The 1979 Pirates: A testament to teamwork

By Joe Starkey, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, August 16, 2009

Matt "The Scat" Alexander claims he could cover the 90 feet between home plate and first base in 3.3 seconds, but that is nothing compared to this:

He can cover 30 years in the blink of an eye.


Pirates Willie Stargell (left) and Bill Robinson walk toward the dugout after a Stargell home run against the Baltimore Orioles in a 1979 World Series game. The Associated Press

Alexander, 62, was the designated pinch-runner for the 1979 World Champion Pirates, and he can instantly transport himself back to that magical season. He just leans back and looks within.

What does he see?

"Happy faces," says Alexander, who coaches American Legion baseball in his native Shreveport, La. "For the last 30 years, I can always see those guys being happy."

More than 20 of "those guys" will return to Pittsburgh Friday for a reunion weekend at PNC Park, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their World Series victory over Baltimore Orioles. They have lost four teammates since the turn of the millennium, including team leader Willie Stargell, and they are mostly out of touch with each other's lives. But once they gather in the same space, it will be 1979 all over again.

Which means, for one thing, that flamboyant right fielder Dave Parker and wise-guy second baseman Phil Garner will be harassing each other to no end.

"Nobody knew who Garner was until somebody took a picture of me, and he was standing behind me," says Parker, 58, laughing on the other end of the phone. "I was the only guy who could handle him. Tell him that."

The message is dutifully relayed. Garner's response comes via e-mail, upon a reporter's request for an update on his life of retirement in The Woodlands, Texas.

"I'm presently rehabbing my mom, who had knee replacement last week," writes Garner, 62. "I learned how to handle women and knees because Dave Parker was always complaining about his knees!"

Now you know why pitcher John Candelaria says, "I couldn't wait to get to the clubhouse every day, just to hear all the (stuff) that would be said."

Oh yes, this reunion will be lively, just like the one 10 years ago in Bradenton, Fla., when a bunch of '79 Pirates and their bouncy manager, Chuck Tanner, convened to work a fantasy camp.

One day, the group found itself sitting around the Pirate City clubhouse waiting out a rainstorm.

"All of a sudden, I said, 'Chuck, look at this: Twenty years have passed and not one thing has changed,' " says reliever Kent Tekulve. "You had these same guys over here playing cards, and these same guys over there yelling at each other, just like they did 20 years ago."

Tekulve, 62, paused to reflect on the coming weekend.

"Everything in your personal life changes," he said, "but as soon as you go back into that setting, you actually go back all those years. Everybody assumes their same old personality and demeanor. I know I'll literally become 32 years old again."

That would have made him one of the elders in the rowdy, loving family that was the 1979 Pirates.

Follow the leaders

Stargell heard the Sister Sledge song, "We are Family," over the P.A. system in St. Louis during batting practice, early in the season. He liked it so much he asked the public-relations staff to buy the record and make it the club's theme song.

No song could have been more appropriate

This was a team composed of players from myriad backgrounds, sporting wildly different personalities. Its trademarks, however, were togetherness, depth and inextinguishable spirit.

Elias Sports Bureau tells us the '79 Pirates remain the only World Series champion in baseball history that had neither a pitcher with 15 wins nor a hitter with 100 RBI.

Stargell and Tanner are given most of the credit for fostering a culture in which every man took pride in his role, no matter how small.

"I don't remember us ever having a team meeting," says pitcher Don Robinson, 52, who runs a baseball instructional facility in Bradenton. "Willie took care of everything himself."


Pirates manager Chuck Tanner looks on during a game in the 1979 season.
The Associated Press

Players adored the terminally optimistic Tanner, who had only two rules: Be on time, and play hard. To say he ran a loose ship would be a monstrous understatement.

"Any time things were going bad, Stargell would say, 'We need to have a team party,' " recalls catcher Steve Nicosia, who was a rookie that year. "We'd rent a suite on the road, on a day off, and have a big pool party, just have some alcohol and have a good time. Most managers might put a squelch on that, have their coaches try to make it not happen. Chuck would come down and have a beer, then leave us alone.

"His statement was, 'I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other.' "

Tanner's recollection is worded a bit differently.

"I had one eye and one ear," he says. "Parker recently told me, 'That's how I run my (Popeyes Chicken) business — one eye and one ear.' If it wasn't important, I didn't care. That way, they'd all be relaxed."

Not that Tanner was a softie. He was firm in his often-unorthodox methods and commanded respect. He loved going to his bullpen early, for example, and didn't care a whit if it bothered any of the starters.

Tanner, 81 and living in his native New Castle, had no tolerance for slackers or complainers.

"How did I keep everybody happy?" he says, laughing. "I'd tell them, 'We're going to win the pennant, and if you don't want that, get the hell out of here.' I managed for the team."

Whose turn tonight?

