Bobby Cox Deserves Proper Send-Off
The award meant for Bobby Cox does not exist. Manager of the Year does not do Cox justice. Now, if there was a Manager of the Era award that would be a little closer to summing him up.
It seems like the stocky Cox has been sitting in the Atlanta Braves dugout forever. It will be a bizarre sight once he’s not there anymore.
Throughout his career, Cox has ticked off umpires and reminded us why seasoned men shouldn’t wear body-hugging baseball uniforms. Most importantly, he has been a winner, which is ultimately what the greats are measured by.
The longtime manager has stated that this is his last season, after 29 years of managing. Throughout his career, he's won 15 divisional titles, five National League pennants and a World Series Championship.
Unfortunately, Cox won’t finish with the most wins of any manager, after all, Connie Mack managed for 53 seasons. Some may also argue that Joe Torre or Tony La Russa should be the managers of the era. All three, including Cox, are among the top 10 for most wins. La Russa is third overall with 2,599 wins, Cox is fourth (2,465) and Torre is fifth (2,295). Torre, with four World Series titles and six American League pennants, is the era's trophy king; however he did get to manage the Yankees.
Bobby Cox is of a dying breed of managers, managers who stick with their team for a long time and who are loyal to their team as their team is loyal to them. So many times, managers take too much of the blame for a team’s struggles and get fired too quickly or unjustly. Today’s philosophy in sports seems to be, fire first, think later.
Not to get too ahead of ourselves though, some will remember that Cox has had two stints with Atlanta. His first one was nowhere near as glamorous as his second one. The first four years he spent with the Braves were all last place finishes for an overall record of (266-323). He was then fired by the combustible Ted Turner, who was the owner at the time.
Nine seasons and five Braves managers later, Cox was back in Atlanta to stay.
Cox’s run of 14 straight division titles ended in 2006 and the team has not reached the postseason in five years.
The Braves have learned this time though to stick with the genius that led them to glory. Many managers would have already been fired, but Cox is a special case.
Fans have even voted to replace Cox with a younger manager who is more in-tune with today’s game.
Rather than replace Cox, though, the team has simply rebuilt and given him the team he needs. Tim Hudson has stepped up big this year, as well as veterans such as Martin Prado, the NL's leading hitter (.325), catcher Brian McCann, and in Jason Heyward, who are leading the young bunch back to the top. The team has now also added slugging shortstop Alex Gonzalez to the group.
So of course, the same man who was “past his prime” is now a baseball genius, as if that should’ve been questioned.
It will be hard to replace a manager like Cox, as many teams have struggled to find success after a successful manager. Just ask the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers’ Sparky Anderson left the team after the 1995 season and it was eleven years and five managers later before the Tigers went back to the postseason.
What better way for Cox then to once again prove everyone wrong and show why he is the manager of the era? He has the chance of going out on the highest note possible and will leave an unforgettable legacy behind him.
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