STR File Photo
Column by Brian Hoffman
I was sad to learn that Dave Parker, probably the best baseball player ever to play on what is now Salem’s Billy Sample Field, died last Saturday. Parker passed away just 29 days before his induction into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
When Parker is inducted at the end of this month, he’ll be the second person—along with Billy Wagner—to be enshrined in both the Major League Baseball and Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fames. While it took Parker 34 years after his playing career ended to make the MLB Hall of Fame, he went into our local Hall as a charter member of the Class of 1992. The inaugural class included Parker, Al Holland, Billy Sample, Kidd Carr, and Steve Brodie—five “no-brainers” for the first of what is now 34 classes and 150 Salem-Roanoke Hall of Famers.
Parker came to the Roanoke Valley with the Carolina League Salem Pirates in 1972. He was highly touted after batting .358 with 11 homers in 71 games for Monroe as a 20-year-old Pittsburgh prospect in 1971. He didn’t disappoint, hitting .310 for the ’72 Salem club with 22 homers, 101 runs batted in, and 38 stolen bases over 135 games. He was one home run away from winning the triple crown and was named Carolina League MVP after the season.
Dave started the ’73 season in AAA Charleston, and after hitting .317 with nine homers and 57 runs batted in through 84 games, he was called up to Pittsburgh—beginning a string of 19 big league seasons that included 11 years with the Pirates, followed by stints with Cincinnati, Oakland, Milwaukee, the Angels, and Blue Jays. His career totals include a .290 batting average with 339 home runs and 1,493 runs batted in. He was a seven-time All-Star, an All-Star Game MVP and Home Run Derby champ, a National League MVP in 1978, a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, while also taking home three Gold Gloves and winning two batting titles, in 1977 and ’78.
I was a sophomore at Roanoke College when Parker played in Salem in 1972. I went to as many games as I could before leaving for the summer, and it was obvious Dave was headed for the big leagues. A left-handed hitting slugger, he terrorized the folks who lived on Florida Street in Salem, just across the street from the right field wall.
By the time I graduated from RC in 1974, Parker was already a star. Nicknamed the “Cobra,” he was poised to strike at any time with his sweet stroke that sent balls flying into the night. They didn’t do “exit velocity” when he played, but I’m sure Parker’s would have been one of the very best.
Back in those days, it was pretty easy for me to get a photo pass to big league games, even though I worked at a weekly paper. Every summer through the ’70s, I’d get a photo pass to see the Pirates play in Philadelphia. It was a great vacation for a single guy, as I could stay with my parents and go to every game in the series, getting photos of two teams that were full of stars during that time.
The Pirates had players like Parker, Willie Stargell, John Candelaria, and others who had passed through Salem. The Phillies—my favorite team growing up—had Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose, and a host of other outstanding players. Their rivalry was intense, and the games were always exciting. I was living the dream, taking pictures at the end of the dugout. Then, when I returned to Virginia, I’d run a bunch of photos of former Salem players in our paper along with a story about the Carolina League products. It didn’t get much better than that for a “big kid” who loved baseball.
I also went to some games in Pittsburgh with my old friend Bob Teitlebaum, who passed away about 20 years ago. Bob was the baseball writer for the Roanoke Times, and we spent countless nights together in the press box at what was then Salem Municipal Stadium, and later at the new Memorial Stadium, where the Red Sox now play.
Bob and I attended a series in Pittsburgh at old Three Rivers Stadium, when the Bucs hosted Cincinnati. Bob had covered the Salem team when Parker was here, and they had a good relationship. I remember Teitlebaum approaching Stargell for some comments, and Willie was rather cool to Bob—until Parker, who had the locker next to him, turned and said, “He’s okay.” At that point, Stargell became friendly and was a completely different person.
Parker returned to Salem on several occasions. Teitlebaum got him to speak at the Roanoke Valley Sports Club, and he was also here for an Old Timers’ Game, back when the local club used to have one every summer. My friend Larry Mathews, who had a stint as the weekend sports guy on Channel 10, was a big Pirates fan and got to interview Dave. I’d never seen him so excited, and Parker was nice to everyone on his visits to the Valley.
In 2019, my wife and I took two of my grandsons to Pittsburgh for a game against the Phillies. It was a celebration of the 1979 “We Are Family” Pirates, who won the World Series, and most of the members of that team were in attendance. I was somewhat surprised to see Parker, who was still only 68, walking very gingerly with a cane. I learned he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 and was involved in raising money to find a cure through the Dave Parker 39 Foundation.
Sadly, the disease claimed him prior to his Hall of Fame induction ceremony this month—but at least he had the satisfaction of knowing he was going in. I always enjoyed watching him play and was proud that he passed our way during his journey to baseball immortality.
