CHUCK TANNER - A REFLECTION

Just a personal remembrance of Charles Tanner.

I have always been a hero worshiper - even when my affection and/or admiration may have been misplaced. There was an Irish lad, a Pittsburgh product who was an amazing major league pitcher in the American League. Even though he played for the "wrong league' we were proud he was once one of us, and a hero to many.

He was also an excellent pool shot and fun to play against at Donahues, a favorite hangout for a lot of us "still not grown up" men.

Our hero displayed less coordination when my friends and I watched him unsuccessfully try to maneuver the dais at a Dapper Dan sports dinner in Pittsburgh; one winter night. A lot of the attendees were impressionable kids and we told them some tall tales.

On reflection, I guess many "heros" had our good nights and our not-so-good nights.

That apparently is not so for Chuck Tanner, a New Castle, Pa guy who passed away this past Friday after a long illness. He managed my Pirates to 711 victories - which at the rate they're going may take about ten or twelve more years to match - and possibly as many managers.

Chuck was consistent. He was an easy person to like and wore his mantle of responsibility well. I was lucky enough to attend my only World Series game in Pittsburgh - or for that matter anywhere else when Chuck was the manager.

While I'm sure I must have seen Chuck also at one of the sports banquets in Pittsburgh, it was not until last year in Bradenton that my brother Jim introduced us at McKechnie Field. I may be off a year, but it was last year that I remember Chuck most.

Jim had apparently had several conversations with Chuck, who currently served the Pirates as an advisor, cheerleader, and sports psychologist.

The comments by former Pirates in sports columns, as well as the newbees now playing, confirm he was still a true upbeat leader. He was also as personable as all get out to anyone he met.

Jim, as is his nature when it comes to the Pirates, had picked Chuck's brain with questions as to which of the new players he really liked, his thoughts as to the future of the team, and even snuck in a few questions regarding what Chuck's true role was with the management group.

At our meeting with Chuck, standing in front of Jim's box seats, my brother teased Chuck about something he had said to Jim that could have easily been construed by the Pirates management as TMI - and I don't mean the location of Harrisburg's nuclear reactor.

Chuck, with those wrinkled facial lines formed from so many years out in the sun as both coach and player, took my brother on. He accused Jim of making up the whole thing. However, at no point was I unaware of his appreciation for my brother's extensive baseball knowledge.

Now, I wasn't there when the original meeting took place so, therefore, I could not break into the conversation. Not sure I would have if I could.

By experience, as opposed to Sullivan loyalty, my money would have been on the premise that Chuck actually said to Jim what the latter claimed was true. I think Chuck's refusal to admit same was for a couple of reasons.

One, he would not want to be quoted as having said what Jim claimed.Secondly, from my viewpoint he was clearly enjoying himself at my brothers expense.

My gut tells me that from their prior conversations, the manager had once again applied skills he had honed over the years. The first was his ability to quickly size up another human being.

The second was his tremendous grasp of what he truly deemed to be important.

As I watched Coach Tanner, he apparently had picked up something about my own personality as the "older brother". He used his body language and body position to separate Jim and me by moving toward me as I leaned up against the stands - in respect for my arthritic knees

He did all of this as he continued with his denial of my brothers assertion.

Coach also employed an old salesman's trick of touching me periodically as he attempted to bring me into the conversation, while still practicing the old war strategy of "divide and conquer."

I didn't fall for it for a variety of reasons, I really had nothing to contribute, was not nearly the student of the game as these two baseball minds now somewhat entangled, and wasn't all that nuts about salesmen.

A final reason was that I was just having too much fun watching the exchange.

When the conversation was winding down and Jim was deferring to Chuck with the humility we learned growing up - but, still not backing down; someone came over and grabbed Chuck to talk to one more Tanner admirer.

Jim and I watched him walking away. Soon after, Jim commented to me - more than once, "I know what the man said to me and what he said now wasn't it." I agreed and smiled to myself. In their own way - both men were right.

And, if Jim had not taken the time to introduce me to Chuck Tanner, I would have been the only real loser.

At some point down the road, Jim gave me a Chuck Tanner bubblehead doll which I proudly display on my bookcases out on the lanaii.

I'm not sure how much it looks like Chuck but, from what I saw and later read after his death, Chuck was a man capable of displaying a thousand different looks - and obviously one of them was the product of a great sense of humor and an undying affection for true Pirate fans, like my brother.

Here was clearly a man worthy of my hero worship.