While I’m a lifelong Red Sox fan, as a kid I typically adopted a National League team to follow each season. From 1976-1978 I gave my rooting interest to the Phillies. (Until it came World Series time and I gave my support to whoever was tasked with beating the Yankees, despite the Reds and then the Dodgers having each vanquished the Phils in the NLCS each of those years.). The Pirates, though, caught my attention late in 1978 with their gumption and grit as they staged a spirited-yet-unsuccessful comeback attempt for the NL East crown in September.
Then I picked up a Pirates yearbook at the Souvenir shop outside of Fenway Park on Patriot’s Day in April of 1979, and I was all-in on the We Are Fam-i-lee Pirates (particularly with the Sawx stumbling all season long to a third place finish). It was quite a ride with Pops, Cobra, Mad Dog, Scrap Iron, and the rest, capped off with a comeback win after being down 1-3 games in the Series. The ‘79 Pirates remain my favorite non-Red Sox team.
I say all this to say I often went to Parker’s BBR page during the aughts when I would find myself wondering each winter why he wasn’t getting much love from the BBWAA. I’d look and I’d look and I’d sort and compare (the hard way, before Stathead … with multiple tabs opened to multiple player pages) and after a while, I came to a realization that I was of the same mind as 80-85% of the voters … Cobra didn’t quite clear the bar. Agreeing with that bummed me out.
The news earlier this month both baffled me and made me happy for the man. I’m not a small-hall kinda guy, and I’d love to see some other (probably more) deserving guys get the call, too … but I decided that thirteen year old me can bask in the induction day sunshine of the mind.
Very well put, and pretty much exactly where I have landed. I might not have voted for Parker (like I'd ever get the chance -- lol), but I'm still excited he's in. It's the same sort of feeling I had when the Veterans elected Gil Hodges. Thanks for the very grounded perspective!
While I’m a lifelong Red Sox fan, as a kid I typically adopted a National League team to follow each season. From 1976-1978 I gave my rooting interest to the Phillies. (Until it came World Series time and I gave my support to whoever was tasked with beating the Yankees, despite the Reds and then the Dodgers having each vanquished the Phils in the NLCS each of those years.). The Pirates, though, caught my attention late in 1978 with their gumption and grit as they staged a spirited-yet-unsuccessful comeback attempt for the NL East crown in September.
Then I picked up a Pirates yearbook at the Souvenir shop outside of Fenway Park on Patriot’s Day in April of 1979, and I was all-in on the We Are Fam-i-lee Pirates (particularly with the Sawx stumbling all season long to a third place finish). It was quite a ride with Pops, Cobra, Mad Dog, Scrap Iron, and the rest, capped off with a comeback win after being down 1-3 games in the Series. The ‘79 Pirates remain my favorite non-Red Sox team.
I say all this to say I often went to Parker’s BBR page during the aughts when I would find myself wondering each winter why he wasn’t getting much love from the BBWAA. I’d look and I’d look and I’d sort and compare (the hard way, before Stathead … with multiple tabs opened to multiple player pages) and after a while, I came to a realization that I was of the same mind as 80-85% of the voters … Cobra didn’t quite clear the bar. Agreeing with that bummed me out.
The news earlier this month both baffled me and made me happy for the man. I’m not a small-hall kinda guy, and I’d love to see some other (probably more) deserving guys get the call, too … but I decided that thirteen year old me can bask in the induction day sunshine of the mind.
Very well put, and pretty much exactly where I have landed. I might not have voted for Parker (like I'd ever get the chance -- lol), but I'm still excited he's in. It's the same sort of feeling I had when the Veterans elected Gil Hodges. Thanks for the very grounded perspective!