AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > July > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.US‘Thumb King’ calm at home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Part of me thinks it’s funny that Bobby Cox has drawn more notice for being thrown out of games than for having won 15 division titles. A bigger part of me thinks it’s sad that this man could be remembered more for getting thumbed than for being the best manager of the era. It’s akin to Orson Welles being known not for “Citizen Kane” and “Touch Of Evil” but for those hokey wine commercials.
I’m not the only one who feels this way. Mrs. Bobby Cox dreads the sight of her husband waddling out of the dugout in pursuit of yet another erring ump. “Every time,” Pam Cox says, “I cringe.”
Her husband is 66. He has 13 grandchildren. She has grown accustomed to one or another of the 13 saying, “MeeMaw, did you see what Gran-Bobby said last night?” Not that they can actually hear via TV what Gran-Bobby did say. She’s grateful for that small favor. Still …
“If our grandchildren are saying that,” she says, “everyone’s grandchildren are saying that.”
Pam Cox doesn’t go to many games anymore. Her mom has been ill, and there are always issues at the famous Adairsville farm. But she watches and listens, and when the great skipper gets home, they sometimes have what she calls “this conversation” about the ejections, the total of which stands at 130, tied with John McGraw for the all-time best. (Or worst, depending on your slant.)
Bobby Cox, it should be noted, is sheepish about the subject. He isn’t proud about becoming the Thumb King, but he isn’t so abashed that he’s about to change his dissenting ways. “He’s going to make an argument for his players no matter how minute it might be,” Pam Cox says. “When he goes out there, he’s not thinking about ejections or the number of ejections.”
And when his wife gently suggests he might object a bit less often, Bobby Cox, she says, “looks at you like you have nine heads. ‘Of course I’m going to go out there.’ “
Anyone who watches only the clips of Cox’s rants sees just a sliver of the Big Picture. He is, at heart, a cheerful and contented man. “As a wife, I hear about other husbands who hate their jobs,” Pam Cox says. “He loves his job. He’s the same whether he’s on top or 20 games out. He can’t wait to get to the ballpark.”
And he has, contrary to visible and statistical evidence, grown more relaxed with time and success. Says Pam Cox: “Absolutely he’s mellowed.”
Somehow mellowing hasn’t diminished his belief that his guys never get a call. (Never mind that Glavine and Maddux went a decade without throwing a real strike. Never mind that his dugout perch affords one of the worst views of the proceedings.) Mark Lemke, the former Braves player probably closest to Cox, suggests grousing was such standard procedure when Cox was coming up in the Yankees organization as a player under Ralph Houk and as a coach alongside Billy Martin that it became his norm. Pam Cox endorses that view.
“Everyone was doing it differently when Billy Martin was around,” she says. “Today there’s zero tolerance. [Arguing was] not as unacceptable back then. And he’ll say, ‘That’s the way I’m doing it.’ “
And that’s the way he does it, the wishes of family and friends notwithstanding. (“What can I do?” his wife says. “I’m just the wife.”) Eventually Thumb No. 131 will be brandished, and he’ll be banished yet again, and maybe then we can forget all about this goofy pursuit.
Pam Cox is simply looking forward to next week’s All-Star break. She had an outdoor kitchen built for him on the farm, where the clan will gather. A truer image: Gran-Bobby grilling out, as opposed to being a record-breaking grump.
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By Substance over Form
July 3, 2007 11:13 PM | Link to this
Tell me something I’d like to know. How many of the ejections were on the road?
By Robert
July 3, 2007 11:34 PM | Link to this
I cringe every time Bobby Cox manages a game, even if he isnt jawing with the umps
By Booger
July 3, 2007 11:41 PM | Link to this
I cringe every time he picks his nose on TV. So does his Grandkids, at least he doesnt scratch himself.
By Tommy
July 4, 2007 12:16 AM | Link to this
Robert, how can you not like Bobby Cox. Players love playing for him because he is the ultimate encourager.
By Tommy
July 4, 2007 12:17 AM | Link to this
Robert, how can you not like Bobby Cox. Players love playing for him because he is the ultimate encourager.
By Kyle Davies Sucks
July 4, 2007 1:49 AM | Link to this
I cringe every time Kyle Davies takes the mound. Demote this loser to AA where he belongs.
