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Title details for Cobra by Dave Parker - Available

Cobra

A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood

by Dave Parker
Dave Jordan
ebook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Finalist for the 2021 CASEY Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year
"For that period of time, he was the greatest player of my generation."—Keith Hernandez
Dave Parker was one of the biggest and most badass baseball players of the late twentieth century. He stood at six foot five and weighed 235 pounds. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time batting champion, a frequent Gold Glove winner, the 1978 National League MVP, and a World Series champion with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland A's. Here the great Dave Parker delivers his wild and long-awaited autobiography—an authoritative account of Black baseball during its heyday as seen through the eyes of none other than the Cobra.
From his earliest professional days learning the game from such baseball legends as Pie Traynor and Roberto Clemente to his later years mentoring younger talents like Eric Davis and Barry Larkin, Cobra is the story of a Black athlete making his way through the game during a time of major social and cultural transformation. From the racially integrated playing fields of his high school days to the cookie-cutter cathedrals of his prime alongside all the midseason and late-night theatrics that accompany an athlete's life on the road–Parker offers readers a glimpse of all that and everything in between. Everything.
Parker recounts the triumphant victories and the heart-breaking defeats, both on and off the field. He shares the lessons and experiences of reaching the absolute pinnacle of professional athletics, the celebrations with his sports siblings who also got a taste of the thrills, as well as his beloved baseball brothers whom the game left behind. Parker recalls the complicated politics of spring training, recounts the early stages of the free agency era, revisits the notorious 1985 drug trials, and pays tribute to the enduring power of relationships between players at the deepest and highest levels of the sport.
With comments at the start of each chapter by other baseball legends such as Pete Rose, Dave Winfield, Willie Randolph, and many more, Parker tells an epic tale of friendship, success, indulgence, and redemption, but most of all, family. Cobra is the unforgettable story of a million-dollar athlete just before baseball became a billion-dollar game.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 1, 2021

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781496226594

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781496226594
      • File size: 2451 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      April 1, 2021

      The six divisional titles, two World Series championships, and nine winning seasons the Pirates brought Pittsburgh in the 1970s marked an era of success the organization hadn't seen before and hasn't approached since. Right-fielder Parker was along for most of the ride, but as he recounts early in his autobiography (cowritten with sportswriter Jordan), his baseball career almost didn't happen: a star athlete in high school, Parker intended to be a running back for Ohio State when a knee injury derailed his football dreams. A tryout with the Pirates in 1969 landed him a spot in spring training, and he never looked back. He emerged from a 22-year professional baseball career with most of the game's top accolades and a collection of stories as deep as the outfields he roamed. Parker's voice is lively, and he has a keen eye for details that bring his teammates to life. Just below the surface of Parker's story is the racism he experienced as a Black baseball player. VERDICT A straightforward but no less engaging baseball autobiography from an underappreciated legend. A delight for baseball fans of all stripes.--Colin Chappell, Anne Arundel Cty. P.L., MD

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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