The injury issues, combined with Stargell’s advancing age, prompted questions about how much longer the veteran first baseman would continue playing. He insisted he was coming back in 1981, although he admitted he had thought about retirement. “It would be a grave injustice for me to go out there for selfish reasons, knowing there are certain things I couldn’t do,” he said in September. “But I’m just going to let it lie. When the time comes, I’ll know it. The worst thing in the world is to have someone else tell you.”12 Tanner thought Stargell had something left in the tank because even at age 40, he managed to hit 11 home runs and drive in 38 in 202 at-bats. “That’s what I wanted,” Tanner said. “I got everything out of him I could. I played Bill Robinson and John Milner more, but Willie was just as valuable then as anytime he was with us, because of the way I used him. And the way he talked to players, communicated with younger guys that we brought along. He was not only a team leader, but he was a force because he could do one thing. You put him up there, baby, and he produced. That’s what good leaders do. You can’t have a guy hitting .180 and saying, ‘I’m your leader.’ Show me you’re my leader—go out there and do something. Guys talk about being a leader but they don’t produce. They don’t show you.”13
Members of the local media, who had an opportunity to watch Stargell on a daily basis—some of them for years, said there was no denying his leadership attributes. Sam Nover, who came to Pittsburgh in 1970, left in 1980 for a couple of years but returned in 1983 and stayed until 2001, said a lot of Stargell’s success as a leader stemmed simply from his love for the game and placing it in the proper perspective. “Knowing its importance, and knowing the value of winning,” he said. “Leadership qualities are so hard to identify.
They’re a compilation of everything you do. He was a great player. He always had good common sense, so he was a guy that other guys could go to if they had a problem. And he had that infectious personality, that laugh that was infectious. He was always smiling. You want to be around those kinds of people.”14 As Pirates reliever Grant (Buck) Jackson put it, “If people love you, they seem to follow you. If they don’t love you, they go the other way. That’s what leadership is all about.”15
Smizik, another Pittsburgh media member, said Stargell simply was a natural leader, just as Clemente was—and neither sought the role. Clemente, Smizik said, didn’t reach for the reins of leadership and if anything, he pushed them away. “But they naturally fell to him. He was around a long time before he became a leader. Willie didn’t push it away, but he didn’t reach for it. It just sort of fell to him by his welcoming behavior and his kindness to people. And he just seemed to absorb it.”16 His kindness even extended to players on the opposing teams, said Dan Donovan, a former beat writer with the Pittsburgh Press. “It was very communal, and players would talk to him before and after games,” Donovan said. “He’d be giving fatherly advice to other players.” But it was in Stargell’s own clubhouse where the respect was most evident. Greg Brown, the intern-turned-broadcaster, said the respect that Stargell received from his teammates “certainly was palpable without a doubt. You could see it in everything that the players did. He was the leader. I chuckle when people talk about guys in the clubhouse today who are so-called leaders. No one compared to Stargell. They truly loved him and respected him, and he worked hard on the field and did all the right things. But he couldn’t have been a leader if he hadn’t succeeded on the field. You can talk all you want, but you have to back it up. He came through in the clutch time and time again. He put that team on his shoulders and carried them.”17
But his carrying days were dwindling. When the club gathered in Bradenton in late February 1981, Stargell was there. But it didn’t take long for his aging body to suffer another setback, as he injured his left knee when he stepped in a hole while jogging on the beach. The injury came on the first day of the team’s full-squad practice and forced him to miss several days of workouts. But Dr. Thomas Sprenger put Stargell’s mind at ease when he told him the injury was not related to the surgery that Stargell had the previous season. Still, those close to the ballclub began to wonder just how much Stargell had left. “Last season he had arthritis in his ankle, a bruised thumb, a bad hamstring pull and his knee injury,” Donovan wrote in the Pittsburgh Press. “Willie Stargell doesn’t look fragile, but he is. And with him, so are the Pirates.”18
Stargell’s problems were not limited to physical ones. In early April, the Post-Gazette reported that the slugger and his second wife, Dolores, had separated—and in fact had separated late in the 1980 season. According to the story, Dolores was living in the couple’s Point Breeze home with their two children while Stargell moved into another home nearby. “I try to protect my family as much as I can,” Stargell said on April 10 in explaining why he was reluctant to comment on the separation. Dolores Stargell would not say whether the couple planned to be divorced. “We don’t discuss our personal life with anyone,” she said.19
