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Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson dies

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Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson died Thursday from complications of dementia a day after being put in hospice care. He was 76.

Anderson led the Cincinnati Reds to back-to-back World Series championships in 1975-76 and won a title in Detroit in 1984. He was the first manager to win World Series titles in both the American and National leagues and was the only manager to lead two teams in career wins.

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His total of 2,194 wins as a manager were the third-highest when he retired after the 1995 season, trailing Connie Mack and John McGraw. He was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

Family spokesman Dan Ewald said, “Sparky Anderson will always be measured by his number of victories and his place in baseball’s Hall of Fame. But all of that is overshadowed by the type of person he was. Sparky not only spiked life into baseball, he gave life in general something to smile about. Never in my lifetime have I met a man as gentle, kind and courageous as Sparky.’

-- Melissa Rohlin

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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