Episode 303 of “The Sports Experience Podcast” is here & we’re back on the diamond discussing Dave Parker.An ultimate five-tool player in baseball, the incredibly athletic Parker (6’5” 230 lbs.) might have opted a career in football had a knee injury in high school not forced him off the gridiron.Parker rose through the minor league system of the Pittsburgh Pirates during the early 1970s, and then proceeded to become one of MLB’s best players by the end of the decade.Overall, MLB’s most brash and dominant player won back-to-back batting titles in 1977 and 1978, won three straight Gold Gloves from 1977-1979, won the NL MVP in 1978 and helped the “We Are Family” Pirates win the World Series in 1979!Sadly, the early 1980s were a disaster for “The Cobra” in Pittsburgh due to injuries, his team declining and falling out of favor with the media and fans due to his large contract. Parker encountered even more controversy after he testified in the “Pittsburgh Drug Trials,” and many believed his MLB career was finished by 1984.However, he returned to Cincinnati for the 1984 season and experienced a career Renaissance for his hometown Reds.The Right fielder made two All-Star teams for Cincinnati during his four seasons with the team, won two Silver Sluggers and provided veteran leadership for a talented franchise littered with young players who eventually won a World Series in 1990.Parker won his second World Series title in 1989 with the Oakland A’s, and even made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1990!Sadly, Parker’s Hall of Fame candidacy took a hit due to the “Pittsburgh Drug Trials” after his career ended. Despite his dominance, many sportswriters refused to recognize his greatness related to his brash personality and past drug use when it came to a spot in Cooperstown. Though he was finally elected to the Hall of Fame by the Classic Baseball Era Committee in 2025, Parker passed away from Parkinson’s 29 days before his induction. Watch, Subscribe & Comment on All Platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-sports-experience-podcast-with-chris-quinn/id1529622054Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1esgBLz04MZYrTgYMk5DvaConnect with us on Instagram!Chris Quinn: https://www.instagram.com/cquinncomedy/Dominic DiTolla: https://www.instagram.com/ditolladominic/Ty Engle:https://www.instagram.com/ty_englestudio/S.E.P.: https://www.instagram.com/thesportsexperiencepodcast/If you enjoy our podcast, please help support us:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-sports-experience-pod/support#sportspodcast#comedypodcast#baseballplayer#baseball#mlb#pittsburghpirates#cincinnatireds
