Hall of Fame baseball coach Sparky Anderson is the only manager in history to win World Series titles in both the National and American Leagues. He led the Cincinnati Reds to the top in '75 and '76, and the Detroit Tigers in '84.

But even Sparky can't win 'em all. In 1989, the Tigers finished a miserable 59-103. Sparky writes, "I never dreamed I could be part of a team that couldn't at least play .500 ball. I was embarrassed and ashamed." Sparky, in fact, suffered mental and physical exhaustion early in the season and had to leave the team for 17 days.

Looking back on it now, he writes, "If you think you're destined never to fail, you better keep one eye open when you fall asleep at night…. For my first 19 years as a manager I was blessed by so much good fortune I thought maybe the devil had forgotten where I lived. In 1989, I found out that Sparky Anderson has to pay his dues, too…. I never got over the point of bleeding a little bit after every loss, but I finally learned to let go. I can't say I'm happy with the pain I went through in 1989. But I'm grateful for what it taught me."