I share your affection for Dave Parker, although, as a lifelong Pirates fan (pray for me!), my connection to him starts much earlier than yours.
I remember when Parker joined the team in ’74. Think Oneill Cruz and Elly de la Cruz in one giant-sized CRUZ Missile. The man was a beast. Probably could have played with the Steelers. Imagine The Cobra as a tight end! Or put him on the Steel Curtain; he would have crushed any Bengal.
I remember seeing him cruising through downtown Pittsburgh in the summer of 1975. If memory serves, he was driving a long gold LTD with a vanity plate on the front bumper. It said “Cobra.”
By the way, our teams (Pirates and Reds) sure had some great matchups in my decade, the 1970s. God, I hated you guys then. But, to be honest, it was a childish hatred based on fear and respect.
The Reds mostly came out on top. 1970. 1972. (I still have nightmares about Bob Moose’s wild pitch that handed Cincinnati the ’72 NLCS.) 1975. 1990. But we had ‘em in 1979. And if I close my eyes, I can send myself back to the 2013 Wildcard Game. Cue-to. Cue-to. Cue-to …
Those are some stellar memories of Parker. That LTD sighting must have been breathtaking! I could go for a Pirates-Reds NLCS sometime soon. We're overdue!
I share your affection for Dave Parker, although, as a lifelong Pirates fan (pray for me!), my connection to him starts much earlier than yours.
I remember when Parker joined the team in ’74. Think Oneill Cruz and Elly de la Cruz in one giant-sized CRUZ Missile. The man was a beast. Probably could have played with the Steelers. Imagine The Cobra as a tight end! Or put him on the Steel Curtain; he would have crushed any Bengal.
I remember seeing him cruising through downtown Pittsburgh in the summer of 1975. If memory serves, he was driving a long gold LTD with a vanity plate on the front bumper. It said “Cobra.”
By the way, our teams (Pirates and Reds) sure had some great matchups in my decade, the 1970s. God, I hated you guys then. But, to be honest, it was a childish hatred based on fear and respect.
The Reds mostly came out on top. 1970. 1972. (I still have nightmares about Bob Moose’s wild pitch that handed Cincinnati the ’72 NLCS.) 1975. 1990. But we had ‘em in 1979. And if I close my eyes, I can send myself back to the 2013 Wildcard Game. Cue-to. Cue-to. Cue-to …
Those are some stellar memories of Parker. That LTD sighting must have been breathtaking! I could go for a Pirates-Reds NLCS sometime soon. We're overdue!