Former baseball great Dave Parker passed away today. When he was a minor leaguer and 1972 league MVP for the Salem Pirates, I got to know him a little. I was the bat boy for the Burlington Rangers that year. When the Pirates came to town, the Rangers let me be the bat boy the Pirates. Parker gave me my first pair of cleats and a baseball bat. Gave me batting and fielding tips, and always had a big smile for me. It is a shame that he died before being inducted in this year's MLB Hall of Fame class. RIP Cobra. Thanks for being a good guy to me.
