Bobby Cox on retirement: ‘Won’t hit me until the last game’
A pregame ceremony: Bobby Cox absolutely hates these. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Bobby Cox tries not to think about it. It’ll be tough, given that everybody will be asking from now until October. And the man who hates doing even an on-camera interview cringes — really, he cringes – at the thought of going into St. Louis, say, and being handed a parting gift in a pregame ceremony staged by the Cardinals.
“I didn’t want anything to do with that type of thing,” he said Tuesday. “My preference was always to just announce [his retirement] after the season, but then I figured, ‘If I don’t do it now [meaning make the announcement on Sept. 23, 2009 that 2010 was to be his final season], I’d probably keep managing — somewhere else if not here.”
As it stands, this is it. One more summer and then sit back and wait for the call from Cooperstown. And do lots of traveling, spend time with the many grandchildren, offer the Braves an opinion on baseball whenever they ask. “I’m still going to be connected,” he said. “That eases the pain of not being on the field and being involved in a game.”
Cox will turn 69 in May. He has worked other jobs — on the farms and at a raisin-dehydrating plant back in his native California, and one offseason he even sold cars. (Times were different then. Professional ballplayers, even big-leaguers, had to find work in the winter.) But the man’s primary occupation has been baseball since he was 18.
“I made $7,200 my first year [with the big-league Yankees], and I couldn’t break even. Then they raised the minimum salary to $9,000, and I could. And then along came Marvin Miller [the lawyer who filed the groundbreaking lawsuit on behalf of Curt Flood] the next year, and everything changed.”
On this January morning Cox was in his office at Turner Field, making the first preparations for his final trip to Lake Buena Vista as Braves manager. He has been traveling the past two weeks, first to Puerto Vallarta for the annual getaway, then to Wilmington, N.C., to help one of the many grandchildren situate herself in college. His next sojourn will be the drive to Florida on Feb. 13, six days before pitchers and catchers report. When it’s baseball, Cox is invariably the first to arrive.
Come October, however, he’ll be leaving. He’s not treating 2010 any differently than 1980 or 1995 or 2009. He’s going to Disney to stitch together a ballclub, and then he’ll fight for that aggregation the way he has fought every pitch of every game of every season. And will the final time around be soaked in melancholy?
“I honestly don’t think it will. It won’t hit me until the last game … the last pitch, really … Hopefully that will be in the World Series.”
How might it be next winter, with no roster to stitch together? “It’ll be different. But I’ll stay involved [with the Braves] in some tiny capacity. I’ll get to see the games, and I’ll help in any way I can, but mostly I’m going to stay out of the way.”
We’ll delve into Cox’s thoughts on the 2010 Braves tomorrow, but we’ll leave it today with the source of 151 early exits for this manager. Namely, umpires. Is Cox expecting a going-away present from the guys who’ve so often sent him away?
“Get out of here,” he said, amiably. Then this: “I’ve always that a player or a manager or a coach would do anything to help an umpire in distress. That’s a rough job.”
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131 comments Add your comment
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 26th, 2010
2:38 pm
Chuck Tanner has been a World Series winning manager, too.
todd grantham
January 26th, 2010
2:44 pm
if i had had the talent to be a major leaguer, without a doubt Bobby Cox would be the manager i would have wanted to play for. even to his occasional detriment, he is the epitome of loyalty.
TNT
January 26th, 2010
2:50 pm
Free Heyward
Skeezix
January 26th, 2010
3:08 pm
A since future hall of famer. Bobby’s one of the best when it comes to game management, game strategy and player motivation. I will miss him. He has had meager talent the last few years , but has gotten the best he could out of them.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
January 26th, 2010
3:11 pm
The Massengill douche company has just announced its new scent “clay”. It’s named after an AJC blogger who has repeatedly cleansed this board of intellect.
Jay
January 26th, 2010
3:12 pm
Why do so many people forget the fact that in the World Series both teams are pretty good? I remember alot of tight post season games the Braves lost because the other team got the big hit or thier pitcher got the big out. How is that a knock against Bobby?
BravesCox
January 26th, 2010
3:16 pm
I will just state that it will be very different looking into the Braves dugout without Bobby Cox. He is the face of this franchise and I pitty the Manager that has to take over for him.