By Chris
July 4, 2007 6:02 AM | Link to this
I cringe every time Andruw, or Thorman, or Woodward step up to the plate.
By doobird
July 4, 2007 6:30 AM | Link to this
All the pre-season garbage about how great the pitching staff was sure looks just that now “garbage”. Even the “ace” can’t go more than 5 innings. And then you only have 2, maybe 3 that qualify to be in the rotation. The others are AA material. And now the bullpen is being used so much they are blowing games. BC needs to call it a career this season. Start all lover in ‘08 with complete new staff.
By BJ
July 4, 2007 6:57 AM | Link to this
Every time I see Bobby Cox, I remember his arrest for domistic violence against his wife several years ago. That doesn’t sound very mellow.
By Peter Hoover
July 4, 2007 7:53 AM | Link to this
Cox is KING!
By Peter Hoover
July 4, 2007 7:54 AM | Link to this
Cox is KING!
By Peter Hoover
July 4, 2007 7:55 AM | Link to this
COX IS KING!!!!!!!
By Ben
July 4, 2007 7:58 AM | Link to this
Thank you Bobby for everything. There is not one former or current player that has one harsh word to say about Bobby. Even Sheffield and Drew stated that Bobby was the best manager to play for. We have one championship team in Atlanta. Because of Schuerholtz and Bobby, we maintained that for years. Players come and go, but those 2 were constant throughout the years.
By Kevin B
July 4, 2007 8:04 AM | Link to this
I cringe every time he smacks his wife around. Or, did you forget? Braves fans have short memories…what a shame.
By Oh well
July 4, 2007 8:13 AM | Link to this
I guess since he’s not whipping Pam’s butt anymore, he has to get his frustrations out somewhere.
By Oh well
July 4, 2007 8:14 AM | Link to this
I guess since he’s not whipping Pam’s butt anymore, he has to get his frustrations out somewhere.
By Deacspil
July 4, 2007 8:16 AM | Link to this
Bobby Cox is a great manager and he is one who vehemently supports his players. Forget the number of times that he was thrown out of games, look at the number of games won under his leadership. Remarkable, Bobby Cox - Hall of Famer.
By 59bulldawg
July 4, 2007 8:17 AM | Link to this
I have to laugh when you say “best manager of the era” … especially when I wonder how many more times the Braves would have won it all with someone like Joe Torre, Whitey Herzog,or Sparky Anderson at the helm. No manager in the history of the game has done less with more than Bobby Cox. Sure winning seasons and division and league championships are a hell of a lot better than losing 100 games a season like they did in the 70s, but the talent he managed in the 90s should have won more than one world series. Those opportunities don’t come along very often and he didn’t make the most of it. No I’m fairly certain that his legacy will be that he mismanaged very talented teams that should have won more and not the “best manager of the era.”
By Barry
July 4, 2007 8:31 AM | Link to this
Hey Mark, We love the Braves over here in Bama. Question…What is the Braves record in the 130 games that Bobby has been tossed?
By Patti
July 4, 2007 9:06 AM | Link to this
I seem to remember Bobby Cox getting arested for domestic battery against his loving wife sometime back in the 80’s.
My, what a double standard you guys have about “good old boys” with blue eyes. Never seem to remember their transgressions.
prc
By Another MeeMaw
July 4, 2007 9:34 AM | Link to this
It’s not what you did/were YESTERDAY but what you do/are TODAY - something to remember when critizing another person on their personal life.
By ralph
July 4, 2007 9:59 AM | Link to this
what happen to don sutton. i always thought he was the best they had. he sure knew basebll. miss his comentary. thanks
By Cobb Cop
July 4, 2007 10:00 AM | Link to this
I guess she does cringe when Bobby gets ejected… she knows he’s on the way home soon and he’ll take it out on her.
The AJC reporting again drops the important facts (like Cox’s arrest for domestic violence). Someone this angry in public has got to be a raging maniac in private.
No one really cares, though, as long as he keeps winning. So, toughen up Mrs. Cox, the beatings will continue until morale improves!
By RJ
July 4, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this
Hey, if Bobby Cox worked at your local garage, nobody would be commenting on his personal life. But the guy is a public figure, making $2 million a year, so it comes with the territory. Let’s hope he has spent some of that money on therapy. Men who abuse their wives and/or children need serious help.
