Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox holds the record for being ejected from more games than anyone in history. That is why he will be remembered for being the most loyal manager in the game of baseball. Cox was ejected 158 times in his career not because he was a nuisance or because he liked to argue with the umpires but because he had an unmatched passion for the game and the people that played for him.
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones commented on Cox’s mindset toward his players, “Loyalty. Loyalty is the first thing that comes to mind. Loyalty is big with professional athletes. Bobby is never one to coddle somebody, but he will stand beside ‘em,” he said in an interview with blogs.ajc.com.
It takes a remarkable man of intense loyalty to stand behind his players and stand up for the rules of baseball even when it means being forced out of a game. Cox makes it his purpose in the game to be not only a manager and coach, but also a protector.
Cox retiring after this season
At season’s end the 69-year-old Cox will be hanging up his number six jersey for good and enter a long deserved retirement. This is the 24th and final year of Cox’s career with the Braves. His career of managing professional baseball has lasted nearly 40 years. What will it be like at the start of the 2011 season when the man running things in Atlanta won’t be Bobby Cox? ESPN’s Jayson Stark says “It will be culture shock.”
“It’s hard to even fathom,” said Jones, who has known Cox for over twenty years, in an interview with ESPN. And then when speaking about the way Cox makes the locker room feel, Jones added, “It’s comfortable. It’s home.” Cox has been like a father to many players, and a good one at that.
According to ESPN.com, Cox has won the fourth most games of any manager in Major League history with 2,501 games and his 15 first place finishes are the most all-time. However, what sticks out as the most impressive stat is the fact that in the time that Cox has managed the Braves, the other 15 teams in the National League have been through a combined 106 different managers.
Cox maintains long-term relationship with his players
Something that has set Cox apart from other managers is the relationship he has with one player in particular. Jones was drafted by the Braves in 1990 and was chosen by Cox. Drafting is something set aside for the general manager of a team to do, but in this case, Cox had the opportunity to select Jones as the number one overall pick that year.
“He and I have a relationship that goes beyond just manager and player — to general manager and high school punk.” About their unique friendship Jones said to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, “I mean, how many guys drafted a player No. 1 overall and then got to manage him for the next 17-18 years? I would venture to guess that’s probably never happened.”
Cox allows players freedom, but keeps team strong
Jones has seen Cox change over the years from the way he coaches the fundamentals of the game to the way he allows his players to wear their sunglasses, but one thing that has never changed has been Cox’s faithfulness and loyalty to his players. Jones had another comment to add about Cox’s personality, “He believes in keeping dirty laundry inside the clubhouse. That is loyalty — whereas other managers would go out and if somebody stunk up the joint, those managers would make sure it was in print. That’s never happened with Bobby in the 20 years that I’ve known him.”
The Braves locked up the National League wild card on Sunday, and Cox is preparing for his last postseason run. Cox won his only World Series in 1995. A second one in 2010 would be a fitting exclamation point.
