Sparky Signs On for More : Baseball: Anderson agrees to a two-year contract extension that will keep him on as manager of the Detroit Tigers through the 1994 season.

Sparky Anderson knew there was something special about the Detroit Tigers the first day he walked into Jim Campbell’s office.

That was 13 years and 1,005 wins ago. And the relationship shows no signs of going stale.

Anderson signed a two-year contract extension Thursday that will keep him on as manager of the Tigers through the 1994 season. By that time, he should be the third-winningest manager in baseball history and a lock for the Hall of Fame.

That’s very important to the 57-year-old Anderson.

“The first day I met with Jim Campbell, I knew I was dealing with the most honest man I had ever met,” Anderson said. “In all the time I’ve been here, I have never once been asked what I was doing, or told. No other manager in the history of baseball can say that.”

His extension also is in sharp contrast to what has happened around the rest of the major leagues this season. So far five managers have been fired: Philadelphia’s Nick Leyva, Baltimore’s Frank Robinson, Kansas City’s John Wathan, Don Zimmer of the Chicago Cubs and Montreal’s Buck Rodgers.

“The kind of stability we’ve had here is something I think all the other organizations maybe ought to look at,” Anderson said. “Look at the Dodgers with Tommy Lasorda and Oakland with Tony La Russa. These other organizations might say that’s the way we all should go.

“Then the players know who they’re going to be dealing with. So will the writers. What are they going to do with somebody who’s in concrete? They can’t attack somebody in cement. He’s beyond reproach. I can say that for the last 13 years, nobody could touch me.”

Campbell, who was president and general manager when Anderson came to Detroit, is now semiretired. He carries the title of chairman and chief executive officer. But the relationship between Anderson and the new boss, Bo Schembechler, is just as strong as the one with Campbell.

“I won’t go anywhere else,” Anderson said. “I feel healthy. This is what I want to do.”

The main reason, of course, is records. Every generation can compare itself with those of the past. Anderson is now painfully aware of his record and his possible rank among baseball’s immortals when he’s finally done.

He is the winningest manager in Cincinnati Reds history with 863 victories. His 1,005 wins in Detroit make him the second-winningest manager in Tigers’ history behind Hughie Jennings’ 1,131 (1907-20).

That’s small change. His goal is to finish No. 3 on the all-time list and with decent teams, he should achieve that. Connie Mack is first on the list with 3,776 wins, followed by John McGraw with 2,840. Bucky Harris is third at 2,159 and Anderson wants to move past Harris.

At the moment, Anderson is No. 10 on the list with 1,868.

“At the end of this one, almost everything should be done, as far as records and everything else,” Anderson said. “Then I’m sure we’ll take a look at it and decide how much longer I want to go on.”

Anderson took 17 days off during the 1989 season for recuperation at home from physical exhaustion, but returned in early June to finish out the woeful 59-103 season.

Anderson is the dean of American League managers. He was the first manager ever to win 100 or more games in a season with two different teams. He was the first ever to win a World Series championship in both leagues, and also the first to win at least 800 games with two different teams.

The Tigers have several promising players in their farm system. That also was a factor in his decision to remain.

“I want to watch them develop,” Anderson said. “But I love baseball. I love going to the ballpark and I love being around ballplayers. I love managing. I don’t know what else I’d do.”