Former Tigers manager Sparky Anderson dies at 76

Our initial reaction when someone is having health concerns is automatic.

"Get well soon."

There were some of those thoughts expressed online and right out loud when word began to spread that Sparky Anderson was seriously ill.

But hospice care is only about endings, and we all struggled with thinking of such a bright light in our lives being snuffed out. The end came quickly for our friend Sparky, who died Thursday of complications from dementia, and for that we can be thankful.

His was not a life that should be endured. It was too much fun.

The author Isasc Asimov:

"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome."

The national perspective will speak of his victories and his championships. He was, after all, the first major league manager to win a World Series with a team in each league.

But for those of us in Detroit, even though he managed elsewhere, he was one of us.

You couldn't see him walk to the mound without that little stutter step before he got to the third base line at Tiger Stadium. It was never to be lightly stepped on. You couldn't see him do an interview without that Sparky lean, as if to say "This is the most important thing I'm going to hear today."

What is most striking is to hear our heroes talk of Sparky as theirs.

Kirk Gibson probably doesn't prosper as a major league ballplayer without the firm hand of a Sparky Anderson. Gibby told The Detroit Free Press, "He lives within me every day. There is more Sparky in me than anyone that I was touched by in the game. He knows that I'm going to stand up for what he taught us all. I do. Trust me."

Fun-loving, karate-kicking Dave Rozema may have been Sparky's greatest test. The former pitcher laughed as he told The Detroit News, "When he was walking around with that finger wagging, I always knew somehow he was coming after me."

Our FOX Sports Detroit colleague Rod Allen, who played for Sparky for part of that magical summer in 1984, told us today, "Sparky was one the brightest baseball minds in the history of the game. His in-game skills were tremendous. He handled the media with respect and, more importantly, he understood his players and put us in the best situations to succeed. 

"Sparky was a great man, and I considered him a friend."

When someone has success, everyone wants to know how it happens. Invariably, it comes down to this.

People get it or they don't. They are secure enough in themselves to want great things from others. They live to delight and be delighted.

Sparky Anderson was our delight. He made everyone around him feel like they mattered, which is a hallmark of greatness.

The light around him was this bright, he hadn't lived in Detroit for 15 summers, but it's almost as if he never left. 

Now he has. 

And joins Ernie Harwell, George Kell and Tiger Stadium, all recently departed,
in the heavens.

You can hear the laughter from here.

Sparky Anderson was one more life lived well.

His passing is one last lesson taught.