Craig
January 26th, 2010
3:31 pm
THANKS BOBBY FOR BEING THE GREATEST MANAGER OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!FROM WORST TO FIRST LOOK AT THIS CROWD!!!!!!!LETS PUT ONE MORE RING ON HIS FINGER COME ON BRAVES!!!!!DAYOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!GO BRAVES!!!!
paw paw
January 26th, 2010
3:33 pm
All you Bobby Cox haters can kiss my _ _ _!!! He will go down as the Braves best managers.His players are as much at fault as you blame him. Sure all managers have made mistakes but i assure you he is one of the best.Just ask his palyers over the years. A hardass approach just doesnt work.If we had the yankees money we would be there to. My hat is off to him and I will surely miss him. All you so called fans dont remember the 70s and 80s. If you got that much to bitch about get another team to root for. Just dont let T.P. replace Bobby. Thanks for all you have done B.C
john
January 26th, 2010
3:44 pm
Bobby Cox will go down as one of the top managers of all time. Being a Braves fan since 1958 I have shared the up’s and way down’s. I’ll guarantee you any World Series champ will trade one ring for 14 championship years. That one ring could have easily been two or three. Bobby can’t go out there and run for Lonnie Smith or pitch for Charlie Liebrant, or Mark Wholers. All he can do is put them in the best position to win and he’s done that year after year, even with less that quality talent. Give the man his due, he has been a fantastic manager who will be missed. Good luck to you and God Speed, bobby.
san diego dawg
January 26th, 2010
3:51 pm
For all of you Cox haters that claim to be Braves fans, just remember:
There will never be another Hank Aaron
There will never be another Skip Caray
There will never be another Dale Murphy
There will never be another Bobby Cox
Enjoy greatness while you can witness it. This will make fonder memories.
Clay
January 26th, 2010
4:05 pm
I, for one don’t hate Bobby Cox. I just don’t think he is one of the greats of the game. I believe there are scores of other managers who could have replicated what Bobby did with the Braves, and at least a half-dozen current managers who could have done better. Not a hater. Just don’t think he was or is a great manager. My opinion.
GSU Eagle 91
January 26th, 2010
4:12 pm
Bobby is a great guy…But the Braves have been nothing if not MEDIOCRE for 10 years now…I feel it is time for a firey skipper who works the players as hard as he does the umpires…My vote will be for Terry Pendleton…
And the Braves had the MOST talent in the 1990’s…Earl Weaver and Bobby Cox are joined at the hip with 1 WS ring…..
hal
January 26th, 2010
4:16 pm
to the guy suggesting pendelton as a replacement yea that makes sence seeing he cant even teach hitting im sure hes very familiar with all the other important nuances of baseball makes exacly as much sence as sighning loaf last season and i suspect for the same lame reason lol if we want to speculate i think the marlins mgr has ties to the braves im not sure think hes only sighned down there through next season but that would make too much sence i guess
Herschel Talker
January 26th, 2010
4:27 pm
FIRE BOOBY! HE SUX! DON’T LET HIM STAY FOR ANOTHER YEAR TO TRAIN WRECK THIS TEAM. SEND HIS SORRY BUTT OUT TO PASTURE. I BET FREDI GONZALEZ GETS US A WORLD SERIES WITHIN A FEW YEARS OF BOOBY’S DEPARTURE. BOOBY SUX!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
FIRE BOOBY!!!
Atlanta Stadium
January 26th, 2010
4:40 pm
And your manager…Bobby Cox
WinSomething
January 26th, 2010
4:42 pm
If there are managers that could have done the same thing Booby did for 14 years, why has no one ever done it before? The Yankees have had more talent over the past 14 years, not to mention the 20s-30s and the 50s, why didnt those team do it? Its not like winning 14 division titles is a small feat. Tony Larussa has something like 12 division titles in his whole career. Bobby has 10 seasons with 95 wins or more, 6 with 100 wins. 99.5% of all managers would trade career success with the man. How is he not great? Dont be a fool about it, we would all like more world championships, but the playoffs are a gamble for everyone. 1 of 14 isnt that great, but he put his teams in a position to win 14 times in a row, thats more than impressive.
Larry
January 26th, 2010
4:44 pm
1-14
This is the won/loss record of a Bobby Cox managed team in the last game (and, of course, series) the postseason (including one season with Toronto). That’s a .067 winning percentage in a do or die game with his only victory courtesy on a one hit shutout by Tom Glavine to win Bobby his only championship.
