By Gina Gomez
Jan 25, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Bobby Bragan, who was nicknamed “Mr. Baseball” for his dedication to the game, passed away on Thursday in his Fort Worth home. He was 92. The death of this legend has saddened his fans. Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he is really sad at the demise of this great man. He puts, “I met Bobby Bragan when he was the manager of the Milwaukee Braves and he was a dear friend of mine for nearly 50 years.” He adds that Bobby Bragan had a splendid career as a player, coach, manager and executive. All people associated with baseball and his fans will miss him.

Bobby Bragan was a native of Birmingham who made his mark in 1948 as a player as well as a manager. His team won regular-season titles in the years 1948 and 1949. Bobby Bragan managed the majors for Pittsburgh from 1956 to 1957, Cleveland in 1958, Milwaukee from 1963 to 1965 and Atlanta in 1966. He even managed Hall of Fame entrants like Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, Bob Lemon and Warren Spahn making a 443-478 career record. He was also the major league coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Colt. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was the Texas Ranger’s community director of public relations. He was the assistant in the club for 20 years. On his return to Fort Worth following his retirement, he wrote his autobiography titled, “You Can’t Hit the Ball with the Bat on your Shoulder: The Life and Times of Bobby Bragan,” in the year 1992.

Bobby Bragan who is lovingly called “Mr. Baseball,” lived a full life encompassing almost all possible fields in baseball. He will always be remembered by his fans and associates.