Stargell wasn’t 100 percent healthy when the season started, which meant the newly acquired Jason Thompson would start at first base. The Bucs had two other new starters in catcher Tony Pena and second baseman Berra, with the latter filling in for the injured Garner, who was coming off shoulder surgery. Stargell had just one at-bat in each of his first seven appearances through May 3, netting just one hit. Then, on May 7, he finally played nine innings in his eighth game—the team’s 20th—and went 1-for-4. He had only 13 more at-bats the rest of the month, but made four straight starts at the beginning of June, only to see his season—and everyone else’s—shut down on June 12 with a player strike. The work stoppage resulted in the loss of more than 700 games—or more than one-third of the season—and play did not resume until August 10. The layoff did not improve Stargell’s health; he was bothered by a sore shoulder in early August, after the strike was settled but before the season continued. Then, after going 0-for-3 against Montreal in the first game after the strike, he was out of the lineup the following night with a bruised heel, which he hurt when he broke from the batter’s box in his second post-strike at-bat. Stargell said that while his surgically repaired knee was not bothering him, it essentially was to blame for his other two injuries because he believed he altered his throwing motion and stretching regimen to compensate for the fact that the knee was not 100 percent. Stargell was convinced his season was not over, though. “I feel good,” he said, although he acknowledged the heel bruise was painful. “I’m going to think that way until proven otherwise.”20
He returned to the active roster on August 26, but did not start another game and appeared in only 15 games the rest of the season. He managed just 13 at-bats during that stretch and collected only four hits for the Pirates, who finished 46–56 overall—fourth in the first half and sixth in the second half of the strike-shortened season. Overall on the year, Stargell managed just 60 at-bats and batted .283 with nine RBIs. Also, he failed to homer for the first time since he was called up to the big leagues at the end of the 1962 season. Late in the season, speculation grew as to whether Stargell would retire, and that speculation reached its high point in the final week of September, with published reports that indicated he likely would not be back. According to a wire service report published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on September 23, Stargell was asked in an ESPN interview if he expected to retire and he responded, “I’d have to say so, yeah, without being pessimistic or unrealistic. There’s no question I will be 41, and it’s highly unlikely that the ligaments in my knees will take away the bone-on-bone situation. I have a knee that is literally rubbing bone on bone. Right now, it would be very hard for me to play.”21 But the next day, he told reporters the report was premature and that it was based on an interview that was done in May, when his knees were in much worse shape. “It’s a shame that something like this can happen,” he said of the retirement report. “There was no mention that the tape was made in May, when my knees were aching. Since then, there has been a turn of events. I still might play nex
t year. I’d still like to hit 500 home runs.” Tanner was all in favor, saying that while Stargell no longer could play every day, he still had a quick bat and could be effective if he stayed healthy.22
He made it official in December, saying he wanted to play one more season without any interruptions. “I’m healthy and I’m looking forward to another spring training and a better year all the way around,” he said. Peterson, the club’s executive vice president, said he welcomed Stargell’s decision. “He still swings the bat as well as ever,” Peterson said, “and he contributes so many ways to the team that he is still a very valuable player.”23
Stargell reported to spring training and proceeded to hit as if he were 15 years younger. He batted nearly .400 in Grapefruit League play but had accepted the fact that he would be backing up Thompson, the Bucs’ everyday first baseman, and serve primarily as a pinch-hitter deluxe—a major power threat off the bench. That’s exactly the role that he would play during the 1982 campaign, as he appeared in less than half of the Pirates’ games—74—and had just 85 plate appearances. He hit .233 for his final season in the big leagues, with three home runs and 17 RBIs. He started only four games and had more than one plate appearance just four times in a game all season. Stargell admitted that adapting to the pinch-hitting role was a difficult and sometimes frustrating experience—largely because of his tendency to use earlier at-bats in a game to set up a pitcher for a third or fourth at-bat. “I had to get used to the fact that I was only batting once,” he said. “I said I wanted to be a ballplayer this year, and I had to accept what that meant.”24