This is convincing, overwhelming and indisputable evidence of the absolute worst big, must win game manager in the history of the major leagues and the reason is simple even for the simplest of minds–Bobby Cox is the worst in-game, strategic decision making manager whose only managerial ability is to fill out a lineup card, hope for a three run homer coupled with shut out pitching, and hope that if he gets neither he isn’t forced to make any decisions during the game that a 1-14 record will manifest certain failure.
For all of you men who care anything about your wives and children, this spring, Summer and certainly early fall will be the perfect opportunity to take a year away from baseball. spend it with your family, and hope the Braves President and General Manager can find a person to reinvigorate this city and put people back into the seats again at Turner Field. They had their chance two years ago when Joe Girardi was available from the Marlins and blew it!
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 26th, 2010
4:46 pm
Those Yankee teams of the 50’s and the 20-30’s didn’t have divisions. They had to be the best in their league to go to post season.
Braves fan
January 26th, 2010
4:48 pm
Dawg, three out of four were greats, Caray was no hero……………………..
BravesFan86
January 26th, 2010
4:52 pm
In recent seasons I have had more reasons to boo bobby for his managing of the game. But nevertheless I still realize what all he has meant to the Braves Organization and will never forget him for it. Even tho hes had his ups and downs he still brought us our 1 and ONLY world championship in Atlanta! Thanks Bobby for all you have done and you better believe I will be at his last game!! Go Braves hope we prove the naysayers wrong this year!! Hope we can send bobby off on the right note…
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
4:56 pm
The Braves is really a better team when they run and up the tempo.
F-105 Thunderchief
January 26th, 2010
4:56 pm
Sure, bash away. I’ll miss ol’ Bobby when he’s gone.
Bob Rathburn
January 26th, 2010
4:56 pm
I don’t think they’ve made the playoffs since 2005, ‘Nique.
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
4:57 pm
That was a heat check, Bob.
Marc in FL
January 26th, 2010
4:57 pm
I’d by lying if I said I’ll miss Bobby more than Skip, but in the grand scheme of things, I’d miss either one more than my immediate family, so they’re both still pretty darn high on the list.
Bob Rathburn
January 26th, 2010
4:58 pm
Let’s go courtside with James Verrett.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
January 26th, 2010
4:58 pm
I don’t have any World Series rings, so I’ll defer to Bobby Cox in decisions regarding my favorite team, the Braves.
James Verrett
January 26th, 2010
4:59 pm
Guys, Bobby Cox told me that Jeff Teague would play more minutes once Dominique learned to use proper English. Back to you, Bob.
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
5:00 pm
Mark, was this article a heat check? It sure looked like one to me. I think the Hawks is playing great, but it could just be a heat check. What do you think, Mark?
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
5:02 pm
The site just told me I needed a heat check.
Barnacle Bill Bavasi
January 26th, 2010
5:03 pm
What’s a heat check and does it have anything to do with nimbers?
Bob Horner had a sweet compact swing
January 26th, 2010
5:05 pm
san diego dawg What about me????? I hit 4 homeruns in 1 game…and I had great range at 3rd base on defense….
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
5:05 pm
Well, Triple B, I don’t think….I’ve EVER seen a group of Hawks as athletically as these. But..but…don’t forget about Kevin Willis.
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
5:06 pm
Bob, your fifth at bat was a heat heck.
Mark Bradley
January 26th, 2010
5:13 pm
I actually used the phrase “heat check” during my daughter’s Upward League game last Saturday.
Clay
January 26th, 2010
5:14 pm
UPDATE FOR “WIN SOMETHING” …………… The Yankees did “do it” – 27 times.
Dominique Wilkins
January 26th, 2010
5:16 pm
And why didn’t you check with me on permission? That, sir, is copyright infringement. When you take on a shot blocker, you just into his chest…you’re right, Bob.
MitchC
January 26th, 2010
5:24 pm
Mark, I’ve been a Braves fan for 27 years, and I’ve always been a Bobby Cox fan. If I were a player, the two managers in baseball I would want to play for are Bobby Cox, and Joe Torre. Those guys have success, enjoy winning, and their players love them.
It will be very different, watching Braves baseball next year without Bobby in the dugout. Losing Smoltz after 20 years, Glavine after 16 years, Maddux after 11 years, all of those were major changes, but it won’t be as odd as watching Braves baseball without Bobby in the dugout. I’m 40 years old, and Bobby has been managing the Braves during this stint for half my life.
