Today former baseball star Dave “The Cobra” Parker turns 61. That first sentence should read -“Today Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Parker turns 61” It’s only Dave Parker’s fault that that isn’t the case.

In the late 1970’s for a couple seasons there wasn’t a better all around baseball player than Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He won 2 battling titles, an MVP Award in 1978. Up until 1980 things were going very well for Parker. He could do it all. He had the 5 tools-hit for average, hit for power, run, field and throw. He would win 3 Gold Glove Awards, he had a cannon for an arm {he won the 1979 All-Star MVP Award on his arm- throwing out Jim Rice at third base and Brian Downing at the plate} His arm was this great -from 1975-1979 he gunned down 72 runners from right field.

Parker’s problems probably began in 1979 when he signed a 5 year, 5 million dollar contact with the Pirates making him the first million dollar a year player in baseball. His 1979 season was good, the Pirates won the World Series. Then the roof caved in on Parker- 4 lost seasons. Injuries, weight problems {He became known as Dave Porker during those years}and probably most harmful an increasing cocaine habit destroyed these seasons. This is where he lost out on the Hall of Fame. These should have been peak seasons for Parker but he produced little. Also he was a big part of the Pittsburgh Drug Scandal. He was the guy who brought Curtis Strong into the Pirate clubhouse.

Parker would leave Pittsburgh and have some outstanding seasons in his hometown of Cincinnati. He would at the end of his career play with several other teams. His career totals- 339 home runs, 1493 RBI’s .290 batting average. 2712 hits.

Parker never got more than 25 percent of the vote for the Hall of Fame. I have always felt that if he would have had 4 normal Dave Parker years from 1980-83 he would be in Cooperstown. He could do it all. I always felt as a Pirate fan that he gave his all on the ballfield. One season he had his jaw broken, he wore a special battling helmet with a cage and kept playing. I don’t recall him loafing ever. His problems were off the field. Of course when the results on the field were not there in the early 80’s the fans in Pittsburgh turned on him. I was at the infamous game when someone threw a battery at him that narrowly missed hitting  him. There was a lot of fan resentment. He was making a million dollars a year and not producing.

Parker should have been a Hall of Famer. He will be remembered as an outstanding ballplayer, a star but one of those players who was not quite a Hall of Famer. I wonder if he ever thinks about those 4 wasted seasons?