Do they sell that set anywhere still?

PS They do still sell it...found a website here- $54.95- fair price.

_________________
I know this, your ability to think concisely, your ability to make good judgments is much easier on Thursday night than during the heat of the game. -Bill Walsh

Especially under Tanner - Chuck loved to make the moves, he loved his bullpen for sure.

Check Amazon also. I think you can get it on the Marketplace for about half that price.

_________________
Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.--Jack Butler

Your dad would've despised today's baseball Swiss. I don't recall Candy being that. I thought he was going to be the Pirates' Steve Carlton but it wasn't meant to be. I'm still shocked when I look at his career statistics and realize he retired in 1993 - with the Pirates. I didn't realize he lasted that long. Interesting fact about him - he pitched for both New York teams, both Los Angeles teams and both Canadian teams.

Ol' Bubble Ass is one of my all-time favorite Buccos. Didn't he wear a football style batting helmet at one time? Absolutely hated it when he went to the Reds after the '83 season. He's another player that lasted longer than I though - retired in '91.

_________________

Great stuff on the Candy Man, MeanJoe.

That '75 NLCS game - I only got to see the highlights because the Red Sox were playing the A's at the same time when that was going on. It was a dominating performance by the Candy Man, but that was the Reds' year unfortunately. Wanted the Sox to cream those clowns in the Series, and it went to full seven in what I think may be the greatest WS of all-time. Anyway, back to the Candy Man, you touched on his most famous performances as a Buc MeanJoe, but let me add one more. September 16, 1975 at Chicago. Candy's performance was overshadowed by a 22-run 24-hit performance by the Lumber Company, but he shutdown the Cubs at Wrigley with only three hits in seven innings (not five ). Not easy to do in that bandbox. Future Pirate Rick Reuschel was the losing pitcher in that game. Man, looking at that Pirates lineup just gives me the chills.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes ... 9160.shtml

_________________

Jack, good call, bro.

Yep, very few recall Candy Man was the starter that day. Most recall Rennie Stennett going 7 for 7 and that murderer's row of a Lumber Company lineup. To me, that lineup represents the heaviest collection of hitters we put together during that late 60's/70's run. Not the best team, certainly, but offensively they were formidable.

Candy Man was a very decent pitcher who survived by utilizing pitches that he didn't have to when he first broke into the bigs. He was a power pitcher at that time and man, I agree, he looked like he was going to be an all-time great. Unfortunately, chronic back problems curtailed all of that promise, turning him from a potentially great pitcher, to a rock solid performer. One of my other fond recollections of The Candy Man was from Game 6 of the 79 World Series. Candy was having serious problems with his back, and in my book, holding the O's scoreless through 6 innings in their ball park with all the marbles on the line and our backs to the wall is on a similar scale as The Rook's legendary performance in Game 5 of that same series. Our pitchers really took control of that series, both starters and bullpen. We surrendered TWO runs over 27 innings through the last 3 games of the series.

Agree about the 75 WS, one of the greatest ever, I believe. And like you, I was completely for the Bosox all the way. Mainly because I hated the fucking Reds with a passion around that time.

About The Cobra, one of my favorite Buccos of all time. He allowed a drug habit to essentially destroy his chances of a HOF career, though I still think he's a marginal HOF player, and when you stack him up with some others who are in, he comes out pretty favorably. I'd also advocate Scoops Oliver, who IMO, one of the best pure hitters I've ever seen wear a Buccos uniform.

As for The Cobra, when healthy, before drugs and weight led to some knee problems in the early 80's, always ran to first base with reckless abandon on EVERY single play, the most routine of grounders. Always played the game @ 110% intensity and is one of my favorite Buccos of all time.

_________________
Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.--Jack Butler

This is what The Cobra wore during the last half of the 1978 season. He essentially carried the club on his back the latter part of that season, having a monster August and September as the Bucs frantically tried to catch the Phillies after falling deep in the standings mid-season. In early August they had fallen to over 11 games out of first, and from that point on, The Cobra, Pops, Bill Robinson and others just took over, particularly Parker. It ended on a 4 game series, going in at 2 games out, we had to win all 4 games. We won the twi-night DH to lead it off, I was there, and that place was not only packed but it was louder than I've ever heard any Steelers' game. TRS was fucking rocking! Unfortunately despite Pops leading off the first inning with a Grand Slam, we lost on Saturday and the great run was over. I'll always believe that no one would have beat that team that year, as good as they were playing down the stretch. I believe if we had been able to overcome that hole in the standings, we would have gone on to win a championship that year.

_________________
Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.--Jack Butler

MeanJoe, thanks for posting that pic of Parker. Looks like he could play Tight End for the Steelers.

Agree with all that you've said here MeanJoe. I'll always love that '75 team. Hitting like you cannot believe. I think it's the best hitting lineup the Pirates ever had going back to Honus. Pitching was the achilles heal even with Candy, Brett and Reuss. Great times, man. Good to talk with someone who remembers them.

_________________

Happy to chat about those times, Jack. In my lifetime, aside from our 60 WS, the late 60s through 1979 were my favorite Buccos times. I believe that period was one of our most successful in the history of the team. And man, did I ever love that lineup we had in the mid-70's.

_________________
Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.--Jack Butler

The only negative thing from the 70's other than the lack of pitching was the ballpark. Man, I hated TRS as a baseball park. It was just fine for football, but when I'd go see a baseball game there, it felt like I was on the fucking moon sitting so far away from the field and that fucking tartan turf. I suppose it helped guys like Rennie Stennett and Omar Moreno. I was to young to go to Forbes, but I can tell you that it's like night and day between TRS and PNC. PNC is the best ballpark in MLB.

_________________