I obviously hope we win it all, but I’m not sure how realistic that is, given how good the Phillies and Yankees should be. My hope is that we can at least snare a wild card berth, and give Bobby a good showing in his last season, to send him away with at least another playoff appearance.
bravesfanbob
January 26th, 2010
6:04 pm
While Bobby Cox wasn’t the best on field manager, the games he lost on the field were far less than the games he won by his management off the field. He is by far, the best off the field manager in the history of baseball. A poll of major leaguers last year were asked, “Excluding your own manager, what manager would you want to play for?” Bobby Cox got 73% of the vote. Torre got 14% in second. All you people who hate him have your opinions, but I think I’ll take the word of people involved in the game. Thank you Bobby for a fantastic 2 decades, and by the way, you won more World Series rings than all of the other Atlanta managers combined. The intelligent Braves fans will sorely miss you!
stew
January 26th, 2010
6:34 pm
Bobby just couldn’t manage in the post season. During the regular season, we always had better 4th and fifth starters than the other teams. All his dumb moves were due to falling in love with an experienced player that was past his prime. He had his favorites. Among his dumb moves Jeff Reardon pitching to Ed Sprague in 92 and Wohlers going for a 2 inning save in 96 in game 4 when Bielecki closed out the Yanks in the seventh inning and should have pitched the eighth.
Bob Horner had a sweet compact swing
January 26th, 2010
7:24 pm
stew….Bobby plays for the 3 run homer….that doesn’t work in the WS….(just trying to shorten your synopsis) as far as pitching moves go…hindsight is 20-20
Hetch Hetchy
January 26th, 2010
9:15 pm
I’ll miss all the G-D’s and M-F’ers this and that he berates innocent umpires with. Wait… better than that…I’ll miss the, good christian, suckass radio retards like Buck Belue defending the anitchrist blatherings of good ole G-D M-Fing Bobby Cox.
NY Frenchy
January 26th, 2010
10:17 pm
Why didnt we sign Nady for 3 million, if hes healthy thats a steal, cheap azz owners hope theyre happy with another 3rd place finish, maybe 4th if the Marlins have a good year our outfield doesnt scare anyone except Braves fans!
Matt the Brave
January 26th, 2010
10:20 pm
You know, I don’t think that it’s any coincidence that the Braves were decent in the 80s with Bobby Cox in the driver’s seat and then when they moved him back into the dugout in 1990. Many of y’all don’t remember 100 loss seasons, going to games and being able to move to the 10th row, or teams where the best thing to look forward to was seeing teams that had big stars on them. I sincerely hope that the Braves scratch out the NL Championship this year. I know it’s probably a pipe dream with the hitting (although our pitching might be the best in the league).
Also, for his replacement, I would love to see the Braves at least interview Ryne Sandburg. He’s won at every level in the minors, but is stonewalled by Lou Piniella for the foreseeable future.
Mark Bradley
January 26th, 2010
10:26 pm
I remember a 108-loss season, Matt. In 1988.
Javy Lopez/Vasquez
January 26th, 2010
10:27 pm
Let me wake up & realize, u guys traded me for freakin Melky C.??? OK my side hurts Im still laughing, I ll be going to the WS & u guys can watch me petch in the Series, Gracias Senor Wren u dumb azz Pendejo!
Tide Alum 91
January 26th, 2010
10:28 pm
I love the little whiners: “WAAAAH – HE HIT HIS WIFE, WAAAH HE ONLY WON ONE WORLD SERIES, WAAAAH, WAAAAH, WAAAAH……”
Ask anyone who knows anything about MLB and its a freakin’ LOCK – BOBBY COX IS ONE OF THE ALL TIME GREAT MANAGERS. Peter Gammons said he the best manager in the HISTORY of MLB.
You whiney knuckleheads crack me up……WAAAAAH, WAAAAAH, WAAAAAH.
I could really care less what a bunch of anonymous whiners post – the stuff I wrote above is just to shove your own crap back in your face.
Respond with a weak comeback – I will not read it/therefore not respond. Choke on it……
I am here all year long,
ROLL TIDE, BABY
Matt the Brave
January 26th, 2010
10:42 pm
Sadly, so do I.
I think Russ Nixon was manager. Never trust a Nixon. 
Savannah Skip
January 26th, 2010
10:46 pm
So, it’s game 162 of the 2010 season. There’s a really bad call in the first inning. Will Bobby go out there and get tossed in the final game of his career or will he hold back? Of course, is there an umpire out there with the stones to toss Bobby in the final game of his career?