atlfan25
11-09-2005, 07:02 PM
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051109&content_id=1266626&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
11/09/2005 6:22 PM ET
Cox named NL Manager of the Year
Braves' skipper first to win award in consecutive seasons
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
ATLANTA -- There was once a sentiment that Bobby Cox's influence in relation to the Braves' annual success was overlooked by the national media. That no longer seems to be the case.
Cox now obviously has everybody's attention. On Wednesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America elected the veteran Atlanta skipper the National League Manager of the Year for the second straight season. He becomes the first manager to win the award in consecutive years.
"It's an honor again," Cox said after the announcement. "I'm delighted. We don't set out to win these types of awards, but they are special."
The BBWAA has selected Cox as Manager of the Year four times, including the 1985 season, when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite having led Atlanta to 14 consecutive division titles, his only election with the Braves before last year came in 1991.
Cox received 28 of the 32 first-place votes that were cast, easily outdistancing St. Louis' Tony La Russa, who finished as the runner-up for the second straight season. The two are the winningest active managers in the game.
The longtime Braves manager, who ranks seventh on the all-time list with 2,092 career wins, joins Dusty Baker as the only skipper to win the NL Award thrice.
"I heard so many great things about [Cox] before I got here," said Tim Hudson, who joined the Braves via a trade with Oakland last winter. "To be able to experience it first-hand, it's a thousand times better than I could have ever expected."
In the past, the belief was that Cox was overlooked because voters felt the Braves had an overabundance of veteran talent. With the likes of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux anchoring Cox's starting rotations, voters felt his team was supposed to win on an annual basis.
Such couldn't be said this year, as youth and injury provided obstacles to the Braves winning another division title.
This year, Cox received an MVP-caliber performance from Andruw Jones and Smoltz once again provided a strong anchor at the head of his rotation. But as it was said last year, 2005 might have been his greatest managerial performance.
2005 Manager of Year Award
2005 American League voting results ¬
Manager, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points
Ozzie Guillen, CWS 17 5 5 105
Eric Wedge, CLE 6 11 8 71
Joe Torre, NYY 4 7 2 43
Ken Macha, OAK 1 3 7 21
Mike Scioscia, LAA 1 4 7
Terry Francona, BOS 1 1 4
John Gibbons, TOR 1 1
2005 National League voting results ¬
Manager, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points
Bobby Cox, ATL 28 4 152
Tony La Russa, STL 2 13 3 52
Phil Garner, HOU 9 11 38
Frank Robinson, WSH 2 4 7 29
Ned Yost, MIL 7 7
Charlie Manuel, PHI 1 2 5
Bruce Bochy, SD 1 1 4
Willie Randolph, NYM 1 1
All-Time Results | 2005 MLB Awards coverage >
During the 2005 season, Marcus Giles, Chipper Jones, Rafael Furcal and Horacio Ramirez all were plagued and/or sidelined by injuries.
"Last year was equally as challenging," Cox said. "The two past years have been the most challenging of the past 14 years."
While leading the Braves to the 2005 National League East crown, Cox had to utilize three different closers and 18 different rookies (14 of whom made their Major League debuts) and deal with the fact that two of his top four starting pitchers (Mike Hampton and John Thomson) spent at least three months on the disabled list.
In addition, Chipper Jones spent six weeks on the disabled list and Hudson missed a month while dealing with an oblique injury. Through it all, Cox remained confident, and that proved to be contagious.
"To this day, I still don't know how he does it," Chipper said. "He kept sticking guys out there and giving them confidence."
As soon as Jeff Francoeur, Blaine Boyer and Brian McCann made the jump from Double-A Mississippi to the Major Leagues, they found a manager who made them feel like they belonged. It was that trio -- along with Macay McBride, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans and Kyle Davies -- that formed one of the most impressive rookie crops in the franchise's history.
Being able to win with this surplus of green talent made this season a very special one for Cox. But he doesn't believe he was the sole reason so many of them made such an immediate impact at the Major League level.
"The fact is, they can play," Cox said. "It didn't have anything to do with I did. I put their name in their lineup, and they performed."
Cox, who planted the seeds for the fruitful Braves farm system while he was the club's general manager from 1986-90, took time on Wednesday to thank general manager John Schuerholz, his aides and the club's Minor League coaches and scouts.
"I get the awards; I don't know what they get," Cox said. "They supply the players. They need more recognition than they're getting."
Cox will celebrate his 65th birthday in May. With all that he's already accomplished, he admits there are times he's thought about retirement. But for now, he doesn't see any need to hang up the spikes. He's having too much fun and finding plenty of recognized success along the way.
