Chuck Tanner, both a player and a manager in the Majors, has died in hospice care after a long illness. He was 82.
Tanner managed from 1970-88 for the White Sox, Pirates, A's and Braves. His pinnacle achievement was guiding the 1979 Pirates, the season's "We Are Family" team, to victory in the 1979 World Series, defeating the Earl Weaver-led Orioles 4 games to 3, after being down 3-1 in the Series.
Tanner also played outfield for the Braves, Cubs, Indians and Angels. In his rookie season (1955), he became the first and only man to pinch-hit for Hank Aaron.
Personal memory: During his time as White Sox manager, I asked him to autograph his 1960 Leaf Sport Novelties baseball card. The name and stats were him, but the photo was a teammate. He balked a bit, and I finally, successfully, convinced him to sign the card. One one side, he autographed it, and, on the other side, inscribed in caps, and underlined, "NOT ME!"
Dave Miedema
Tanner managed from 1970-88 for the White Sox, Pirates, A's and Braves. His pinnacle achievement was guiding the 1979 Pirates, the season's "We Are Family" team, to victory in the 1979 World Series, defeating the Earl Weaver-led Orioles 4 games to 3, after being down 3-1 in the Series.
Tanner also played outfield for the Braves, Cubs, Indians and Angels. In his rookie season (1955), he became the first and only man to pinch-hit for Hank Aaron.
Personal memory: During his time as White Sox manager, I asked him to autograph his 1960 Leaf Sport Novelties baseball card. The name and stats were him, but the photo was a teammate. He balked a bit, and I finally, successfully, convinced him to sign the card. One one side, he autographed it, and, on the other side, inscribed in caps, and underlined, "NOT ME!"
Dave Miedema
Comment