It appears the end is near, according to Paul Daugherty:
John Bench told me last night that Sparky Anderson has stopped eating and the family has declined to have him fed through a tube. Among the most beloved figures in our local sports history is about to leave us.
UPDATE: Sparky has passed away at age 76.
Anderson won 2,194 games as a manager, which was the third-highest total in major league history when he retired, trailing Connie Mack and John McGraw. He now stands sixth, also trailing Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.
Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and the only manager to lead two franchises in career wins.
He led Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine to World Series wins in 1975-76. He won four National League pennants in Cincinnati from 1970-78 and then was fired after consecutive second-place finishes.
Anderson went to the American League and won there, too, directing the Tigers to a World Series title in 1984 and a division title in 1987. He retired after the 1995 season and was added to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.
Reds writer, John Erardi, has posted an essay on Sparky.
The Nation will always love ya’, Sparky.