Limp Ditka
Footballguy
Passed away today at 82
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RIP Chuck Tanner (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Limp Ditka
- Start date
monessen
Footballguy
So true.He'll be remembered for many things---being traded to the Pirates for Manny Sanguillen in your everyday "manager for player" swap; getting great seasons in '72 out of **** Allen and Wilbur Wood before bowing to the A's; moving on to Oakland and throwing out "the book" by letting so many players try to steal bases instead of waiting for the 3-run homer, etc.Though Danny Murtaugh nearly brought the team back to overtake the Phillies in '76, his patient but detached style had to give way to a more energetic motivator. Enter Tanner. As the Pirates skipper, he used the bullpen freely. In '77, he had Gossage, Tekulve, Grant Jackson, and Terry Forster, yet managed to get them plenty of work. Though he feuded with Blyleven about that very topic, Tanner just didn't have the same faith in Bert as Bert in completing games in the NL. Moreover, today's fans would be in an uproar overt Tanner putting Omar Moreno and Tim Foli---a pair of .265 hitters with no power---at the top of the lineup. But it worked. He welcomed a volatile Bill Madlock and nurtured the late bloomer in Bill Robinson. Few believed the Orioles and their outstanding starting pitchers would blow a 3-1 lead in the '79 series, but Tanner's moves were the right ones though not always conventional. The "fam-a-lee" had unique unity and captured the fans' imagination.It was too bad Tanner got the shaft for not being more cognizant of his players' drug use in the early 80s. But there were plenty of managers in subsequent years (see LaRussa, Tony) who claimed their players didn't use PEDs. Well, I don't think Tanner saw Dave Parker and Dale Berra doing coke in the locker room. But how could the LaRussas of the world not notice just how much bigger the McGwires and Cansecos were getting? Despite the distractions from the drug trials, Tanner kept the Bucs competitive in '82 with hitting, in '83 with a solid balanced club, and their pitching in '84 was awesome. Tanner's legacy as a top manager is secure. His heart, character, and eternal optimism under adverse circumstances won't be forgotten.
