Braves' Cox to manage 2010, then retire to advisory role

By David O'Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

NEW YORK — One more season as Braves manager for Bobby Cox and that's it. After 2010 he's taking his 2,400-plus wins and cigars and leaving the dugout. And this time, he said he means it.

"Period. It's time," Cox said after signing a one-year contract extension Wednesday to manage the club for one more season in 2010, a deal that includes a five-year consulting agreement that will keep him with the organization as an advisor at least through the 2015 season.

"If I don't do this right now, I would be wanting to manage again somewhere ... or here," said Cox, 68. "It's time to go ahead and say it. I don't think I would ever give up the idea of managing unless I just say, ‘That's it.' That's what I'm saying — that it's it."

General manager Frank Wren and Cox announced the move during a hastily arranged news conference in the visiting manager's office at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon, about 24 hours after an Internet report claimed that tension between Wren and Cox had nearly led the manager to quit during spring training and could prompt the end of Cox's storied Braves career after the current season.

Cox and Wren said the report was inaccurate, insisted they have a good working relationship and had planned to announce the extension during next week's final homestand.

"Bobby and I have been talking about this for a while. We finalized this deal at the end of last week, honestly," said Wren, who added they agreed to move up the announcement "in light of recent false information and speculation."

Wren said there was no rush to begin the process of finding a replacement for the fourth-winningest manager in major league history. He would not delve into what qualifications he would be looking for.

"I think it's something I'll visit with Bobby about, as we get into next year," Wren said. "I don't think there's going to be any great rush, obviously. We're going to focus on Bobby managing for us next year and put us in a position to win again and we'll kind of cross that bridge when we come to it."

Cox knows it will be difficult to step away next fall, but said the consulting role was important in that it would permit him to stay close to the game and help the Braves at all levels in the organization.

"Being connected is the big thing for me," he said. "It doesn't matter if I'm watching a minor league game or a major league game. It's all baseball. It's always fun. I'm grateful they'll allow me to."

Cox said during 2007 spring training that he planned to manage only through 2008. But he quickly backpedaled and signed a two-year extension early in the 2008 season.

He was asked Wednesday, why now?

"I'm almost 70 years old," Cox said. "I'll be 69 next year. I've got to come to terms with that sometime, that it's time for somebody else to come in."

Cox won eight Sporting News manager of the year awards, more than twice as many as any one else, and led the Braves to 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005. They only won one World Series in that span, a point that Cox detractors focus upon.

The Braves slipped to third-place division finishes in 2006 and ‘07 and fourth with a 72-90 record in 2008. Wren rebuilt the starting rotation last winter and the team entered Wednesday with an 81-70 record, though still remain five games behind the National League wild-card leader and eight behind NL East division leader Philadelphia with only 11 games to play.

Cox said whether they win it all in 2010 or fail to reach the playoffs, it will still be his final season.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "I really want to manage next year and it's just a good time to say it now, get it over with and retire. The good part of it is, I get to be involved. Frank, John [Schuerholz, Braves president], Terry [McGuirk, Braves CEO] and the guys have been very good and made that happen."

Wren, 51, is finishing his second season in what has been a sometimes bumpy tenure as Braves GM, after taking over for Schuerholz when the longtime former GM moved into the president's role. There have been rumors of tension between the old-school manager and Wren.

"First of all, Frank and I get along great," Cox said. "Our relationship is terrific and we're not just saying that. It's a remarkable job [he's done], when you think [going into last] winter, we actually had only one starting pitcher — J.J. [Jair Jurrjens]. ...

"Yeah, you're going to have some disagreements. We've had a few, nothing major like what was said. Nobody's going to quit their job over it."

Also, the Braves announced that all of Cox's coaches will return for the 2010 season.