Chuck Tanner RIP

[madducks]

Former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner passed away today. He was 82 years old and has always been a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. He also managed the White Sox, A's and Braves.

My favorite Chuck Tanner quote was from the same day that his mother passed away. It was just before the fifth game of the 1979 World Series. The Pirates were down 3 games to 1 and on the verge of losing that series. The players had heard that Chucks mother just passed away and were silent in the clubhouse before that fifth game. Chuck came out of his office to speak with the players. He said "Fellas, my mother knew we were in trouble, so she went to get us some help."

Maybe Tanner went to get the current Pirates some help. RIP Chuck.

[Sharky]

Nice quote. Didn't know much about Tanner. Thanks for sharing.

[no driver]

Someone gave my mom a baseball a few years ago that was signed by one of Tanner's White Sox teams. It was fun figuring out who all the signatures were, even though there weren't any superstars. Tanner's T looked a lot like a P so for a while I was misreading his last name as Palmer and having the darndest time figuring out who he was. Thanks for sharing a little more about him.

[Erik]

He was best known as a manager (esp. for his 1979 Pirate WS winners), but he's also one of the few players to have hit a home run on the first major-league pitch he ever saw.

As a Phillies fan growing up in the late '70s, it seemed like he was omnipresent, as the Phils and Pirates were heads and shoulders above everyone else in the NL East (though the Phils stunk in '79). That was quite a rivalry that has diminished over time with the Pirates' move to another division and descent into irrelevance for the last 18 years or so.

[madducks]

As a Phillies fan growing up in the late '70s, it seemed like he was omnipresent, as the Phils and Pirates were heads and shoulders above everyone else in the NL East (though the Phils stunk in '79). That was quite a rivalry that has diminished over time with the Pirates' move to another division and descent into irrelevance for the last 18 years or so.

September games between the Pirates and Phillies in the late seventies were essentially playoff games akin to the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. The games were intense and usually determined who would win that division. Those seasons would form the foundation of my becoming a Pirates fan as a kid. They were also the first seasons of Chuck Tanner as manager of the Pirates.

Sometimes, i wish the Pirates would get moved to the NL east to renew that rivalry with the Phils. But then i realize there wouldn't be much of a rivalry with Philadelphia having the far superior team right now. I usually find myself rooting for the Phils by the time October rolls around.

[Erik]

September games between the Pirates and Phillies in the late seventies were essentially playoff games akin to the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry. The games were intense and usually determined who would win that division.

Indeed, though, oddly, the Phils fought off the Expos in their 1980 championship year, and the Pirates fought off the Cardinals in their 1979 championship year. I certainly thought of the Pirates as my team's main rival in my formative baseball-fan years, and now they are a total afterthought.

Sometimes, i wish the Pirates would get moved to the NL east to renew that rivalry with the Phils. But then i realize there wouldn't be much of a rivalry with Philadelphia having the far superior team right now.

However, for some strange reason, the Phils have had a terrible time trying to win at PNC since it opened.