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
Youngerthan Thatnow
January 26th, 2010
10:51 pm
I was taught to honor and respect those considerably older than myself and those in authority, and I think it is WRONG to show such disrespect, not to mention a total lack of class, to someone like Bobby Cox. He is not perfect and makes mistakes, and I would wager my home that he would agree, and I’m sure that he says things in the heat of the moment that he regrets saying… but don’t we all.
Disagree with him, don’t like him or wish the Braves had won more World Championships with him as manager, but to show this kind of disrespect is not only shameful to you, but to your family and upbringing as well. Instead of damning him for winning only one championship, why don’t you try being thankful for the good things that he has done for not only the Braves but for Atlanta as well… and really you can add the southeast to this since the Braves were the only team in the southeast for most of these years.
Personally, I’ll miss him in a lot of ways, but if the Braves have a chance to hire a manager that wins half of the division titles that Bobby has won over the next twenty years, everyone here would jump at the chance to hire that man. You can’t win National League pennants or World Series championships until you win your division or get in as a wild card team.
Everyone here would have liked to have won more than one title but the teams that the Braves have played were pretty good teams too, and baseball is a game where you don’t necessarily have to be the best team… you just have to be the best team on that particular day.
And look at how many different teams the Braves faced in all of those pennant and/or world title games. The one constant team was the Braves, and one manager managed all of those Braves team… and his name is Bobby Cox.
THANK YOU BOBBY COX AND I HOPE THE REST OF YOUR YEARS ARE WONDERFUL AND REWARDING FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
Stumpknocker
January 26th, 2010
11:00 pm
Tide Alum 91: I don’t give a crap what Peter Gammons says. I was a Braves fan long before You were born…..and contrary to the belief of many of U wet-ears, a manager can and often does effect the outcome of a game. I can go back and show you over the years that B. Cox cost the team an average of 10 wins a season because of bone-headed BS and a lack of game strategy. In all the WS but one, he was grossly out-managed by the likes of Joe Torre, Cito Gaston and Tom Kelly.
curtis jones
January 26th, 2010
11:05 pm
So…he fought hard with every pitch last season? Let’s see. This is the same manager who relied on fire-starter Jeff Bennett until the idiot reliever took himself off the roster…Cox was too clueless to do it.
Let’s face it, if relief pitchers had been dogs, Cox would have shared a room with Mike Vick. He abused that bullpen.
Mark Bradley
January 26th, 2010
11:32 pm
Nixon took over for Chuck Tanner in May 1988.
Matt the Brave
January 26th, 2010
11:49 pm
Truly makes it amazing to realize that we went from 108 losses to nearly 100 wins in two years. Granted, that was a lot of good trades and great drafting. It’s like a NFL team going from 2-14 to 14-2 in two seasons.
Jacob Allen
January 27th, 2010
12:11 am
Good Luck Bobby! Once more, into the breach, once more. May this one bring home the trophy and rings of the World Series. May this be the one!!!!
Reid Adair
January 27th, 2010
12:15 am
For all of the haters, Bobby Cox has left his mark on the Atlanta Braves organization for history. And despite their claims, it is a positive mark.
Cox will be missed – and I am hoping (praying) that Frank Wren is not allowed to make the decision on who will replace Cox.
Matt C.
January 27th, 2010
12:35 am
Hey Herschel Talker, it’s time for you to shut up.
Tweets that mention Bobby Cox on retirement: 'Won't hit me until the last game' | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
January 27th, 2010
12:52 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley, Mick Hunt. Mick Hunt said: Bobby Cox on retirement: 'Won't hit me until the last game' http://bit.ly/bRHs5a [...]
Requiem for The Brave « Rowland's Office
January 27th, 2010
1:03 am
[...] by atlmalcontent If you’re a true Braves fan this Mark Bradley column will make you a little sad. “It won’t hit me until the last game … the last pitch, really … [...]
BosnianBaller
January 27th, 2010
1:07 am
If Braves don’t make the Playoffs will Wren be fired so a new GM can pick a new coach?
Najeh Davenpoop
January 27th, 2010
1:36 am
The last time someone other than Bobby Cox managed the Braves, I was too young to remember it. It is going to be really, really weird to see someone else managing the Braves. Yeah, he had his flaws, but under his leadership the Braves became the class of the league and won the only pro sports championship this city has ever seen. I’m not about to hate on that.
You're Kidding Me
January 27th, 2010
2:26 am
Bet you Cox whinners will miss Bobby after next season. You won’t have him to bitch about…But, being the whinners you are you’ll transfer your great experise of opinion to the next manager. Enjoy your negative opinions to which you are entitled. Let’s go Braves and go Bobby Cox right on to the Hall of Fame. The whinners don’t have a vote. The fans have appreciation.
Coach (2011 or Bust)
January 27th, 2010
3:06 am
Bobby Cox, an excellent human being who has made baseball a much better game. Six is going into Cooperstown on the first ballot. The man who is a husband, father, grandfather, friend, leader, Brave, professional baseball player, manager and example to us all on how to live life. O yea, forgot to mention his and the wife’s work on behalf of animal lovers everywhere. Bobby even likes umpires although it’s not always mutual except when it comes to respect.
As for the one World Championship and fifteen playoff teams while fifth all time in wins as a manager, Braves fans have to take the bad with the good (1995) even if the sting of 91-92-96 and 99 will never quite go away. Best wishes for one more run at glory and a long overdue retirement.
Bham Braves fan
January 27th, 2010
6:01 am
The next manager will discover that the people who told you what was wrong with your predecessor will become your earliest and harshest critics. No manager is perfect, but Bobby Cox leaves a great record, and the right response is simple enough: “Good job.”
