Bobby Cox Robert Joseph Cox, most widely known as Bobby Cox, (born May 21, 1941 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA) is a former player - and current manager - in Major League Baseball. He is currently the manager of the Atlanta Braves, who he first led from 1978 to 1981, and later rejoined in 1985, and as of the 2006 season, Cox is the manager with the longest current tenure. Cox was also general manager of that organization from 1985-1990. He also managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985. Cox is the seventh most successful manager in major league history, with a record of 2100 wins and 1611 losses through the 2005 season; his Braves have won their division every year from 1991-2005, excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season. He has won one World Series championship, in 1995. In 2001 he became the most successful manager in Braves history.
Cox is also known, somewhat dubiously, for his short temper with the umpires. Cox currently ranks third for ejections in a career and first among all active managers (Cox was ejected for the 121st time in his career on June 3, 2006, putting him two behind Leo Durocher and eleven behind John McGraw). Cox is also the only person, player or manager, to be ejected from two World Series games (once in 1992, and again in 1996). He was ejected in the ninth inning of game three of the 1992 World Series for throwing a batting helmet onto the field at the Toronto Skydome. Cox was trying to slam the helmet against the lip of the dugout and missed, throwing it onto the field. For his action, he was ejected. Cox was again tossed in the final game of the 1996 World Series, protesting an out call of Mark Lemke on a steal at second base. Although video replay showed Lemke was safe, the umpire called Lemke out, and Cox was tossed when he argued with the umpire.
As a player, Cox played two seasons, mostly at third base, for the New York Yankees. Traded from the Braves December 7, 1967, Bobby was plugged in right away as the starting third-baseman for the Yankees. Thanks to bad knees, Cox became the second in a string of four stop-gap players between greats Clete Boyer and Graig Nettles. He played with Mickey Mantle during "The Mick's" final season in 1968 and then saw the major league debut of another Bronx legend, Thurman Munson, in 1969.
In 1995, Cox was charged with battery on his wife and spent a night in jail, although the charge was retracted by his wife the day after the allegation was made, and the case was dismissed after the couple underwent couples counseling and Cox was ordered to complete violence counseling and an alcohol abuse evaluation.
