Bearcat729
12-31-2005, 09:42 AM
http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051220&content_id=1285010&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
12/29/2005 10:00 AM ET
Parker on HOF ballot again
Slugger hoping to finally be granted enshrinement
By Ed Eagle / MLB.com
PITTSBURGH -- There was a time during the late 1970s when Dave Parker was arguably the best player in baseball, and he seemed destined to one day be immortalized in the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
However, after 10 years on the ballot, the man known as "The Cobra" is still waiting for baseball writers to punch his ticket to Cooperstown.
An intimidating 6-foot-6, 235-pound right fielder with a sweet swing and powerful arm, there was nothing Parker couldn't do on the baseball diamond during his prime. As a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he won consecutive National League batting crowns in 1977 and in 1978. He was selected as the NL Most Valuable Player in 1978. He won the All-Star MVP in 1979 after making two tremendous defensive plays to preserve the win for the NL. Later that season, Parker and "The Family" led the Pittsburgh to its fifth World Championship.
Injuries and off-the-field problems, including being a key figure in a highly publicized drug trial that rocked the baseball world, derailed Parker's dominance in the early 1980s.
Parker came back in a big way in 1985 with his hometown Reds, batting .312 with 34 home runs and 125 RBIs and finishing second to St. Louis' Willie McGee in voting for the NL MVP award. Parker later went on to serve as an important cog on the Oakland A's 1988 AL championship and 1989 world championship teams and appeared in the 1990 All-Star Game as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
By the time he decided to hang up the cleats for good in 1991, Parker's 19-year big league totals included a .290 average, 2,712 hits, 339 home runs and 1,491 RBIs -- numbers he has always said were worthy of Hall of Fame enshrinement.
"I won two batting titles, should have won two MVPs, was in three World Series, was the MVP of the All-Star Game, DH of the Year twice, and won the RBI crown," Parker said. "I did everything that you could possibly do in baseball and I'm not in the Hall?
"I should be in the Hall of Fame," he said. "Ain't no doubt about it."
The perceived slight from the media, with whom he never had a cozy relationship, troubled Parker. It's not surprising that Parker would prefer to have former players rather than writers determining whether a player is worthy or not for baseball's hallowed halls.
Dave Parker's resume
Teams: Pirates, Reds, Athletics, Brewers, Angels, Blue Jays
Key stats: 2,712 hits, .290 career BA
Awards: '77 NL Batting Title, '78 Batting Title, '78 NL MVP, '79 All-Star MVP
Best HOF vote Pct.: 24.52% in 1998
Peers in Hall: Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, Willie Stargell
"I played with nagging injuries to benefit my ballclub," Parker said. "That's why you need someone like a Hall of Famer [voting] that's done the similar things and compiled those numbers because only they know. A writer doesn't know. Some of these kids that are voting for the Hall of Fame have never seen me play."
Only 65, or 12.6 percent, of the voters agreed with Parker in 2004, and he fell far short of the 387 votes (75 percent) needed for entrance into the Hall of Fame. Only five players been on the ballot longer than Parker without gaining the 75 percent required for admission to Cooperstown: first baseman Steve Garvey (14 years), pitcher Bruce Sutter (13), shortstop Dave Concepcion (13), pitcher Tommy John (12) and outfielder Jim Rice (12). Candidates need to receive at least 5 percent of the vote to remain on the ballot.
Ed Eagle is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
12/29/2005 10:00 AM ET
Parker on HOF ballot again
Slugger hoping to finally be granted enshrinement
By Ed Eagle / MLB.com
PITTSBURGH -- There was a time during the late 1970s when Dave Parker was arguably the best player in baseball, and he seemed destined to one day be immortalized in the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
However, after 10 years on the ballot, the man known as "The Cobra" is still waiting for baseball writers to punch his ticket to Cooperstown.
An intimidating 6-foot-6, 235-pound right fielder with a sweet swing and powerful arm, there was nothing Parker couldn't do on the baseball diamond during his prime. As a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he won consecutive National League batting crowns in 1977 and in 1978. He was selected as the NL Most Valuable Player in 1978. He won the All-Star MVP in 1979 after making two tremendous defensive plays to preserve the win for the NL. Later that season, Parker and "The Family" led the Pittsburgh to its fifth World Championship.
Injuries and off-the-field problems, including being a key figure in a highly publicized drug trial that rocked the baseball world, derailed Parker's dominance in the early 1980s.
Parker came back in a big way in 1985 with his hometown Reds, batting .312 with 34 home runs and 125 RBIs and finishing second to St. Louis' Willie McGee in voting for the NL MVP award. Parker later went on to serve as an important cog on the Oakland A's 1988 AL championship and 1989 world championship teams and appeared in the 1990 All-Star Game as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.
By the time he decided to hang up the cleats for good in 1991, Parker's 19-year big league totals included a .290 average, 2,712 hits, 339 home runs and 1,491 RBIs -- numbers he has always said were worthy of Hall of Fame enshrinement.
"I won two batting titles, should have won two MVPs, was in three World Series, was the MVP of the All-Star Game, DH of the Year twice, and won the RBI crown," Parker said. "I did everything that you could possibly do in baseball and I'm not in the Hall?
"I should be in the Hall of Fame," he said. "Ain't no doubt about it."
The perceived slight from the media, with whom he never had a cozy relationship, troubled Parker. It's not surprising that Parker would prefer to have former players rather than writers determining whether a player is worthy or not for baseball's hallowed halls.
Dave Parker's resume
Teams: Pirates, Reds, Athletics, Brewers, Angels, Blue Jays
Key stats: 2,712 hits, .290 career BA
Awards: '77 NL Batting Title, '78 Batting Title, '78 NL MVP, '79 All-Star MVP
Best HOF vote Pct.: 24.52% in 1998
Peers in Hall: Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, Willie Stargell
"I played with nagging injuries to benefit my ballclub," Parker said. "That's why you need someone like a Hall of Famer [voting] that's done the similar things and compiled those numbers because only they know. A writer doesn't know. Some of these kids that are voting for the Hall of Fame have never seen me play."
Only 65, or 12.6 percent, of the voters agreed with Parker in 2004, and he fell far short of the 387 votes (75 percent) needed for entrance into the Hall of Fame. Only five players been on the ballot longer than Parker without gaining the 75 percent required for admission to Cooperstown: first baseman Steve Garvey (14 years), pitcher Bruce Sutter (13), shortstop Dave Concepcion (13), pitcher Tommy John (12) and outfielder Jim Rice (12). Candidates need to receive at least 5 percent of the vote to remain on the ballot.
Ed Eagle is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.