Bobby Cox on the 2010 Braves: 'We can do some damage' | Mark Bradley
January 27th, 2010
7:39 am
[...] with the big club on Opening Day 2010, he’ll have other years. For Cox, this is it. He’s retiring at season’s end, and he’s hoping the end arrives in the World Series. And here Cox is asked one of those [...]
38YrBravesFan
January 27th, 2010
8:09 am
Bobby is a class act and he will be missed. It’s hard to imagine watching the Braves without hearing his cheerleading for the batters, and his antics with the umpires. Though I think one of his minor league coaches set the mark on the wall a while back for that…
22 Days!
GO BRAVES!!
Derek B
January 27th, 2010
9:30 am
Mark,
I thought the Braves worst season was 54-106 (’86 or ‘87)? At least from my memory
MacMarine
January 27th, 2010
9:44 am
Well I am one of the Bobby Cox haters and I have been a Brave fan since 1956 and I truly love the braves, BC is a good person and I dont hate him as a person but only as a manager. I will not burn any gear and I will continue to be a Brave Fan, but I am also glad to see him go. Most people have forgot more about baseball than Peter Gammons will ever know, so I wouldn’t take what he says as gospel. HePeter Gammons to me is the Dick Morris of baseball, always commenting but nebver getting anything right.
Rich Mckay
January 27th, 2010
10:57 am
people can knock bobby if they want, but the man has run a class organization for 20 years without an major incidents. With bobby at the helm it was always a baseball team not a circus. You haters are going to miss that. Besides he won one, so many great players and coaches never made it happen.
billy mccawley
January 27th, 2010
11:00 am
Good Luck Bobby and THE BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!!
Bravo1
January 27th, 2010
11:24 am
Bobby Cox is an icon in Atlanta. Five years after he retires he will be immortalized in Cooperstown. Thank you Bobby.
YOUR GOING TO HATE LIFE
January 27th, 2010
1:54 pm
Al you Cox haters are really going to whine when the Braves are without him and losing 100+ games again. Love you Bobby see you in the Hall
eltrompoBRAVESfan
January 27th, 2010
4:34 pm
Love ya Bobby! My fondest memories of the Braves and Atlanta will include BC. It’s going to be a depressing final game of the regular season for sure. I wonder how hard it’ll be to get a ticket for that game!
And I have to echo some of the comments earlier towards Cox haters…..any bids as to how long it’ll take for these same whiners to start commenting how they wish Bobby was back?
Tomy Fournier
January 27th, 2010
4:49 pm
I can”t wait for the 2011 baseball season…NO MORE “MORON” COX…WAO!!!!WILL BE “GREAT”!!!!
Just Pat
January 27th, 2010
8:53 pm
The Braves and Bobby Cox have done something that no other team…..basketball, football or baseball have ever done before. That alone says something about this organization whether it be for the players OR for Bobby Cox.
Don
January 28th, 2010
9:13 am
Granted Bobby Cox is a players manager (who basically does not try to control, instruct, teach or make any restrictions or demands on the way they do things) and thus is liked by the players and maintains good team spirit etc. Therefore, he was able to ride one of the best Pitching Staffs in baseball history that was far far superior to the other teams (along with other good talent) to Division wins over the long 162 game schedule in spite of his management procedures and lack thereof.
BUT DON’T YOU COX SUPPORTERS THINK:
(1) THAT It is a little strange that he was able to win only 1 WS out of 14 Post Season opportunities – even with that great pitching staff.
(2) THAT It is a tiny bit odd that season after season, he keeps some regular in the linup for months when it is obvious to everyone that he cannot perfor and that he has a better option on the bench.
(3) THAT It is just tad wierd that he does not seem to know that you can adjust your batting order up and down based on who is hot and who is not.
(4) THAT It is just a little unusual that a manager season after season would take some relief pitcher who cannot get anyone out and keep on using him out of the bullpen game after game after game.
(5) THAT It is just a bit unbelievable that a manager could manage for 20 plus years and not seem to know that if your 3rd place hitter (even though he is a former star) is in a prolonged slump – that you can move him down in the batting order.
(6) THAT it is just a little bit hard to believe that a manager with any amount of experience or at any level of basebaal (little league on up) does not understand that there are a variety of ways to produce runs rather than just be cheerleade and wait for a 3 run homer.
(7) THAT it is a tad unusual that a managr would continue to misuse his bullpen year after year after year.
(8) THAT he seems to have no understanding that a manager can adjust his lineup and his batting order based on who does great or terrible against certain opposing Pitchers.
(9) THAT it is just a bit unbelievable that a major league manager would base parts of his lineup – who he plays – on who he likes rather than on performance.
(10) AND MOST UNBELIEVABLE AND SIGNIFICANT OF ALL — THAT he seems have no understanding that the absolute essential to have maximum run production is for the manager to teach, emphasize, demand that hitters work the count, be selective, make the opposing pitcher throw some pitches.
AND THIS DOES NOT even get into his continuos blundering strategy moves.
Robert
January 28th, 2010
9:32 am
“One more summer and then sit back and wait for the call from Cooperstown”
Does Cooperstown need a donkey for their county fair?
Robert
January 28th, 2010
9:33 am
“How to Be Totally Ignorant of Baseball, And Not Know It”.
That’s another one Cox wrote
Don
January 28th, 2010
9:37 am
After being involved in baseball for over 60 years (player, coach, manager, fan); I have now changed my mind about the most amazing thing that I have ever seen.
It is truly amazing that there are so many Cox supporters when his incompetence has been so obvious in so many ways for so many years.
Don
January 28th, 2010
9:45 am
Mark:
As a supporter of Bobby Cox, why don’t you address the 10 things listed above in the post of 9;13 Am – that we find strange or difficult to understand relating to Cox???