Braves’ Cox will re-up then retire after 2010

Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox has agreed to a one-year extension but says he’ll plan to retire after the 2010 season.

"While I have decided that 2010 will be my last season in the dugout, I want to make it clear that we will all be working as hard as ever to win another world championship," Cox said in a statement.

While this statement sounds like the typical PR cliché, there’s no doubt in my mind that Cox really wants a World Championship for the Braves.  Cox ranks fourth all-time and second among active managers in wins.  He also ranks #1 in postseason appearances among all managers with 15.  

 
Rk Mgr Yrs G W L W-L% Plyof App WSwon PennWon
1 Connie Mack HOF 53 7755 3731 3948 .486 8 5 9
2 John McGraw HOF 33 4769 2763 1948 .586 10 3 11
3 Tony LaRussa 31 4762 2550 2209 .536 12 2 5
4 Bobby Cox 28 4335 2408 1924 .556 15 1 5
5 Joe Torre 28 4156 2242 1908 .540 14 4 6
6 Sparky Anderson HOF 26 4030 2194 1834 .545 7 3 5
7 Bucky Harris HOF 29 4408 2157 2218 .493 3 2 3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/23/2009.
 

Yet among all those postseason appearances, Bad Bobby Cox has only one World Championship to his name (when the Braves won it all in 1995).  I’m sure in the back of his mind, he’d like to shirk the bridesmaid title.