Unbelievable: the braves’ former head coach declares his comeback to the group
Bobby Cox believed that the only way he would ever quit managing baseball after 50 years was to choose a specific time and make the announcement in the media.
That’s what he did on Wednesday, announcing that he would step down as Atlanta Braves manager at the end of the following season.
The difficult part will now be maintaining it.
“There is a little bit of relief once you come to grips with announcing it,” Cox stated. “I have always loved to manage. But you need to choose something. You have to make a choice at my age. A slightly younger person could take the lead.”
The Braves announced prior to Wednesday night’s game against the New York Mets that Cox, 68, who has been named Manager of the Year four times, has agreed to a one-year contract extension for 2010. After he leaves as manager, he will begin a five-year consulting deal to advise the team on baseball operations.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Braves slugger Chipper Jones stated.
Cox has led Atlanta to 14 straight postseason appearances (1991–2005) and the 1995 World Series championship during an illustrious career on the bench.
“They asked me to come back, and I said I would do it for one more year, and we’ll announce the retirement along with it,” stated Cox. “Whether you win, lose, or draw, there’s no going back now. That will be it, whatever occurs in the upcoming year.”
Cox, a cigar-smoking baseball lifer, managed the Braves from 1978 to 1981 before taking the helm of the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985 before rejoining Atlanta as manager in 1990. From 1991 to 2005, he guided the Braves to a record 14 consecutive division titles and five NL pennants.
With Wednesday’s 5-2 victory over the Mets, Cox now ranks fourth among managers with 2,409 regular-season victories, behind only Connie Mack (3,731), John McGraw (2,763), and Tony La Russa (2,550). The only managers with six consecutive seasons of 100 wins each are Cox and Joe McCarthy.
With his second victory following major elbow surgery, Tim Hudson pitched six scoreless innings to help the Braves finish a three-game sweep of the Mets.
The Braves won for the eleventh time in 13 games a few hours after Cox’s announcement.
With seven ejections this season, Cox has continued to be a fierce player and has now set a major league record with 150.
According to Jones, the Braves will have more motivation to give Cox a winning season. However, Jones went on to say that he’s not sure if he’ll stay long enough to play for another manager.
REDS 12, PIRATES 2
Pittsburgh Homer Bailey gave up two runs in six innings while Joey Votto went 4 for 5 and scored three runs, and Cincinnati extended Pittsburgh’s losing streak with a victory.
The Reds, who have won seven of nine, were led by two RBI each from Laynce Nix, Corky Miller, Jay Bruce, Scott Rolen, and Brandon Phillips.
The Pirates have lost five straight games and are 3-22 over their last 25 games. Over the last three games, they have given up 33 runs.
WASHINGTON In the ninth inning, Andre Ethier booted pinch-hitter Pete Orr’s fly ball to right field, allowing Justin Maxwell to score. The Washington team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to avoid losing 100 games this season.
In the ninth inning, Maxwell opened the scoring with a single down the left-field line off James McDonald (5-5), sparking the decisive rally. Maxwell stole third base after Alberto Gonzalez bunted him to second, and Jorge Padilla then walked.
Maxwell scored when Orr, who was 2 for 13 in pinch hitting, hit a fly ball to medium right, which bounced off Ethier’s glove as he retraced his steps. Ethier was called for a play error, and Orr was given credit for a sacrifice fly.