The 475th and final big fly of Stargell’s career came on July 21, and Tom Hume was the victim. This time, Stargell delivered while pinch-hitting for Larry McWilliams in the top of the eighth inning in what would be the slugger’s last appearance at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium. Many in the crowd of 16,543 had stood and applauded as Stargell got ready to hit, showing their respect to a longtime visiting adversary who was making his final appearance in their home park. The shot, which tied Stargell with Stan Musial for 14th place on the all-time home run list—came with the score tied at 2–2 and proved to be the margin of victory in a 3–2 triumph. “Musial? I never thought I’d ever be in his company,” Stargell said after the game, noting that the former Cardinals great was one of his idols. As Stargell remained on the field conducting an interview with Cincinnati media members, one fan shouted, “Thanks for a great 21 years, Willie.” “It’s heartwarming hearing something like that,” Stargell said.25
The home run also tied Stargell for the most pinch-hit blasts in a season with three. “Willie did it in half a season,” Skinner, the Pirates’ hitting coach, noted. “He has more in his bag.”26 But there would be no more homers for the man who hit more than anyone in the history of the Pirates franchise. From that point on, Stargell would come to the plate 30 times and collect seven hits while driving in six runs. The Pirates honored him on September 6 in an hour-long pre-game ceremony that included an on-field phone call from President Ronald Reagan, who was in Santa Barbara, California. “You are one of the heroes who has made baseball great,” Reagan told Stargell. “God bless you. Now get out there and play ball, you’re not retired yet.” On the field, Stargell thanked virtually everyone and called the day “without a doubt, my finest hour.” Wiping away tears with a towel draped around his neck, he gave a special shout-out to those sitting in the highest reaches of the stadium. “If there’s anybody from the projects sitting up there, here’s living proof ... with hard work, determination and dedication, you can make a great indentation on the world.” In a pre-ceremony press conference, he told the media he wouldn’t have any trouble retiring. “It’s getting harder and harder just to get up to the field,” he said.27
The Pirates released a letter that Stargell had written to the fans—whom he addressed as “dear friend”—and in it he thanked the fans for their support, particularly when his now estranged wife, Dolores, was being treated for her stroke. “There was never any pressure placed upon me to hit a lot of home runs or drive in hundreds of runs,” he wrote. “People were very supportive, and this is something which I will always remember. Over the course of my career, I probably could have hit more home runs or collected more RBIs, but from a humanistic standpoint, I could never feel better about my association with the people here in this city.” He talked about what it was like to play in Pittsburgh. “I am sure that I am not the only athlete or person to come to this city trying to do their best who was made to feel like he really belonged. There is no greater thrill than to come through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, especially at night, and see the beauty of this city. It’s a tremendous thrill, almost like a pair of arms embracing you. That is the way I have been made to feel in Pittsburgh.”28
Stan Savran, who has been involved in Pittsburgh sports journalism since the mid–1970s, said Stargell’s legacy as one of Pittsburgh’s greatest sports figures was “well-earned. And I got that from talking to other members of that team—guys I really respected, like Phil Garner and Jim Rooker and Kent Tekulve. They would know a whole lot better than I would. They absolutely said that he led that team.” Savran said what separated Stargell from many Pittsburgh sports figures is that he understood the city and its people—black and white—so well. “Willie had a great understanding of the human condition,” he said. “I think he understood race relations and what kind of town Pittsburgh was. And I do think he had a genuine understanding of the fact that this is a unique town. It’s different. People might think they understand it but Willie definitely had a full understanding. And that’s why he was larger than life here in Pittsburgh. Pittsburghers understand when you’re one of them. They understand when you get it. If you don’t get it, you’re never gonna get it. They might like you, but they will never embrace you. My best take on Willie is that he got it—he understood Pittsburgh and therefore the people of Pittsburgh embraced him. Not every star gets that kind of treatment here.”29
Willie’s stepfather, Percy Russell, and his mother, Gladys, enjoy a light moment at a family function (courtesy Sandrus Collier).
