Dave Parker

[JohnU]

CBS reports the Cobra has Parkinson's.
He's considered a Pirate but he had some good times with the Reds.
1985, he was a beast!



Former NL MVP Dave Parker is battling Parkinson's disease - CBSSports.com

Dave Parker Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com

 

[eburg5000]

Parker was a good player for the Reds. Sorry to hear that

 

[Redsfan1507]

Bad break.

Parker was a hitter. Had a great arm too. Also liked the blow. Got in a little jam with Eddie Milner back in the day. He's also credited with telling a young, balls-out but fragile Eric Davis that he would "make more money playing 20 half seasons, than 10 full ones". It was the statement, and the fact both Parker and Davis missed games just before the All Star game they both played in, that supposedly prompted old Marge Schott to make her infamous "there they are, my millionaire (insert N word here) sitting on their ass". It helped lead to her ouster. There are two sides to every story, I guess.

 

[HammerDown]

Very sorry to hear this but it sounds like he has a great attitude.

"There's no fear," Parker told the Tribune-Review. "I've had a great life. I always dreamt of playing baseball, and I played. I'm 62 years old and fortunate to make it to this point. I have some beautiful kids that I got to watch grow up and become adults.

From what I understand, there are some pretty effective treatments for this disease, if that's any consolation.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Parkinson's is tough. It traps an often sound mind in an uncontrollable body. It's hard on loved ones, but not as hard as a healthy body with an unsound mind, like Alzhiemers for instance.

Causes are still a mystery. Ali and Michael J Fox both have Parkinson's, but don't have much in common, unless MJF had 40 concussions Im unaware of. Every Alzheimer's victim I have known were highly intelligent people. Genetics ? Tough to beat that one.

My father shed some light for me on disease and death. Parker sounds a lot like him. A shorter life well lived, IMO, is more valuable than a regretful longer one. Carry little baggage, and your journey is lighter, no matter where you travel.

 

[Wazmankg]

Bad break.

Parker was a hitter. Had a great arm too. Also liked the blow. Got in a little jam with Eddie Milner back in the day. He's also credited with telling a young, balls-out but fragile Eric Davis that he would "make more money playing 20 half seasons, than 10 full ones". It was the statement, and the fact both Parker and Davis missed games just before the All Star game they both played in, that supposedly prompted old Marge Schott to make her infamous "there they are, my millionaire (insert N word here) sitting on their ass". It helped lead to her ouster. There are two sides to every story, I guess.

Parker played in at least 153 games every year he was with the Reds in his mid 30s. A real malingerer. Schott was a stupid ****.

 

[Psych-Ward]

Wow, this is a tough break for sure!!!

Parker was awesome, I still remember that throw in the '79 all-star game...Dude had a cannon for an arm!!!

Best of luck to him!!!!

 

[Redsfan1507]

My point wasn't a slam- just that it's easy to be taken out of context, and no one is perfect. The Schott quote came from a disgruntled Reds employee Schott had fired, but it made the press. Parker and Davis did sit out a couple of games prior to that AS game- 87 I believe. Schott made a lot of ignorant statements, and was a notorious cheap ass, although she did spend a lot more on the Reds than her immediate predecessors, who turned the BRM into a dead to the neck low payroll loser. Ironic, that her anti-semetic,unsympathetic to minority and racial comments got her ran out of baseball, but the fact she was a woman in a mans game wasn't a topic in her defense.

 

[JohnU]

Marge was always somebody who had more to say than she had sense not to say it.
I wonder if she truly was that hateful. I suspect not but kicking ass was part of her persona.
She did make the Reds relevant.

 

[Redsfan1507]

People that knew her said she was raised to be an outwardly boorish, blunt tough old bird, that could compete like the men in business she would have to deal with. Supposedly, her father wanted a boy, and nicknamed Marge some forgettable male nickname. She came from money, married into money, and inherited her husbands when he died in his early 40's. She never had kids, I think it was D.L. Stewart that commented "sometimes God knows what he's doing"...in reference to that fact. Pinella and players complained she fined them for tossing balls to fans, but let her dog shit on the field. She didn't know squat about baseball, but tried to hire people that did to advise her. She made a comment after cutting scouts, that all they did was watch baseball games. She complained no one else that worked for her got paid when they missed work, except baseball players.