Dave Parker Brings His Unforgettable Career to Life in “Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood”

 

During the prime years of his career, Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Dave Parker was often in the conversation for the best player in baseball.  With the ability to hit for both average and power while also showcasing a cannon throwing arm and speed on the basepaths, Parker was a true five-tool talent.  Standing 6’5”, he was not only one of the game’s most dominant players but one of the most physically impressive as well.  Add in a charismatic personality and an engaging smile and you had the perfect ingredients for a superstar ballplayer.  As the 1978 NL MVP and an integral part of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates, the towering right fielder garnered his fair share of praise and recognition.  Parker chronicled his impressive career in his recently published book, Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood, which he coauthored with Dave Jordan.  This is the second book Jordan has coauthored with a baseball player, having previously worked with pitcher John D’Acquisto on his excellent 2016 release, Fastball John.  Parker’s book takes its title from the memorable nickname the slugger was known by during his playing career.

Parker gives readers a look at his childhood growing up in Cincinnati.  He shares his dreams of playing football and how his career path changed to baseball.  From the outset of the book, Parker’s confidence, swagger, cockiness, and occasional audaciousness are on full display but his charismatic and charming personality make it impossible not to be entertained by and root for the slugger.  Cobra takes readers through the highs and lows of Parker’s life but maintains a positive tone and never gets bogged down by the negative experiences he endures.  Parker doesn’t shy away from admitting to mistakes he made in life and shares the lessons he learned from his missteps.

Cobra primarily covers Parker’s 14 years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.  The slugger doesn’t just glaze over his time in the minor leagues, instead he makes you appreciate the level of difficulty it was to crack Pittsburgh’s deep major league roster.  Parker gives readers insight into the importance of a young player having an advocate in the front office or on the coaching staff which can mean the difference between multiple opportunities to succeed at the major league level as opposed to one brief chance or no shot at all and staying mired in the minors.  Parker brings to life the Pirates locker room he entered as a 22-year-old rookie in 1973 with Willie Stargell growing into the team leader and elder statesman role, the ultra-focused Al Oliver passing along his hitting knowledge, and the jovial Manny Sanguillen keeping the atmosphere light.  Teammate Dock Ellis proves to be a much more layered character than just the zany pitcher who threw a no-hitter in a chemically altered state.  Unlikely as it may seem, Ellis provided the club with strong leadership, showing younger players the ropes and helping them stay out of trouble.  However, later on we witness Ellis’ own self-destruction that led to his trade from Pittsburgh.

One of the book’s main highlights is Parker’s detailing of the inner workings of the Pirates franchise.  The slugger illustrates how the organization valued its homegrown players and what made them different and more successful than other teams.  He gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at club politics and the role it played in roster decisions and trades.  Parker also gives insights into the different managing styles of Bill Virdon, Danny Murtaugh, and Chuck Tanner, the three skippers he played under in Pittsburgh.  In addition, Parker also looks at the contrasting front office regimes of general managers Joe L. Brown and Harding “Pete” Peterson.

Parker played alongside veteran Willie Stargell as part of the 1979 World Series champions

As the decade progressed, Parker became one of the best players in the game, earning perennial trips to the All-Star Game, multiple Gold Glove Awards, and even the 1978 NL MVP.  In 1979, the Pirates defeated Parker’s hometown Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS to advance to the World Series.  With Parker and Stargell sparking the offense, Pittsburgh defeated the Baltimore Orioles in a closely-contested seven-game Fall Classic to become world champions.  Parker does a great job of bringing the 1979 championship season to life and the Pirates raucous clubhouse which famously used Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family” as it’s rallying song.  The big right fielder’s love of music is apparent in Cobra.  Like John D’Acquisto and Dave Jordan did in Fastball John, Parker and his coauthor cleverly weave snippets of song lyrics into his writing.

To his credit, Parker does not shy away from tackling the controversial years of his life.  The slugger openly discusses the drug and weight issues that plagued him in the early 1980s.  Parker’s struggles coincided with the decline of the Pirates franchise.  When he became a free agent following the 1983 season, Pittsburgh made no real effort to re-sign the 32-year-old.  Only two teams showed serious interest in Parker:  the Seattle Mariners and his hometown club, the Cincinnati Reds.

After a difficult last few seasons in Pittsburgh, Parker embraced the elder statesman role with the Cincinnati Reds

Upon his return to Cincinnati, Parker set about rebuilding his tarnished reputation and re-establishing himself as one of the premiere players in the game.  Parker spends a portion of his book writing about his career renaissance in Cincinnati where he embraced the elder statesman role and provided valuable veteran leadership for the club’s young sluggers, Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, and Kal Daniels.  Parker also writes about his experiences playing for one of the idols of his youth when Pete Rose returns to the Reds in the dual role of player-manager.

One of the main things that makes Cobra an excellent book was reading about the relationships Parker formed throughout his lifetime.  Pirates fans will enjoy reading Parker’s memories of Willie Stargell, Dock Ellis, Bill Madlock, Kent Tekulve, and other franchise greats.  However, Parker doesn’t just focus on the friendships he developed with Pittsburgh’s star players but also lesser known teammates such as Larry Demery, Ed Ott, and John Milner as well as career minor leaguers who never made it to the majors like Bill Flowers, Charles “Charlie Boo” Howard, and Ron “Satch” Mitchell.  Reading Parker’s stories about these players was just as interesting as reading his memories of Stargell and the other superstars.  Parker also provides first-hand accounts of several memorable moments from his eventful career including his slide into catcher John Stearns where he suffered a broken jaw and his highlight reel throw home to gun down Brian Downing during the 1979 All-Star Game.  Some of the most enjoyable parts of the book are the verbal sparring matches between Parker and infielder Phil Garner.  While they constantly needle and playfully trash-talk one another, the two men are bound by a deep mutual respect and a desire to win.

Cobra is a terrific book.  I am glad Parker put the memories of his unforgettable career and fascinating life into print.  I rank Cobra among my favorite sports books and highly recommend baseball fans give it a read.

----by John Tuberty

Follow me on Twitter @BloggerTubbs

Link to Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood on Amazon

Cards:  1979 Topps Dave Parker and Willie Stargell, 1982 Topps Dave Parker, 1986 Topps Dave Parker 

 

Other articles by Tubbs Baseball Blog:

Former Pitcher John D’Acquisto’s Book “Fastball John” Chronicles His Intriguing Career and is an Excellent Read

Taking a Deeper Look into Tim Hudson’s Excellent .625 Win-Loss Percentage and Comparing the Hurler to Recent Hall of Fame Inductees and Other Prominent Pitchers from the Era He Played In

How Dwight Evans Overcame a Mid-Career Crisis to Evolve into a Hall of Fame-Caliber Player

Stat links to players mentioned:  Dave Parker, Willie Stargell, Al Oliver, Manny Sanguillen, Dock Ellis, Barry Larkin, Eric Davis, Kal Daniels, Bill Madlock, Kent Tekulve, Pete Rose, John Stearns, Brian Downing, Phil Garner, John D’Acquisto, Bill Virdon, Danny Murtaugh, Chuck Tanner, Larry Demery, Ed Ott, John Milner, Bill Flowers, Charles Howard, Ron Mitchell