While it was the likes of Parker, Bill Madlock and World Series heroes Tekulve and Stargell who often led the way, every man on the roster had his day.

That should never be underestimated, because, in the end, every victory proved critical for the '79 Pirates. Consider that the team lost 18 of its first 30 games, fell nine games off the NL East Division lead in mid-May, was in second place as late as Sept. 24, did not clinch until the final game of the regular season and climbed out of a 3-1 hole to win the World Series.

One dramatic example of the club's selfless attitude occurred Aug. 5 against the arch-rival Phillies, when Tanner pulled the right-handed Nicosia for pinch-hitter John Milner with one out in the ninth inning of an 8-8 game at Three Rivers Stadium.

Three unusual things about that:

1. Nicosia was 4-on-4 on the day.

2. Tanner summoned Milner, a leftie, knowing he would have to face left-hander Tug McGraw.

3. Nicosia didn't mind one bit, telling teammates on the bench, "What are the chances of a guy like me (he would hit .248 for his career) going 5-for-5?"

Fans lustily booed Tanner, who didn't want a right-hander flailing at McGraw's nasty screwball. He wanted to force fastballs, instead. Milner got one on the first pitch and sent it over the right-field wall for a grand slam. That was part of a five-game sweep for the Pirates, who'd erased an 8-3 deficit to win the game.

"I remember lifting Milner up onto my shoulders," Parker says, "happy as I could be."


The Pirates' John Milner gets the team's Home Run Handshake from teammate Dave Parker in a game during the 1979 season.
The Associated Press

Contributions came from everywhere, all season long:

• On April 25, free-agent signee Lee Lacy — who would log only 182 at-bats — produced the game-winning sacrifice fly in the top of the 11th to beat Cincinnati.

• On May 16, little-used, 29-year-old left fielder Mike "The Hit Man" Easler made one of his 54 at-bats a memorable one: He beat the Mets with a pinch-hit home run in the 13th inning. Easler and Lacy would flourish later in their careers, but on this team, they were classic examples of players who enthusiastically accepted bit parts.

• On Aug. 25, relief pitcher Dave Roberts — the "other guy" in the trade that brought Madlock from San Francisco — pitched four scoreless innings to earn the victory in a 19-inning marathon at San Diego. Roberts escaped two bases-loaded jams, the first of which occurred with two out in the 16th. When he went to 2-0 on pitcher John D'Acquisto, Roberts looked at second base and saw Padres star Dave Winfield give him the choke sign. The count went to 3-0 before Roberts fanned D'Acquisto. In the 17th, San Diego loaded the bases with nobody out, prompting a mound visit from catcher Ed Ott.

"The thing I remember about that is I put down a sign, and Roberts was already halfway through his windup," says Ott, 58. "I called time and said, 'Dave, I gotta give a sign.' He said, 'Give a sign? It's bases loaded, nobody out, what the hell am I going to throw other than a fastball?' "

• In Game 2 of the World Series, 35-year-old, third-string catcher Manny Sanguillen singled home the eventual winning run in the top of the ninth. Whereas nowadays teams routinely keep 12 pitchers and 13 position players on their 25-man roster, it was 10 and 15, respectively, in those days. That meant the Pirates could afford to keep a third catcher in Sanguillen and a designated pinch-runner in Alexander.

Oh, and there was one contribution seemingly so insignificant that even a die-hard fan probably won't remember.

But the rest of the '79 Pirates sure do ...

What a save

The headline from the next day's newspaper said it best: "Cubs chew up Pirates, but Coleman saves the day."

Sure, anyone could have taken the kind of beating reliever Joe Coleman absorbed on Aug. 7, 1979, at Wrigley Field, in a 15-2 loss. But it was the spirit with which he undertook the mission that left a deep and lasting impression.

"I'll never forget it," Tekulve says.

Coleman was well into the twilight of a career that had seen him twice win 20 games for the Detroit Tigers. He would go 0-0 with a 6.10 ERA in 1979. On this day, he would come in for battered starter Jim Rooker and pitch the final 51/3 innings, giving up 13 hits, four walks and nine runs on a brutal, 90-degree afternoon.

What he did, though, was preserve the Pirates' bullpen.

"Our bullpen was beat up, and Joe knew that," Tekulve says. "Every inning, he's getting more and more exhausted. He's throwing a ton of pitches, and it's hotter than heck. He's sweating buckets. He's got a towel over his head in the dugout. It got to the point where you were literally worried about him."

Tekulve offered to pitch the eighth and final inning. Tanner rebuffed him. Bert Blyleven, a staple in the rotation, then went up to Coleman and said he would pitch the eighth. Coleman said no.

