Dave Parker argues his case for HOF

By Alan Robinson
The Associated Press
August 25, 2009

Nearly a quarter-century after being a prime figure in baseball’s first major drug scandal, Dave Parker hopes baseball is ready to forgive his sins and enshrine him in the Hall of Fame.

Parker was arguably baseball’s best player in the late 1970s, winning two NL batting titles and an NL Most Valuable Player Award while helping lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series title in 1979.

AP Photo
FILE - In this July 17, 1979, file photo, National League's Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates holds the trophy after winning the MVP award in baseball's All Star Game in Seattle.

A skilled player blessed with power, a line-drive batting stroke that allowed him to hit for average and the game’s best throwing arm, Parker appeared to be on the fast track to Cooperstown until his acknowledged cocaine use derailed him in his prime.

Parker revived his career in his mid to late 30s, but the taint of the drug scandal has clearly influenced Hall of Fame voters to shun him for 13 consecutive years. During a time when baseball is fixated on performance-enhancing drugs, Parker finds himself being penalized for performance-deflating drug use.

Now that former Red Sox star Jim Rice was inducted this year, with career numbers similar to his own, Parker is hopeful voters finally will overlook his failings.

“You can go into the Hall of Fame and pull out half of them and I think their numbers aren’t as good as mine,” said Parker, who attended a reunion of the 1979 Pirates championship team last weekend. “There are very few who went in recently who were as important to the team as I was. I was always The Guy or one of The Guys – I became one of The Guys at the latter part of my career, at 39 or 40. I was probably one of the most instrumental guys as far as my team having success.”

Parker hit .290 during a 19-season career that began at age 22 in 1973. He hit 339 home runs and drove in 1,493 runs in 2,466 games, mostly with the Pirates and Reds. He hit .300 or better six times, with a career high of .338 in 1977. He ranks 55th all-time with 2,712 hits.

Even after his cocaine use, weight issues and injury problems caused his production to decline steeply from 1981-83, Parker bounced back to drive in 125 runs for the Reds in 1985 – the year he testified in federal court about cocaine use in major league baseball. A year later, at age 35, he drove in 116 runs.

Rice, elected by baseball writers during his 15th and final season on the ballot earlier this year, batted .298 with 382 homers and 1,451 RBIs in 2,089 games. He hit .300 or better seven times and had eight seasons with 100 or more RBIs, and 2,452 career hits.

Rice won one MVP award, Parker won one. Rice finished in the top five in MVP voting six times, Parker five. Each started in four All-Star games. Parker was the NL slugging leader twice; Rice never led the AL. Rice also never won a batting title. Parker had 526 doubles, Rice had 373.

AP Photo
FILE - In this Oct. 16, 1979, file photo, Pittsburgh Pirates Dave Parker smashes ball that took a bad hop in front of Baltimore Orioles' Rich Dauer and sailed into right field scoring Omar Moreno and the Bucs first run in the seventh inning of Game 6 in baseball's World Series in Baltimore.

But Rice could not compare to Parker in the field. Parker won three Gold Gloves from 1977-79, and Roberto Clemente was the only right fielder in Pirates history to boast a better arm.

Parker also played despite numerous injuries, including a thumb problem that barely allowed him to swing the bat in 1983.

“Dave played through injuries that people don’t even understand: Legs, hands, knees, thumbs,” former teammate Mike Easler said. “Dave was one tough customer.”

The Pirates can only wonder how good Parker would have been if he hadn’t succumbed to using recreational drugs.

A year after the Pittsburgh baseball drug trials, the Pirates in 1986 filed a civil suit seeking relief from paying Parker $5.3 million in deferred compensation. The Pirates claimed Parker’s eroded skills as a player and his failure to stay in shape were caused “by his improper, illegal and heavy use of cocaine.” The case was settled out of court.

Since retiring after the 1991 season, Parker hasn’t come close to Hall of Fame election, gaining no more than 24.5 percent support from the writers in any year. This year, Parker attracted 81 votes for 15 percent, or 60 percent less than the required 75 percent.

Time’s running out: Parker will be on the writers’ ballot only two more times before he could be elected only by the veterans’ committee.

“There was a trial (in 1985). I took responsibility for my participation in that,” Parker said. “That happened, what, 25 years ago? And along with that, you’ve got the steroid issue now. Baseball and the United States are supposed to be forgiving entities – why haven’t they forgiven me? Deal with me for what I’ve done and for my numbers. … I was identified as the best player. If the media can do that (forgive), they should be able to look at me and look at my numbers and say, ‘This guy is a Hall of Famer.’”