"I can't come face to face with making a decision [regarding retirement]," Cox said. "I guess when it stares me right in the face, I'll make the decision. Right now, I'm ready to go for next year."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
11/09/2005 6:22 PM ET
Cox named NL Manager of the Year
Braves' skipper first to win award in consecutive seasons
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
ATLANTA -- There was once a sentiment that Bobby Cox's influence in relation to the Braves' annual success was overlooked by the national media. That no longer seems to be the case.
Cox now obviously has everybody's attention. On Wednesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America elected the veteran Atlanta skipper the National League Manager of the Year for the second straight season. He becomes the first manager to win the award in consecutive years.
"It's an honor again," Cox said after the announcement. "I'm delighted. We don't set out to win these types of awards, but they are special."
The BBWAA has selected Cox as Manager of the Year four times, including the 1985 season, when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite having led Atlanta to 14 consecutive division titles, his only election with the Braves before last year came in 1991.
Cox received 28 of the 32 first-place votes that were cast, easily outdistancing St. Louis' Tony La Russa, who finished as the runner-up for the second straight season. The two are the winningest active managers in the game.
The longtime Braves manager, who ranks seventh on the all-time list with 2,092 career wins, joins Dusty Baker as the only skipper to win the NL Award thrice.
"I heard so many great things about [Cox] before I got here," said Tim Hudson, who joined the Braves via a trade with Oakland last winter. "To be able to experience it first-hand, it's a thousand times better than I could have ever expected."
In the past, the belief was that Cox was overlooked because voters felt the Braves had an overabundance of veteran talent. With the likes of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux anchoring Cox's starting rotations, voters felt his team was supposed to win on an annual basis.
Such couldn't be said this year, as youth and injury provided obstacles to the Braves winning another division title.
This year, Cox received an MVP-caliber performance from Andruw Jones and Smoltz once again provided a strong anchor at the head of his rotation. But as it was said last year, 2005 might have been his greatest managerial performance.
2005 Manager of Year Award
2005 American League voting results ¬
Manager, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points
Ozzie Guillen, CWS 17 5 5 105
Eric Wedge, CLE 6 11 8 71
Joe Torre, NYY 4 7 2 43
Ken Macha, OAK 1 3 7 21
Mike Scioscia, LAA 1 4 7
Terry Francona, BOS 1 1 4
John Gibbons, TOR 1 1
2005 National League voting results ¬
Manager, Club 1st 2nd 3rd Points
Bobby Cox, ATL 28 4 152
Tony La Russa, STL 2 13 3 52
Phil Garner, HOU 9 11 38
Frank Robinson, WSH 2 4 7 29
Ned Yost, MIL 7 7
Charlie Manuel, PHI 1 2 5
Bruce Bochy, SD 1 1 4
Willie Randolph, NYM 1 1
All-Time Results | 2005 MLB Awards coverage >
During the 2005 season, Marcus Giles, Chipper Jones, Rafael Furcal and Horacio Ramirez all were plagued and/or sidelined by injuries.
"Last year was equally as challenging," Cox said. "The two past years have been the most challenging of the past 14 years."
While leading the Braves to the 2005 National League East crown, Cox had to utilize three different closers and 18 different rookies (14 of whom made their Major League debuts) and deal with the fact that two of his top four starting pitchers (Mike Hampton and John Thomson) spent at least three months on the disabled list.
In addition, Chipper Jones spent six weeks on the disabled list and Hudson missed a month while dealing with an oblique injury. Through it all, Cox remained confident, and that proved to be contagious.
"To this day, I still don't know how he does it," Chipper said. "He kept sticking guys out there and giving them confidence."
As soon as Jeff Francoeur, Blaine Boyer and Brian McCann made the jump from Double-A Mississippi to the Major Leagues, they found a manager who made them feel like they belonged. It was that trio -- along with Macay McBride, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans and Kyle Davies -- that formed one of the most impressive rookie crops in the franchise's history.
Being able to win with this surplus of green talent made this season a very special one for Cox. But he doesn't believe he was the sole reason so many of them made such an immediate impact at the Major League level.
"The fact is, they can play," Cox said. "It didn't have anything to do with I did. I put their name in their lineup, and they performed."
Cox, who planted the seeds for the fruitful Braves farm system while he was the club's general manager from 1986-90, took time on Wednesday to thank general manager John Schuerholz, his aides and the club's Minor League coaches and scouts.
"I get the awards; I don't know what they get," Cox said. "They supply the players. They need more recognition than they're getting."
Cox will celebrate his 65th birthday in May. With all that he's already accomplished, he admits there are times he's thought about retirement. But for now, he doesn't see any need to hang up the spikes. He's having too much fun and finding plenty of recognized success along the way.
"I can't come face to face with making a decision [regarding retirement]," Cox said. "I guess when it stares me right in the face, I'll make the decision. Right now, I'm ready to go for next year."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.