Jun 25, 2008 By Jim Downey 4 min read

I wish I could say memories of the 1960 World Series have rushed back with the arrival of the New York Yankees to town. Alas, I was a mere five months old when Maz took his place in baseball lore with the most famous walk-off home run in World Series history. (Although my mother had the game on at the time, so I’m sure Paul Long’s call is lodged deep in my subconscious somewhere, along with many of the items in the Clarks’ song “Cigarette”.)

The item that caught my attention during this extended home stand against American League teams (no, not the 30 percent-or-so winning percentage in interleague games) was the promotion for Friday night’s game against the surprising Tampa Bay Rays.

Lucky fans will receive a Dave Parker bobblehead doll (batteries not included).

Did you chuckle or grin when you read that? If you did, you’ve been a Pirate fan for a long time or have listened to a lot of stories from someone who is.

(Station break, it’s 7:30 p.m. and the Pirates lead the Yankees 1-0 on Adam LaRoche’s RBI single!)

It’s a shame Parker left on such a sour note. As time goes by and feelings mellow, a clear mind realizes what a talent he was.

He was a key member of the “Lumber Company” of the 1970s. He had a rifle arm, and the rare combination of power and average at the plate.

Parker also had the unenviable task of replacing Roberto Clemente, though not immediately. Remarkably, Manny Sanguillen started the opener in right field, although Richie Zisk received the bulk of the work.

Parker was drafted in the 14th round in 1970, and was brought up to the majors in 1973. He played 19 of his 39 games in right field. Parker’s time increased to 28 games in right of his 49 games in the field.

Right field became his alone in 1975 and his career took off with Willie Stargell, Al Oliver, Richie Hebner and the gang. He batted .308 with 172 hits, including 35 doubles, 10 triples and 25 home runs, and produced 101 RBIs. Third in the NL MVP voting, Parker had a Barry Bonds-like performance in the 1975 NLCS, a 3-0 sweep by the Big Red Machine, going 0-for-10.

He was third in the MVP voting and made his first All-Star appearance in 1977, batting .388 with 215 hits, 21 home runs and 88 RBIs.

Parker came through in 1978 with the NL MVP, batting .334 with 194 hits, 32 doubles, 12 triples, 30 home runs, 107 runs scored and 117 RBIs.

(Jason Bay just doubled home Freddie Sanchez. It’s 3-0 in the bottom of the third!)

Parker helped propel the Pirates into the postseason in 1979, batting .310 with 109 runs scored, 193 hits, 45 doubles, seven triples, 25 home runs and 94 RBIs. He went 4-for-12 with two RBIs in the NLCS sweep of Cincinnati, and 10-for-29 with two doubles and four RBIs in the thrilling seven-game World Series victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

He began to wear out his welcome in the Three Rivers City as his career moved into the ’80s, hence the battery projectiles. His career then included stops Cincinnati, Oakland, Milwaukee, Toronto and California.

Parker is in the top 15 in 10 different offensive categories in Pirates’ history, including games played (1,301, 15th), runs scored (728, 15th), hits (1,479, 13th), doubles (296, 7th), home runs (166, 5th), batting average (.305, 15th), slugging percentage (.494, 8th), extra base hits (524, 7th), and total bases (2,397, 10th).

(This just in, Jose Bautista just smacked a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth for a 5-1 lead as Tom Gorzelanny walks a pitcher’s tightrope.)

I think people expected him to be the next Roberto Clemente. In that vein, he failed. But, he was pretty good for Dave Parker. Until his knees failed him (and the whole drug thing), he hit for power, ran well and had a rifle arm.

Hopefully, time will heal old wounds and some goof won’t use his bobblehead as a projectile during Friday night’s game.

Jim Downey can be reached at jdowney@heraldstandard.com