Hall of Famer Anderson dies

Sparky Anderson, the white-haired Hall of Fame manager who directed Cincinnati's Big Red Machine to back-to-back World Series championships and won another one in Detroit, died yesterday in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 76.

Anderson died from complications from dementia, family spokesman Dan Ewald said. A day earlier, Anderson's family said he had been placed in hospice care.

Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins.

His Reds teams featuring Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan that won crowns in 1975 and 1976 rank among the most powerful of all time. Led by Kirk Gibson and Alan Trammell, Anderson won with the Tigers in 1984.

Anderson's win total of 2,194 was the third highest when he retired after the 1995 season, trailing only Connie Mack and John McGraw. He's still sixth on the career list - he won 863 games in 9 years with the Reds and 1,331 in 17 seasons with the Tigers.

Always affable and ever talkative, Anderson was equally popular among players, fans and media.

"Revered and treasured by his players for his humility, humanity, eternal optimism and knowledge of the game," his Hall of Fame plaque reads.

Jack Morris helped the Tigers win their most recent title. The rugged pitcher choked up during a telephone conversation with the Associated Press from his home in the Twin Cities when he was informed of Anderson's death.

"Wow. He died way too young. I got a lot of phone calls yesterday about the hospice and the dementia, neither of which I knew about. I wasn't prepared for this. I don't know what to say. I'm kind of shocked," Morris said.

"He was a big part of my life, for sure. He had a lot to do with molding me professionally and taught me a lot about perseverance. He was a good guy," he said. "Baseball will have very few people like Sparky. He was a unique individual. He was a character with a great passion and love for the game."

At Anderson's request, there will be no funeral or memorial service.

George "Sparky" Anderson got his nickname in the minor leagues because of his spirited play. He made it to the majors for only one season, batting .218 for the Phillies in 1959.

Anderson learned to control a temper that nearly scuttled his fledgling career as a manager in the minors, and went on to become one of baseball's best at running a team. And Anderson won with a humility that couldn't obscure his unique ability to manage people.

"I got good players, stayed out of their way, let them win a lot and then just hung around for 26 years," he said during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in 2000.

Anderson's win total trails only those of Mack, McGraw, Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. His overall record was 2,194-1,834 and he was a two-time AL Manager of the Year.

* Mets equipment manager Charlie Samuels, who served in that role for the past 27 seasons, has been suspended indefinitely without pay after the club learned that he has been linked to a law-enforcement investigation into gambling, a person familiar with the situation confirmed.

* The world champion San Francisco Giants have declined to exercise their $9.5 million option on World Series MVP Edgar Renteria, instead paying him a $500,000 buyout. It's no surprise because the 34-year-old Renteria is considering retirement after an injury plagued season.

* Manager Ron Washington signed a new 2-year contract with the AL champion Texas Rangers, a move that had been expected since before the playoffs began.

In related news, Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle interviewed for Pittsburgh's manager's job.

* The Red Sox are exercising their $12.5 million option on David Ortiz rather than giving the designated hitter the new multiyear contract he preferred.

* First baseman Casey Kotchman has refused an outright assignment to the minor leagues from the Seattle Mariners and has become a free agent.

In other Mariners news, former Yankees hitting coach Chris Chambliss and longtime Giants infielder Robby Thompson have been hired to join manager Eric Wedge's coaching staff.