By Mike Vick
July 4, 2007 10:04 AM | Link to this
Had I beaten my wife 12 years ago Jeff Schultz would still be writing about it today.
By HENGELO,HOLLAND
July 4, 2007 10:20 AM | Link to this
come on people it’s simple mathematics:
By Mark Bradley
July 4, 2007 10:23 AM | Link to this
Here, from a 2004 profile that I did of Bobby Cox, are two paragraphs that might be of interest:
He refuses to discuss the 1995 incident that ended with him being arrested and charged with simple battery. Pam Cox had called 911 during an argument, claiming that her husband had pulled her hair. The two underwent counseling. The charge was subsequently dropped. “We have one argument in 25 years of marriage and it gets in the paper,” Pam Cox says. “I’m not proud of it, but we’ve worked hard to put our marriage back together. I tell the children, ‘It’s not a mistake if you make it a learning experience.’ “
By Vick Hater
July 4, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this
Get over it you bunch of Cox haters. The man had anger and self-control issues. He dealt with them, and its obvious his wife feels those issues are behind them. That, or she finally learned to keep her mouth shut.
12 years ago? Let’s hope Vick can go 12 months without more trouble. Highly unlikely.
By George Steinbrinski
July 4, 2007 10:27 AM | Link to this
At best Bobby is the second best underachiver. Look at the talent Torre has with the Yankees. They suck. A quarter of a billion dollar payroll and they flat out suck. An NY hat today means “Hey I suck too.” Losers!!!
By Dave
July 4, 2007 10:31 AM | Link to this
Back to the subject. I agree that too much is made of the tossings instead of his record. For you BC bashers; how many other managers have won so many division titles? How many other managers have gone to the W.Series? How many have won a W.Series? Who ya gonna get to replace him? Torre’s not gonna leave the Yanks to come to the Braves. So, who else is better, today, that they can actually get? The domestic violence issue is in the past. Quit harping on it.
By Chris
July 4, 2007 10:40 AM | Link to this
thanks for that update Mark…i think we should all go dig up 12 year old dirt on the people who are bringing up the “incident” from 12 years ago and continue to hold those people accountable.
By The Willster
July 4, 2007 10:50 AM | Link to this
Bobby Cox is a good professional manager and a terrible postseason manager. There used to be a joke between me and my friends saying that the only year that Pam didnt get her a* kicked was 1995, when we won the whole thing. LOL. But anyway, Bobby is cool with me..
By Dawg
July 4, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this
If we are going to call Chipper out for his Hooters encounter 7 or 8 years after the fact, how do we let Cox off the hook for spousal abuse? It takes a real man to harm his wife.
By Mark
July 4, 2007 10:57 AM | Link to this
I’ve “liked” Bobby and I do think he sticks up for his players, but I don’t think he is as great as people want to make him out to be. He won one out of 14 chances in the WS. I mean, come on…….Andruw has a higher average than that.
By anal pudding
July 4, 2007 11:13 AM | Link to this
Pam Cox has 2 black eyes. What do you tell her? Nothing. You already told her twice.
By 2 Can Play That Game
July 4, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
“We have one argument in 25 years of marriage and it gets in the paper,”….that hardly sounds like a woman beater! You people are a joke, not to mention, the incident occurred 12 years ago…as one poster proclaimed, if he weren’t who he was, his “incident” would not even be an issue…heck, wouldn’t you want your boss to go to bat for you (no pun intended)?
By Bobby Bobby
July 4, 2007 12:00 PM | Link to this
The Braves were THE team of the 90’s yet Cox could only muster 1 world series title in 5 trips to the big dance. That’s pitiful! The Yankees and BlueJays each won more titles than Atlanta. Even worse, Atlanta lost the last EIGHT world series games they played in. Cox is a loser at home and on the field. Anyone with an ounce of sense could have produced AT LEAST 2 titles with that talent!
By Dave Perry
July 4, 2007 12:06 PM | Link to this
Bobby and Pam get along great together. Anyone who has ever been around them on the farm knows that. He even opened up the Man Hut for her Red Hat Society meeting last year and was one of only three men in attendance and seemed to have a ball. Get off his case. And umpires need to grow a thicker skin, the bunch of idiots.