On the field before that game on September 6, he shook hands with members of the Pirates and the visiting New York Mets, and then with two outs in the eighth inning, Tanner pulled Tony Pena from the on-deck circle and sent Stargell out to pinch hit. He took a pair of pitches, then stroked a single to right-center and was replaced by pinch-runner Rafael Belliard after reaching first base. Afterward, he was too emotionally drained to talk to some reporters. “Please wait until tomorrow,” he said. “I’m just....”30 During the last two months of his final season, Stargell made just two starts, one coming in the Pirates’ final game of the season on October 3 against Montreal in Three Rivers Stadium. On that day—Stargell’s last as a big-leaguer—Tanner penciled the slugger in to bat leadoff against the Expos’ Steve Rogers. Stargell reached on an infield single—the last of his 2,232 career hits—in the bottom of the first when his comebacker eluded Rogers and neither middle infielder could make a play on it. With Moreno batting, Stargell took off for second and continued to third when Moreno singled. He then was replaced by pinch-runner Doug Frobel. The crowd of 14,948 roared and coaxed Stargell out of the dugout for a curtain call while organist Vince Lascheid played “Pomp and Circumstance.” He blew two kisses to the crowd, and in a matter of a few hours, Stargell’s playing career was history. Twenty-one seasons, 2,360 games, 475 home runs, 1,540 RBIs. At the time of his retirement, he held several Pirate career records, including most home runs, most RBIs, most extra-base hits (953) and most strikeouts—his 1,936 were second only to Reggie Jackson at the time—and a handful of single-season records, including most extra-base hits with 90. He finished his career with a solid .282 batting average to go along with his eye-popping power numbers.
Willie and his mother, Gladys Russell, enjoy a moment together (courtesy Sandrus Collier).
His manager, Tanner, had a difficult time acknowledging that the slugger was finished. “
I was thinking about Willie ... it’s his last game ... it’s hard,” he said later. “There were a few tears on the bench when he came out of the game.” Teammates, coaches and opponents alike had nothing but good things to say. Team president Dan Galbreath remarked, “It’s the end of an era. What he has accomplished, what he has meant to the team, is hard to put into words.”31
Where Stargell would go from here and what he would do wasn’t exactly clear. The player known affectionately as Pops was old in baseball terms, but at 41, he figured to have many more years ahead of him. He had talked about staying in Pittsburgh and not making a sudden and complete break from baseball, but rather gradually weaning himself away from it. But on his final day, he wasn’t saying. Stargell, clearly spent in terms of answering questions from the media, summed it all up in a pregame press conference: “What can be said that hasn’t been said?”32
Although Stargell certainly was a megastar within the Pirates organization, he never forgot those in less glamorous positions. Following his retirement as an active player, he made it a point to have his picture taken individually with everyone in the organization—clubhouse folks, secretaries, accountants, broadcasters—and then had individual plaques made for each employee. Each one came with a personalized message. “That said volumes about the kind of person he was,” said Lanny Frattare, who broadcast Pirate games from 1976 through 2008. Greg Brown also received one of the plaques and considers it a prized possession. “My message reads, ‘Greg, every time I see you, you’re doing something for someone. That tells me therein lies a peace for giving.’ I remember that like it was yesterday. You could walk into anyone’s office or home today who was working for the Pirates then and they’ll have that photo prominently displayed. That’s how much it means to people.”
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