NEW YORK (AP) - Bobby Cox will retire as manager of the Atlanta Braves after the 2010 season, ending a career in which he guided the team to 14 consecutive postseason appearances and the 1995 World Series title.

The 68-year-old, a four-time Manager of the Year, agreed to a one-year contract extension for 2010, the Braves announced before Wednesday night's game against the New York Mets. He will start a five-year consulting agreement to advise the team in baseball operations after he steps down as manager.

"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.

Its the right time, methinks.

He's a legend.

The Hall'll come a knocking in good time.

the best manager not named tony larussa that iver ever seen

He's undoubtedly the best regular season manager of the modern era and maybe ever but his postseason record leaves a lot to be desired. As it turns the out, the Earl Weaver school of "have good pitching and wait around for the three run homer" doesn't always work out especially in those short series.

As for Larussa (who ive never liked, too many moves, too much posturing and playing the "stand back, i'm a genius" card--he's the baseball equivalent of Jon Gruden), up until he won that WS with the Cardinals a couple of years ago, I would have definitely said Bobby was the better manager but that was a pretty impressive showing.

People in Atlanta (who, despite what the national sports media tell you, are actually pretty astute baseball fans), have grown a little restless: this will be the fourth straight year the Braves haven't been to the postseason, they havent been to the NLCS since 2001, the WS since 1999 and its now been 14 years since winning the World Series.

Sounds like a good run to this Cubs fan.

Yeah, the era was over when they lost Glav, Mad Dog and especially Smoltzie, this is just the denouement.

I don't think they "lost" those guys so much as those guys stopped being who they were. And now Chipper is in rapid decline.

The real truth is that the team has never been the same since they traded Grissom and Justice for Kenny Lofton.

Respect.

Big shoes for somebody to fill.

You know what I mean -- let go, signed elsewhere, caught having sex with a dachsund....

Lofton... 3 years too late on him.

I don't question his talent either before or after the trade; it was more trading a semi-dominant slugger who had some up through the organization and who hpnd to have the series clinching homer in '95 and another guy who was very solid in center, a good to very good hitter and a GREAT community/clubhouse guy for, well, Kenny Lofton. And you only rented him for a year since he went right back to the Indians in '98.

By the way, THIS is the game and lineup that people in Atlanta still criticize Bobby for rolling out, eleven years after the fact.

GERGALD GWILLIAMS!?!?!?

Wow....