A SIDEWAYS GLANCE : SPARKY ANDERSON'S CHICKEN SOUP.Byline: Tom Hoffarth In the introduction to his autobiography, Sparky Anderson ``I don't always get the right word in the right place at the right time,'' he writes. Except in 256 pages of ``They Call Me Sparky spark·y adj. spark·i·er, spark·i·est Animated; lively. spark  i·ly adv. ,'' (with Dan
Ewald, Sleeping Bear Press, $24.95), the future Hall of Fame baseball
manager gets his point across so succinctly suc·cinct adj. suc·cinct·er, suc·cinct·est 1. Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse: a succinct reply; a succinct style. 2. , it's perfectly elegant. Far from a collection of as-told-to zany stories from his days screaming at umpires, the essence of Anderson's work is captured in just 11 words from page 5 - ``I ain't no better than anybody else. And neither are you.'' He then explains why that's so. Anderson seems most disturbed by those who've set themselves apart from others because of their accumulated wealth. But the other virtues he wants to emphasis - discipline, determination, staying true to oneself, taking time to understand others, honesty and humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was - are all made in relation to how they've come up in his life experiences. The most telling chapter is how he decided not to manage replacement players during the spring of 1995, which leads a discussion about loyalty. The most revealing chapter about his personality is in one called ``A Bogey and A Smile,'' about how he plays golf with his pals at the Sunset Hills Country Club, about five miles from the Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. home he's lived in with his wife, Carol, for the last 30 years. The book alternates between chapters where Anderson's voice is the narration and where co-author Ewald, the former Detroit Tigers' publicist pub·li·cist n. One who publicizes, especially a press or publicity agent. publicist Noun a person, such as a press agent or journalist, who publicizes something publicist , summarizes points in Anderson's career. Those chapters are supplemented with interviews/testimonials from many of Anderson's former Cincinnati Reds and Tigers players, as well as friends like former President Gerald Ford. If the striking black-and-white portrait of Anderson on the jacket cover isn't suitable enough for framing then the final italicized paragraph - a quote from Anderson - should be. He says: ``All I ask of all you young people is that you never make money your one goal in life. Make people your life. And I promise you what a wonderful life it will be. Love life . . . and it will love you.'' No need to apologize for that. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO no caption (Book jacket Noun 1. book jacket - a paper jacket for a book; a jacket on which promotional information is usually printed dust cover, dust jacket, dust wrapper jacket - an outer wrapping or casing; "phonograph records were sold in cardboard jackets" of `They Call Me Sparky') |
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