By happyjames
July 4, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this
Bobby Cox is the greatest manager the Braves have ever had. Probably one of the greatest to ever manage a game. Braves fans might not agree with all the decisions Bobby has made. They can however rejoice in having one of the best managers ever on our team.
Go Braves! Beat those Dodgers today!
By wildbillhiltner
July 4, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this
let’s not forget, in addition to getting thrown out of games, Bobby should be remember as a spouse batterer, too.
By Robert
July 4, 2007 1:04 PM | Link to this
“No manager in the history of the game has done less with more than Bobby Cox”
A-MEN!
Nobody turns should-be WS winners into division champions quite like Bobby Cox
By Steve
July 4, 2007 2:57 PM | Link to this
There are two types of people in this world: Those that do, and those that criticize. Bobby Cox has done what no other manager in baseball (or head coach in any major professional sport) has ever done—best his division rivals fourteen years running. Could he have won more World Series? Perhaps. Does he occasionally stay with a pitcher too long? Yeah, but so does every other manager—ask any Red Sox fan about Pedro in 2003.
The point is, Bobby is out there every day, doing a job better than most who ever have or ever will manage a major league baseball team. The gutter-level sniping in this blog is a reflection of the shortcomings of the bloggers, not Bobby Cox.
By Dugout Dan
July 4, 2007 3:11 PM | Link to this
Cheerful and contented?
My god, Mark Bradley you’ve been spending too much time feeding your face in the pressbox dining room, instead of talking to King Bobby.
He is one of the most miserable human beings I’ve ever been around. If you believe he’s had one argument with poor Pam in 25 years, I have some ocean front property in Iowa I’d like to sell you.
By Blinking
July 4, 2007 3:17 PM | Link to this
The grass is always greener on the other side. Braves fans should love Bobby. But then again, these are the same people who badmouth the players if they get injured, badmouth the team when it loses, and generally just badmouth in general.
If anything should be badmouthed, it’s the lack of money this team has to build a championship team - not the players and coaches already on it.
Sidenote: I miss rockin’ Leo.
By Rev Al
July 4, 2007 4:09 PM | Link to this
Another article about a white man. Can a brother get some attention in this city? We run thangs around heea!
By Phil
July 4, 2007 4:10 PM | Link to this
I agree with Cox’s grandchildren! Everytime I see his filthy mouth utter his favorite profanity I cringe again thinking of the millions of kids seeing this man portrayed as a great leader and manager. He has many vulgarities that are easy to see on TV, but the vilest is his frequent, JESUS, f…..g CHRIST. I actually wrote to Schuerholz about this without any response. I am a lifelong Braves fan with a Masters degree and feel that Cox is the most egregious example of the baseball “good old boy” network that is given a pass on irresponsible behavior! Love the Braves - can’t stand the overated, intemperate, vulgar Cox!
By Deuce
July 4, 2007 4:40 PM | Link to this
If we had a black manager…. we would have won at least 3 world series
By David Duke
July 4, 2007 5:10 PM | Link to this
Cox is awful! Which black manager has won three World Series Championships? Winning teams don’t hire moron, pic-a-ninny’s to ruin their chances!
By Aram
July 4, 2007 5:16 PM | Link to this
A bunch of holier-than-thou haters on this board.
By steve
July 4, 2007 5:34 PM | Link to this
Let’s see, how many teams still have a .199 hitter, no make that .201, (since you can go 2 for 9 and raise your average) batting clean up? That is the sign of a “great” manager! WOW!!! If BC is calm at home, great but that has nothing to do with the ballpark performance. The man can’t even have a consistant line-up. Yes we have a couple guys that deserve playing time, Escobar, Diaz, Johnson and Salty. Let them play and get some team continuity. Don’t jerk them in and out. How can any team jell or be consistant when your manager isn’t? My problem is how does anyone get anything going when they are in one day and out the next. I have a problem playing a guy hitting .201 at clean-up and benching guys that hit in the upper 280’s and have a 350+ obp. No problem with loyality but not at the expense of the team. Does anyone here think Herzog, Sparky or any Hall of Fame manager would put up with this? We can lose just as well without AJ in the line-up as we can with him (talk about a waste of money). Does it matter who is on base if the guy is going to swing and miss?
