs of his players, and he is able to get the most out of them.
He was a member of the Mets’ bench from 1975 to 1977, and after retiring as a player in 1981, he became a full-time manager. He compiled an overall winning record of 359-354, but his best season was 87-75 in 1993.
While managing the Braves, he won the Manager of the Year award in 1982, and his 1982 team won the NL West championship. However, his relationship with Braves owner Ted Turner was strained and he was released from his contract in 1984.
In his later years, Torre was a television broadcaster for the California Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a fan of thoroughbred racing and has a horse named “Sis City,” which won the Ashland Stakes in 2005.
Despite his managerial success, Torre had some of the most difficult times in his career. He was fired from the Cardinals in 1995, after the club’s rebirth and the team’s shaky performance that year. He was later hired by the Dodgers, where he managed for three seasons before stepping down in 2010. In 2010, Torre returned to his former home in Queens to pay tribute to George Steinbrenner, who had passed away earlier that year.
Tony La Russa
Tony La Russa’s career was a success that spanned 34 years as a manager in the Major League Baseball. He guided teams to three World Series titles and six pennants, as well as 13 division championships in that time period. He also won four Manager of the Year awards.
After a brief playing career, La Russa began managing in 1978 with Knoxville of the Double-A Southern League. He was hired as the Chicago White Sox manager in 1979, and he led them to the American League West division title in 1983.
He spent three seasons in Chicago before being fired in 1986, but he was quickly back on the job in Oakland, where he steered the Athletics to the 1989 and 1990 AL pennants and the 1989 World Series title. He managed the team through the 1995 season before he was moved to St. Louis, where he guided the Cardinals to three National League pennants and two World Series titles before retiring in 2011.
One of the best skippers in mlb history, La Russa is destined for the Hall of Fame after his storied career as a coach. He is third in the list of all-time winning managers behind Connie Mack and John McGraw, and he won 3,731 games during his managing career.
Born in Tampa, Florida, Tony La Russa started his baseball career as a player and went on to win several prestigious awards as a second baseman. He played in a number of big-league leagues, including the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and Atlanta Braves.
Upon his retirement from the playing field, La Russa took up a position with MLB as a consultant on on-field discipline. He served for several years as a member of the Advisory Committee on Player Safety and Performance.
A passionate advocate for animal welfare, La Russa co-founded the animal rights group ARF in 1991. He also co-founded the ARF Foundation, which has helped over a million stray pets since its founding in 1991.
As a manager, La Russa guided the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals to the postseason in nine different seasons. He won the World Series with each of those clubs and is ranked third in all-time wins as a major-league manager, trailing only Connie Mack and John McGraw.
Barry Bonds
During the 1990s, Barry Bonds was an iconic player. He was a slugger who set a number of records. He was also a popular figure, and he is still remembered by many baseball fans today.
Bonds is a former professional baseball left fielder who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He was a seven-time National League MVP and 14-time All-Star, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in baseball history.
The son of Bobby Bonds and Patricia Howard, he was born on July 24, 1964 in Riverside, California. He was a godson of Hall of Famer Willie Mays and a cousin of Reggie Jackson.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985 and signed a contract with them. He was a star, hitting a home run in his first at-bat and leading the National League in home runs and walks.
Despite his huge success, Barry Bonds was not a happy camper. His relationship with the media and his disdain for fans made him a controversial figure.
After a mediocre season in Pittsburgh, Bonds entered free agency in 1996 and became a top player on the market. But he could not land the big deal that other stars were receiving because of his personality and reputation, and some teams did not want to deal with him.
His agent Dennis Gilbert called all the top teams and begged them to make him a offer. He ended up signing with the San Francisco Giants in 2000, and his signing led to a renaissance for the franchise.
By the time he had retired in 2007, Bonds had amassed a colossal 762 home runs, the most ever by a Major League Baseball player. He was an all-time leader in home runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs scored. He was a charter member of the 500 home run and 500 stolen base clubs and the all-time leader in both categories.
He was one of the most polarizing figures in baseball and is a legend among baseball fans. But he is also known for his connections to performance-enhancing drugs and may never be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
