By Steve Hummer
Cox Newspapers
ATLANTA — The 1968 New York Yankees were as confused as the times. They were a dynasty in name only, four years removed from their last World Series appearance and eight years from their next.
Mickey Mantle was a .237-hitting first baseman in his farewell season. Rocky Colavito, once a power-hitting great in Cleveland, was a bit player in New York by then, even pitching two innings as an emergency reliever. And 27-year-old Bobby Cox was a rookie, summoned to the big leagues to keep third base warm for a year.
Cox’s career would go on to possess the kind of heft that is earned only over a long and challenging period. It has spanned eras, enduring baseball’s transition from innocence to cynicism, from make-believe to Moneyball.