I am one that also believes BC squandered great talent in the 90’s. Three, 3, future Hall of Fame pitchers and we can not win? The Braves also had an average offense and an above average defense. Those pitchers didn’t need a lot of runs to win, just manufactor a few. Four runs and they win the majority of the time. Three and we are still in the game. A “great” manager? NO WAY, a good manager maybe so. Getting thrown out of a game should not collect headlines
By Pro-tonix
July 4, 2007 5:41 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe what I have just read. Not the part by you, Bradley, but the “responses” by this sicker-than-thou crowd. Why bother?
By Eric from MO
July 4, 2007 6:20 PM | Link to this
Man after reading these blogs sounds like Cox beat the s** out of you all. Besides all he did was pull his hair. Not exactly a serious crime.
Deuce “If we had a black manager…. we would have won at least 3 world series.” Just out of curiousity how many black managers can you name that have won one world Series. What cant come up with an answer? Thats because no n**** has ever managed a team to a championship. Just admit N**** suck!
By Pro-tonix
July 4, 2007 7:59 PM | Link to this
My point, exactly.
By Ben
July 4, 2007 8:21 PM | Link to this
Bobby is one of the most respected men in baseball. Players change every year. He didn’t have an open check book to work with like other teams. He is an excellent man of baseball, and I am proud of him and the Braves. I am grateful for the one winning organization we have in this town. How many other franchises in Atlanta can claim a World Championship ring? He had some players do some serious choking in the playoffs. But you would never hear him say one harsh word towards that effect. Thank you for all the years Bobby!
By I Hate Rednecks
July 4, 2007 8:34 PM | Link to this
Hey Nimrod Protonix,
Cito Gaston. Toronto Blue Jays. Beat Cox and the Braves in 92 and the Phillies in 93. Get out from under your hood more often.
By I Hate Rednecks
July 4, 2007 8:35 PM | Link to this
Hey Nimrod Eric,
Cito Gaston. Toronto Blue Jays. Beat Cox and the Braves in 92 and the Phillies in 93. Get out from under your hood more often.
By I Hate Rednecks
July 4, 2007 8:35 PM | Link to this
Hey Nimrod Eric,
Cito Gaston. Toronto Blue Jays. Beat Cox and the Braves in 92 and the Phillies in 93. Get out from under your hood more often.
By I Hate Rednecks
July 4, 2007 8:35 PM | Link to this
Hey Nimrod Eric,
Cito Gaston. Toronto Blue Jays. Beat Cox and the Braves in 92 and the Phillies in 93. Get out from under your hood more often.
By James Adams
July 4, 2007 10:58 PM | Link to this
“We only had one arguement in 25 years” sounds a lot to me like, “I fell down the stairs”
$20 says ‘Vick Hater’s real name is Jeff Schultz.
As a white, conservative Republican, let me ask this question. What is Bobby Cox’s playoff record against black managers? If Im not mistaken, it’s 2-4. 2-2 against Dusty Baker (may I add, the ONLY Cub playoff win in, what, 90 years??) 0-2 against Cito Gaston. Braves fans, please quit comparing yourself to the Yankees. They have been by FAR the best team in the majors since 1996, not to mention 4 RINGS!
By Me
July 4, 2007 10:59 PM | Link to this
A good indicator of managerial skill is a team’s record in one run games. Those are the games a manager can make a difference in. A 10 run blowout doesn’t test him whether he’s on the winning end or the losing end. I’d be curious to know Cox’s record in one run games. I have no idea what it is.
By Ed
July 5, 2007 12:38 AM | Link to this
We have Rocin Leo in Baltimore and he’s already doing good things despite our injured arms and Daniel Cabrera, but when reading your comments here it makes me think. I’m 28 and remember when the Braves were pathetic for years and couldn’t win more than 54 games in 1998, also a bad year for charm city’s team. Since Cox came to the ATL, the winning percentage has never been lower than .543 (2001) and you still won the NL East. I love baseball and I live for the Orioles, and I’d love to have just one season like that. Be careful what you wish for Braves fans.
By James Adams
July 5, 2007 2:24 AM | Link to this
I apologize. Bobby Cox’s record in the playoffs against black managers: 0-4