"We had a chance to win a pennant, and I had never gotten to the World Series," recalls Coleman, pitching coach for the Tigers' Class A affiliate in Lakeland, Fla. "I said, 'Hell, this might be my last chance, and we need all the troops rested and ready to go.' "

When Coleman fairly staggered off the mound at the end of the eighth inning, Tanner greeted him on the dugout steps and said, "You just won the pennant for us!"

Sure enough, a revived bullpen helped the Pirates take three of four from the Phillies and sparked a six-game winning streak.

"We tip our hat to Joe Coleman," says Parker, who needed no prodding to remember Coleman's outing, labeling it, "the incident."

To his great disappointment, Coleman was not included on the Pirates' postseason roster. He understood. He was bumped for veteran Jim Rooker, who was returning from an injury and would deliver a memorable performance in Game 5 of the World Series.

Coleman stayed close to the team during the postseason, helping wherever he could. He was in the clubhouse when the Pirates won Game 7 of the World Series at Baltimore. You better believe he was rewarded with a World Series ring.

He wears it nearly every day.

"On the ring, it says, 'We Are Family,' " Coleman says. "And that's exactly what it was: a family."


The 1979 Pirates: Where are they now?

An update on various members of the 1979 World Series Champion Pirates:

By Joe Starkey, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, August 16, 2009

PLAYERS

Player, Age — Update

Matt Alexander (OF), 62 — Lives in Shreveport, La., coaches American Legion baseball.

Jim Bibby (RHP), 64 — Lives in Madison Heights, Va.

Bert Blyleven (RHP), 58 — Lives in Fort Myers, Fla., broadcaster for Minnesota Twins.

John Candelaria (LHP), 55 — Lives in Davidson, N.C., travels world, most recently to Egypt's pyramids and religious sites in Israel.

Joe Coleman (RHP), 62 — Lives in Lakeland, Fla., pitching coach for Class A Lakeland Tigers, a Detroit Tigers' affiliate.

Mike Easler (LF), 58 — Lives in Las Vegas, works at a baseball academy called "On-Deck."

Tim Foli (SS), 58 — Lives in Syracuse, N.Y., manager of Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs, affiliate of Washington Nationals.

Phil Garner (2b), 60 — Lives in The Woodlands, Texas, plays golf, spends time with grandchildren.

Grant Jackson (LHP), 66 — Lives in Pittsburgh, active in Pirates' alumni activities, spends time with grandchildren.

Bruce Kison (RHP), 59 — Lives in Bradenton, Fla., major league scout for Baltimore Orioles.

Lee Lacy (LF), 61 — Lives in Woodland Hills, Calif., works in community relations for L.A. Dodgers.

Omar Moreno (CF), 56 — Lives in Panama, serves as country's "Secretary of Sports," overseeing youth athletic programs.

Bill Madlock (3b), 58 — Lives in Las Vegas, runs a hitting school called "The Dugout."

Steve Nicosia (C), 54 — Lives in Dallas, Ga., works in door supplies and hardware for a company that services Marriott Hotels.

Ed Ott (C), 58 — Lives in Forest, Va., coaches for New Jersey Jackals of independent Canadian-American League.

Dave Parker (RF), 58 — Lives in Loveland, Ohio, owns Popeyes Chicken restaurants, does multiple autograph shows.

Don Robinson (RHP), 52 — Lives in Bradenton, Fla., runs instructional facility "Big League Experience" with ex-Pirate Mike LaValliere.

Enrique Romo (RHP), 62 — Lives in Mexico.

Jim Rooker (LHP), 66 — Lives in Jacksonville, Fla., owns "Rook's East Side Saloon" in Ambridge, authored three children's baseball books.

Manny Sanguillen (C), 65 — Lives in McDonald, Pa., owns and operates "Manny's Bar-B-Q" at PNC Park.

Rennie Stennett (2b), 58 — Lives in Weston, Fla.

Kent Tekulve (RHP), 62 — Lives in Pittsburgh, baseball analyst for FSN Pittsburgh.

COACHING STAFF

Chuck Tanner (manager), 81 — Lives in New Castle, major-league scout for Pirates.

Bob Skinner (hitting), 77 — Scout for Houston Astros.

Joe Lonnett (third base), 82 — Lives in Beaver.

Al Monchak (first base), 89 — Lives in Bradenton, Fla.

GENERAL MANAGER

Harding "Pete" Peterson, 79 — Lives in St. Petersburg, Fla.

DECEASED

Harvey Haddix (pitching coach) — Died of emphysema at age 68 on Jan. 8, 1994

John Milner (LF, 1B) — Died of lung cancer at age 50, on Jan. 4, 2000.

Dave Roberts (LHP) — Died of lung cancer at age 64, on Jan. 9, 2009.

Bill Robinson (LF, 1B) — Died of unknown cause at age 64, on July 29, 2007.

Willie Stargell (1B) — Died of complications from kidney disease at age 61, on April 9, 2001.