Bob Howsam Dead, Old Sparky Anderson Bleeds Red

Bob Howsam, the man who gave baseball its Big Red Machine and gave Denver its beloved Broncos, died Tuesday in Sun City, Ariz. He was 89.

But his guiding principle was that the fans came first, his son said. "He loved the fans. They made his life," the son said.

It wasn't just family members who were emotional about Howsam's passing. The manager of those Big Red Machine teams, Sparky Anderson, cried when he heard the news.

Anderson, who recently returned home after 12 days in the hospital for an undisclosed illness, was convalescing at home.

“He was precious to me,” began a frail-sounding Anderson. “I’m not doing too well right now, but I had to call. This man changed my entire life, my home, everything.”

We guess the American Red Cross only spares some.

[ESPN]
[Cincinnati Enquirer]