Parker Rejoins Pirates for a Week

[Baseball Guru]

By Associated Press

March 14, 2002, 4:49 PM EST


BRADENTON, Fla. -- Dave Parker rejoined the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday as a special instructor.

Parker will spend a week in the Pirates' spring training camp, working for manager Lloyd McClendon and instructing players on hitting, baserunning and outfield defense.

"I'm here to help out in whatever way Lloyd McClendon wants," Parker said. "I did it all when I played and I'm willing to do whatever they want now."

Parker was voted the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1978 and won NL batting titles in 1977 and 1978. He helped lead the Pirates to their last World Series title in 1979, then left the organization in 1983 after three subpar seasons in which he was injured and overweight.

During the 1985 federal baseball drug trials in Pittsburgh, Parker admitted using drugs while with the Pirates. The Pirates sued Parker in 1988 in an effort to have deferred payments in his contract, signed in 1979, voided because of illegal drug use.

Parker was owed $5.3 million in deferred payments through 2007. The Pirates, then owned by a private-public consortium, settled the lawsuit by paying him less than half that much in a lump sum in 1988.

That consortium eventually sold the team in 1996 to the current ownership group led by Kevin McClatchy.

Parker said he no longer holds animosity toward the Pirates.

"The day I left the organization as a free agent is the day I quit holding a grudge," Parker said. "It's like I always tell the young players. When something bad happens to you, think about it today, analyze it today then let it go tomorrow.

"It's all in the past and I'm happy to be wearing a Pirate uniform again. I think I look pretty good in the black and gold after all these years."

Parker had been estranged from the Pittsburgh organization until Willie Stargell returned to the Pirates in 1997 as a special adviser to former general manager Cam Bonifay.

Stargell, who had a Hall of Fame career as a player with the Pirates from 1962-82, persuaded Parker to come back to Pittsburgh in 1999 to take part in ceremonies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the 1979 championship at Three Rivers Stadium.

"Willie was like a father to me," said Parker, who lives in his native Cincinnati, where he owns and operates two fast food restaurants. "When Willie came back to the Pirates, it made me realize again how much it meant to play with these guys. It's been good to come back and be involved with the Pirates on a limited basis. It's nice to come back to my baseball roots.">

Notes:@ An MRI performed on 2B Pokey Reese's sore right elbow revealed no structural damage. Reese has not played since Saturday and has been told to rest for three or four more days. ... C Jason Kendall served as a designated hitter in a minor league game Thursday, his first action since bruising his left index finger Sunday. Kendall is expected to catch Friday when the Pirates play host to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in an exhibition game.

[GaryMrMets]

http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/pit/news/pit_news_story.jsp?article_id=mlb_20020314_molony_ news&team_id=pit

News

3/14/2002 7:33 pm ET

Molony: McClendon brings in The Cobra

By Jim Molony
MLB.com

BASEBALL CITY, Fla. -- What in the name of Omar Moreno is this? This can't be the Pittsburgh Pirates. Whatever happened to The Lumber Company? Lumber and Lightning? The team that gave us Maz and Wilver, Hebner and Hoak, Dock and the Mad Dog, has gone the way of Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium.

The Pirates used to be Moose, Mudcat, Veale and Clemente. Today it's Kip, Chad, Josh and Ryan.

We are left to wonder what Andy Van Slyke would make of all of this.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, that proud franchise known as much for their talented teams as they were for their colorful characters, have fallen on hard times in recent years. After nine consecutive losing seasons -- including a 100-loss season last year, the franchise's second triple-digit loss season since 1954 -- second-year manager Lloyd McClendon is doing everything possible to turn things around.

Toward that end, McClendon wants to try and recapture some of the old Pirate spirit by bringing in one of the old Pirate greats: Dave "The Cobra" Parker, a seven-time All-Star who spent 11 years ('73-'83) in Pittsburgh. Parker won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1978 and helped the Pirates to a World Series Championship in '79.

