Sparky meets Jennifer, the hot secretary at the WKRP radio station, played by Loni Anderson.
For nearly two decades Detroit was fortunate to have Sparky Anderson in the dugout managing their ballclub. Yes, Sparky was a gifted manager and he won a lot of games, but in addition to that, he was a one-of-a-kind character who always delivered a great quote or a funny story.
In the winter of 1979, just months after he came on the scene in Detroit, Sparky appeared as a guest star on WKRP in Cincinnati, one of TV’s top sitcoms.
In the episode, Sparky is hired to host a sports talk show for WKRP, which delights the staff (with the exception of the sensitive Les Nessman).
Sparky actually delivers a solid performance and he appears throughout the entire episode, it’s no cameo. Early in the episode it’s explained that Sparky was fired by the Cincinnati Reds and now manages the Detroit Tigers. As was the case throughout most of his tenure with the team, Sparky was the biggest star on the Tigers.
You can watch the entire episode here:
What do you think of Sparky’s acting skills? Let us know in the comments section below.
Without a doubt Sparky is a true Hall of Famer and was a great ambassador for the game of baseball. I think it’s a shame the the Tigers did not recognize him until after his death. Sparky did a lot for Major League baseball and deserved much better from the franchise that he spent most of that career with. SHAME on the Tigers organization for not recognizing him when he was alive and would have enjoyed it. It’s not like you didn’t have time to do it right. Rest in peace Mr. Anderson
Randy,
We couldn’t have said it any better about Sparky. He was one of a kind, and he is sorely missed.
Dan