Cox looking for 1 more postseason with Braves

“I hope he gets to the postseason. I hope they get to the postseason.”

The Braves have moved from Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to Turner Field and have rebuilt following the end of the era with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz as the leaders of the rotation. Schuerholz said Cox remained the constant in 21 consecutive seasons with the team.

“Bobby is Bobby. Bobby has been Bobby since I’ve known him,” Schuerholz said. “He’s very good person. Very big-hearted. Very kind. Very considerate. Very likable. Very nice to people. I mean, that’s what he’s been as a person.

“Yeah, he’s a competitor. He’s tough in that dugout doing his job, but it has worked out pretty well.”

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Cox “is a very honorable man.”

“Bobby’s a good baseball man; we all know that,” Torre said this week. “But what a lot of people don’t understand … is what the manager’s job is. And Bobby takes it to another level, because he cares about people. He teaches his lessons in his own way. You have to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, otherwise you’ll hear from him. And he has a great deal of respect for the game, which is where it all starts from.”

Cox said he had to make his retirement plans public last year or he might never walk away.

Now, with or without another trip to the playoffs, Cox’s time in uniform is about to end.

There’s no backing out. Pam has purchased tickets for a cruise scheduled to depart on April 18, 2011.

“Prepaid,” Cox said. “We can’t get out of that one. Once you pay you’ve got to go.”

When asked about his favorite memories, Cox said “Every year was a great year for me. Baseball, just being in uniform, just makes it great.

“Baseball is a blur to be honest with you. It goes by in a snap of the fingers.”

Cox will remain a part of the organization as a consultant.

“I’ll miss managing, there’s no doubt about it, but I’m gonna be connected just a tiny bit to the organization where I can have my own schedule,” he said. “My intentions are to go down and mingle some with the minor leaguers, cheer them up a bit during the course of the season.”

Will that be enough baseball to satisfy Cox? Some worry that retirement could be difficult for the man who is usually at Turner Field by noon for night games and through his career often made daily visits to the stadium even during the offseason.

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