Eric Davis was wracked with nerves. It was 1984 and Davis -- a 21-year-old rookie at the time -- was in Spring Training with the Reds, “touching distance” away from Dave Parker, who had signed with Cincinnati that offseason.
Davis had long admired Parker since childhood. From Parker’s heroics in the 1979 World Series with the Pirates, to his MVP season in ‘78 and his multiple appearances in the All-Star Game -- Davis watched it all. And now, Davis walked up to introduce himself to his new teammate.
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Parker stopped him mid-sentence.
“I know who you are, kid,” Parker told Davis. “I’ll talk to you a little later. Let me get settled.”
While Davis was mostly ecstatic that one of his favorite players knew who he was, he was also a little disappointed that he was given the elbow at first. But that didn’t last long.
“After that, he became my second Dad,” Davis said.
Davis is one of a handful of former big leaguers in attendance at the Hank Aaron Invitational in Vero Beach, Fla. this week. Where the legacy of Parker was honored in anticipation of his upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame. Parker, a two-time World Series champion, three-time Gold Glove winner, three-time Silver Slugger, and seven-time All-Star, died on June 28 -- just 29 days before his induction ceremony.
Accolades aside, Parker’s peers remember him as someone who always paid it forward. Always helping out the next generation.
“He was one of the industry leaders at the time, as you go around, that would always encourage you to do better,” Tye Waller said. “[He would] give you tips here and there to help your game, so you could get the opportunity.”
Davis witnessed that first hand as Parker took him under his wing throughout their three years together in Cincinnati.
“The things that he taught me,” he said. “The knowledge and stuff that he gave me was invaluable. You couldn’t put a price on it.”
Things like showing up every day, embracing the grind of a Major League season, the importance of being on the field. Davis recalled seeing Parker get his knees drained one afternoon and playing in a game later that same night.
Another lesson Davis took from Parker was that baseball is a “failure sport.” If he got three hits in 10 at-bats, Parker would focus on the three hits instead of the seven outs.
“No excuses,” Davis said. “He taught me that if you give everything you have, you can walk out of the ballpark with your head high.”
Chris Gwynn never crossed paths with Parker himself during his playing days, but his manager in Triple-A did. Terry Collins, who would go on to manage in the big leagues for 23 seasons, was a teammate of Parker’s in the Pirates farm system during the early 1970s. Gwynn recalled hearing a story about how Collins stood up for Parker during one particular visit to a town where racial tensions were high.
“They didn’t think Black people should be there,” Gwynn said. “So Terry Collins, little guy from Michigan, comes up and gets in their face.
“That’s incredible. That’s baseball.”