1979 was the year that I became aware of sports. More importantly it was the year that I became aware of baseball. This is a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that I listened off and on that summer to the Cubs and Cardinals on the radio and was introduced to the wonderful voices of Jack Brickhouse and Jack Buck.
The curse, if you will, was Pittsburgh. In 1979, Pittsburgh was mired in a long slump as the steel mills and heavy industry, instrumental in building New York City (among others) completely fell apart along with much of the industrial Midwest. I knew of the Steelers, because new Iowa football coach Hayden Fry changed the Iowa Hawkeye football uniforms to reflect the best football team in the NFL.
I think during a game of the week that summer (remember when they had those on TV?) I saw this man, twirling the bat in what looked like impossibly large hands.
Notice the hat. I wanted one. I had never seen anything like it. I asked my dad who this man was. He replied "That's Willie Stargell. They call him "Pops." It made no difference to me that this man was by that point a 39 year old first baseman with only three years left in a hall of fame career. It did not matter that in 1979 he was in the midst of the last year he would hit 30 home runs (he had done it 5 times before). Pops was named the MVP of the National League that year. He then hit .455 in the NL Championship series, driving in six runs in three games. Oh yeah, then the World Series, the first that I ever watched in full. All seven games. Pops didn't disappoint me then, hitting .400 for the series with 3 homers; seven of his 12 hits went for extra bases, and the Pirates came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Orioles. One of my life's few regrets is that I never got to see him play, as he retired after the 1982 season. He died on Opening Day 2001. By the way, he handed out those stars for smart plays and good baseball.
Stargell picked this song to be the theme of that 1979 team because this is what they were. In today's sports talk shows and mental masturbation, we hear a lot about "teamwork", "spirit" and "heart". This team had it, but it also had damn good ballplayers. Stargell knew that, and pushed them to do great things. The lineup featured hall of famers in Stargell and pitcher Bert Blyleven, borderline hall of fame candidate Dave Parker (two time NL MVP). After losing to the Cubs 11-3 on August 9th, the Pirates won 34 of their last 50 games. Stargell led this team because he felt he had to; after the death of Roberto Clemente in 1972, this became his team. In the 1970s, the Pirates were the first team to field an all African American lineup. These guys played hard and played together.
Living life is fun and we've just begun
To get our share of the world's delights
(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future
And our goal's in sight
(WE!) no we don't get depressed
Here's what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
You won't go wrong
This is our family Jewel
There were drugs. There were fights (at one point, Parker took to the field wearing a trash can. When asked, he said that he lost his glove and borrowed Phil Garner's). Once, when told by a reporter that Dave Parker said "he (Stargell) is the player I admire most" Stargell replied "Well, that's good. It used to be himself." Stargell led by example; if there was ever a team that won and lived on the emotion of one man, this is it. Need a hit? Pops would Provide. In game 7 of the Series, Stargell homered off lefty Scott McGregor in the 6th to give the Bucs a 2-1 lead. When they needed him most, Pops went 4-5, driving in two of the four runs. In game 5, a must win, Stargell produced a sac fly to put the Pirates up 1-0 in the 6th.
Led by Chuck Tanner, the Family had the best nicknames: Pops, Scrap Iron, Mad Dog, Cobra, The Hammer, Sangy, The Hit Man, The Candy Man, Teke (or Bones), Caveman and Buck (or Willie Stargell, Phil Garner, Bill Madlock, Dave Parker, John Milner, Manny Sanguillen, Mike Easler, John Candelaria, Kent Tekulve, Don Robinson and Grant Jackson).
I wanted to hit like Willie Stargell (even in batting cages, I windmill the bat around) and throw like Kent Tekulve. A very thin man (6'4, 180 lbs) who saved three games in the 1979 series, Tekulve was a "submariner".
When he retired, he was only one of two pitchers to appear in 1000 games in the majors. There are now 15. When I threw like him when I was a kid, my brother yelled at me and asked what was wrong with my arm "that I couldn't throw overhand". I shouldn't have listened to him. I may have turned out to be a middling successful AA pitcher.
I owe this team a lot, as it made me a lifetime Pirates fan. I could not think of a better team to watch. Since 1979, they have not won a World Series. From 1990-92, they won their division but could not beat the Reds and Braves to get to the World Series. Until this year, they have not had a winning record for half of my life. But, they are my team. For a kid, the sight of a group of grown men charging out of a dugout labeled "The Family" to the sound of this song seemed perfect. I actually thought all of these guys lived together in one huge house and drove together to the games. A psychologist could point to a hoary relationship between my own fractured family and this idealized one, but I call B.S. on that. I would not have remained if that was the case. Now, I wear my Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez shirts with pride, and really love the Forbes Field model I have on my desk. They are in the playoffs this year, the first time in 21 years I can watch my favorite team play in the postseason.
For my money, this team exemplifies what sports should be but almost never is. They represented a city down on its luck and gave them something good. They were Black, White and Latino working together. They produced under pressure. They were fun to watch. And they had an awesome theme song.
No comments:
Post a Comment