As a self admitted Braves fan, I’ve gotten a bit tired of all the Bobby Cox admiration but, I’ve got to share this story told today at the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame Luncheon. I know this great amount of attention is the last thing the Skipper wanted going into his retirement but, the fact that all these people want to honor the former manager speaks to the respect he has around baseball. However, he’s not just Braves royalty: his 158 career ejections prove his scrappy (not so majestic) nature. It’s one of those ejections that was brought up at the luncheon today. The quotes come from Chipper Jones’ version of the story.
It was 1998, I was 7, and the Braves had one of the more talented teams of the last 30 years, on pace to win 106 games. There was a close play at the Chipper Jones manned third base. Brett Boone over-slid the bag and John Smoltz got all in umpire Hunter Windlestedt’s (son of former Major League umpire Harry Windlestedt) face. Immediately Smoltz got the hook and Bobby Cox “waddled out.” He told Smoltz to go back to the mound and stay there and proceeded to take up the argument for Smoltz. Chipper had the good fortune of overhearing the argument…. “All of a sudden there was a little break. Bobby said this and I’ll never forget it: Hunter, you wouldn’t make a pimple on your dad’s ass.”
Chipper went on explaining how Bobby acted after the ejection – remaining in breezeway to the clubhouse just outside the dugout. Bobby sat on a stool with Chipper giving the play-by-play over his shoulder to the Skip. “I go ‘Double in the gap, Skip, two runs. We’re up 3.’ He goes ‘All right!’ Then I walk back around the corner and I heard – I could just barely make it out – ‘Take that Hunter.'”
After the luncheon Cox added this little anecdote about the night: “I went to Ed Montague, the crew chief, and I said ‘Ed, you don’t understand what went on here. We don’t have any pitching out there and you guys just run my pitcher and it was an accident.’ And he said, ‘Bobby would you please tell Smoltzie to leave.’ I said ‘I’m not going to do it.’ ‘Please Bobby.’ ‘OK, we’ll get somebody out.'” Smoltz also shared that it took him about 10 minutes to get off the mound after the incident.
It’s that sort of attitude, fiery nature that made his players love Bobby so much. As a manager, all you can ask to be remembered as is: 1) a winner and 2) that people liked playing for you. Congrats Bobby.
Side Note: I hate that this is attached to this story but, Carlos Zambrano was just ejected from the Braves-Cubs game tonight. He gave up 8 runs on 5 home runs. After back to back homers from Freddie Freeman and Dan Uggla (2nd of the night and 26th of the season), Zambrano twice threw at Chipper Jones. Neither of which made contact but, on the second attempt, Zambrano was immediately tossed. I think Braves commentator Joe Simpson said it best “There’s something that goes with chicken salad, and you just saw it.” Expect the fallout in tomorrow’s newspaper about Big Z. I wonder how much the Cubs can take his escapades; another blog, another time. This one’s really about Bobby Cox and the pimple on Harry Windlestedt’s ass.
Stat of the Day: The White Sox have two regular’s with lower OPS+’s than Adam Dunn’s. Alex Rios, and Brent Morel.
-Sean Morash
-Sean Morash
