Another Sparky Story (and a Pardo Birthday Too)

The good news in this story, is that this man's son didn't need to rob a bank to see his father in his dying moments.

Today is somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Baseball Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 73! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Sparky Anderson's name appears on "Do Not Resuscitate's" roster

• Anderson managed a pennant winner in four consecutive seasons: 1965 with Rock Hill of the Western Carolina League, 1966 with St. Petersburg of the Florida State League, 1967 with Modesto of the California League and 1968 with Asheville of the Southern League.

Just take a look at the cities where this was done and and you'll have your answer as to why you never heard about this.

Today is somebody else's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Television and Radio Announcer Don Pardo's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 90! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Don Pardo's name appears on "Remains to Be Seen's" roster

• Pardo officially "retired" from NBC in 2004 and moved to Tucson. However, the producers of Saturday Night Live convinced him to continue providing the introductions for their show. In 2006, he decided to begin prerecording his announcements from a home studio in Arizona. That lasted only a few episodes before producers insisted they needed him present in Studio 8H, and he resumed flying to New York on a weekly basis to do the show.
  

I'm not exactly sure why he needed to be present for the introductions, but I can certainly understand why he didn't want to have to watch SNL after 2004.

... And Many More!

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]