PITTSBURGH — For Chuck Tanner, it was all about family, in so many ways.
There was was the 1979 World Series when the Pirates — energized by the thumping anthem "We Are Family" — soared to a title that ended with the players' wives dancing on the dugout roof.
And there was Game 5 of that Series, when the great comeback started for a Pirates team facing elimination by Baltimore. Tanner learned his mother had died that morning, but he insisted on managing because he knew she would have wanted him to do the job.
On Friday, Tanner, one of baseball's relentlessly upbeat figures, died at 82 in his hometown of New Castle, Pa. He died of a long illness at his home after spending time in hospice care.
Playing for the Milwaukee Braves in 1955, Tanner homered on the first pitch he saw as a big-leaguer. He went on to hit .261 with 21 homers in 396 games as a spare outfielder with the Braves, Cubs, Indians and Angels, missing out on a chance to be an everyday outfielder with the Cubs in 1958 because of a shoulder injury.
Tanner managed the White Sox, Athletics, Pirates and Braves to a record of 1,352-1,381 from 1970-88. He won one division title and finished second five times.
"It's hard to win a pennant," Tanner once said, "but it's harder to lose one."
RIP - Chuck Tanner..
There was was the 1979 World Series when the Pirates — energized by the thumping anthem "We Are Family" — soared to a title that ended with the players' wives dancing on the dugout roof.
And there was Game 5 of that Series, when the great comeback started for a Pirates team facing elimination by Baltimore. Tanner learned his mother had died that morning, but he insisted on managing because he knew she would have wanted him to do the job.
On Friday, Tanner, one of baseball's relentlessly upbeat figures, died at 82 in his hometown of New Castle, Pa. He died of a long illness at his home after spending time in hospice care.
Playing for the Milwaukee Braves in 1955, Tanner homered on the first pitch he saw as a big-leaguer. He went on to hit .261 with 21 homers in 396 games as a spare outfielder with the Braves, Cubs, Indians and Angels, missing out on a chance to be an everyday outfielder with the Cubs in 1958 because of a shoulder injury.
Tanner managed the White Sox, Athletics, Pirates and Braves to a record of 1,352-1,381 from 1970-88. He won one division title and finished second five times.
"It's hard to win a pennant," Tanner once said, "but it's harder to lose one."
RIP - Chuck Tanner..
Denver Post.com
