ATLANTA — Bobby Cox reached behind his sunglasses to dab his eyes a few times Saturday as the Braves paid tribute to their longtime manager.
The ceremony before the game against the Phillies attracted about 70 former players and coaches, who all wore their white Braves jerseys and sat in the infield.
Cox was given a 2010 Lexus LS460 from the Braves and an 11-night cruise from his current players. Cox said “Holy Cow!” when shown a picture of another gift — a bench made with autographed bats, balls and baseball cards from every player on the team.
Chipper Jones, representing the current players, called Cox “the greatest manager any of us will know.”
Cox was the general manager when the Braves made Jones the No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 draft. Cox is the only manager Jones has played for in his 16 major- league seasons.
The 69-year-old Cox is retiring after the season, his 29th as a major-league manager, including 25 with the Braves.
DeJesus remains a Royal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals exercised their $6 million option on outfielder David DeJesus for next season.
The 30-year-old DeJesus played in only 91 games this year. He had season-ending surgery on his right thumb after crashing into the fence at Yankee Stadium.
Thanks for the memories
BOSTON — The Red Sox honored retiring infielder Mike Lowell during a pregame ceremony.
The 2007 World Series MVP played third for most of his 13-year career but spent most of his time at first base this season because of a hip ailment and an injury to Kevin Youkilis.