Parker arrived here Thursday and immediately began working with a few of the young Pirates. The Pirates, who will likely be the youngest team in the National League this season or certainly among the three youngest depending on the final makeup of the roster, haven't hit well this spring and McClendon, who was a teammate of Parker's in 1987 when both were members of the Cincinnati Reds, thought having Parker come in as a special instructor would help.

"In Cincinnati he's as big a presence as he is in Pittsburgh," McClendon said. "He really helped me when we played together, he taught me a lot I was able to use and as I thought about those days I thought he would be able to help our young kids in that same way."

So here was Parker, 50 years old and still looking like he could hit ropes into the cheap seats. His association with the organization and the city of Pittsburgh has had its peaks and valleys, but all of that is history as far as Parker is concerned.

"Pittsburgh will always be special to me, that's why when Lloyd called I was very pleased," Parker said. "I think I can help some of these young guys, I've been there, I know what they're going through and what they need to learn. I'm here to help them with their hitting, but they can talk to me (for advice). This game isn't all just about hitting, pitching and catching. There's a way to play the game that everybody can play, and there's a way to play the game the Pirate way, with a special kind of pride."

If you're thinking the Cobra was brought in as some kind of snake charmer, don't.

"I'm here to do a job and to help out a friend and an organization that I obviously have a special feeling for," Parker said. "I'm not a miracle worker, but I believe I can make a contribution."

McClendon already has another Pirate legend, Bill Virdon, on the staff. But Parker is a latter day Pirate hero and thus McClendon is hoping he can more easily strike a chord with some of the younger players on the team like outfielders Tike Redman and Chad Hermanson. Parker will also work with veterans like second baseman Pokey Reese.

"We try to instill a sense of the history," McClendon said. "In the past with nine losing seasons certainly a lot of times you hear players fall into a funk or (you hear) 'We suck.' Well, the Pirates don't suck. The history of the Pittsburgh Pirates is of a tremendous organization and I was part of it and it's something we're trying to get back.

"I think it's foolish on our part if we don't bring back veterans in our organization if they are capable of bringing something out of these kids. I think Dave is one of those individuals who certainly has a unique ability to communicate with these kids."

McClendon can use whatever help he can get. The Pirates have three All-Star caliber position players in outfielder Brian Giles, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and catcher Jason Kendall, but the pitching staff is replete with question marks and other than Kendall the Pirates are suspect up the middle.

Even so McClendon is adamant this team is ahead of last year's.

"No question about it," he said. "Obviously with the injuries we had to our pitching staff last year we're way ahead. I think with the veteran presence we have here in Spring Training we've seen a lot of young kids stepping up a little bit. Our camp has been much, much more productive. From a coaching standpoint there's only so much we can do to try and motivate them but when you get the kids working with veteran players it goes a long way."

McClendon said he still wants to get his pitching staff in order and the most critical area is the starting rotation. Kris Benson, who missed all of last year because of injury, may not be ready until early next month. Left-hander Dave Williams looked sharp against Kansas City Thursday and Kip Wells and Jimmy Anderson are among those in the running. The Pirates also have high hopes for right-hander Ryan Vogelsong.

"I think we're moving in the right direction with our rotation," McClendon said. "I can say (who has already won spots in the rotation) but I won't say. Probably between the 17th and 20th (of March) we'll probably make firm decisions as to where we're going to go."

In the meantime Parker can help.

"Everybody knows there's certain teams that have a mystique or reputation, especially teams that have been around for a long time," McClendon said. "There should be a special something when you put on the uniform of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is a team with a long and impressive history, and the young guys need to know about that history. Having Dave here gives them a chance to appreciate this organization and get some insights from a guy who really knows this game."

Jim Molony is a writer for MLB.com based in Houston. He can be reached at mlbmolony@aol.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Dave "The Cobra" Parker, a seven-time All-Star who spent 11 years in Pittsburgh, won the National League MVP Award in 1978 and helped the Pirates to a World Series Championship in '79.
http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/photo/2002_news/p/ph_news_parker288_0314.jpg

[pmeares17]

excellent they need all the sane instructors they can get:biggrin: . scary about kendall and reese they need to be careful the team needs them to be not only healthy but have career years.