Pops: The Willie Stargell Story

by Richard Peterson

A touching biography of the beloved Pittsburgh Pirate Willie “Pops” Stargell, this life story documents the 21-year, Hall of Fame career of one of the most celebrated and revered players in the history of Major League Baseball. Beginning with his difficult childhood and revealing his encounters with fierce racial hostility while playing minor league ball in the south, this book goes on to show how Stargell became one of the most feared hitters in baseball, a perennial All Star and MVP candidate, and World Series hero. More than a slugging star, Stargell—a clubhouse leader who was revered for his bursting personality and joie de vivre—earned the affectionate nickname “Pops” during the 1979 season when he began handing out stars to teammates following a good play or game. The stars soon became a symbol of the unity on the Pirates team that went on to win the World Series. This biography also details his life following his playing Stargell’s coaching career, his struggles with obesity and diabetes, and his lasting legacy that remains relevant to this day. This telling of a dearly loved man with a larger-than-life personality is a must read for any fan of baseball.

Genres: Baseball, Sports

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Richard “Pete” Peterson is the author and editor of several baseball books. A Pittsburgh native, Peterson is professor emeritus of English at Southern Illinois University. He is the editor for Kent State University Press’s Writing Sports series. His essays have appeared in the Chicago Tribune and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He lives in Makanda, Illinois.

Reviews

[Theo Logos · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Time goes so fast…Why won’t time stand still so we can still watch Willie play?”
Chuck Tanner, at unveiling of Stargell statue

True baseball heroes, like Willie Stargell, are born in childhood. Like going to my first game and seeing him hit a massive home run to win the game for the home team. Or pulling a home runs leader card out of a bubblegum pack with Willie Stargell and Reggie Jackson pictured, and feeling so proud that my guy was best in the league. It grows out of sandlot games where I would step to the plate and windmill my bat, trying to look like my hero. And it was cemented for all time when, as a teen, I watched my now aging hero inspire and lead my team to an improbable, magical World Series Championship (which I did not yet realize would be the pinnacle of my lifetime fan experience). Willie Stargell captured my heart when it was still young. He’s the reason I’m still a Pirates fan, despite the many, many, lean and hard seasons of futility since then.

I’m tough on reviewing sports biographies. (I was tough on Stargell’s own autobiography.) But in Pops: The Willie Stargell Story Richard “Pete” Peterson managed to tap in to a bit of that childhood hero magic. He managed to capture some of that special essence that elevated Stargell beyond just a franchise hero or a Hall of Fame great into the realm of a beloved legend. It’s not that Peterson is a great writer — he’s good, but that’s not what sets this book apart. Somehow he tapped into the joy that Willie brought to the game, and capture the impact that he had on all who knew him:

”One of the heroes of the 1971 World Series, Pirates pitcher Steve Blass once said that there were no small hugs from Willie Stargell. During his career, Stargell managed to encompass an entire city in his embrace.”

Realistically, you may have had to be there to appreciate this book as I did. If you didn’t grow up watching Stargell, if you were born too late to experience baseball as played in the ‘70s, maybe you subtract a star from my rating. But for fans of 1970s baseball, and for Pirates fans in particular, Pops: The Willie Stargell Story is a must read.

[PennsyLady (Bev) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Willie Stargell story..1940-2001

Apr 14,2001 at St Paul's Episcopall Church Wilmington NC,
they celebrated his career and a life well lived.

A few days later in St Mary of Mercy Church in Pittsburgh, mourners
arrived"to relive the memories and highlights of a life that touched us all"
(Bishop Donald Wuerl)

Willie Stargell's major league debut was Sept 16, 1962
He batted left...threw left....
He was a Pittsburgh Pirate from 1962���1982

I'm not a baseball historian....I simply listened and remember ....
Willie Stargell became the head of the Pirates' family.
For Pirates and their fans, 1979 was the season of Stargell's Stars (gold felt stars given the player for a well done) and "We Are Family"
..(the Sister Sledge hit that Willie wanted played in the bottom of the seventh inning at every Pirate game)
"For the rest of his career and the rest of is life he'd be celebrated as Pops, the name given by Dave Parker to express affection for Stargell and to rib him about his age (39)"

In the Pirate franchise, 10 players who'd spent all or most of their career in Pgh, had preceded Stargell into the hall of fame in 1988.

The one teammate he most respected in his 20 years in Pirate uniform was Roberto Clemente, ..
He said that no player taught him more about playing the game and the will to win.
Important to note:
He wanted the next generation to know that dreams do become a reality .
"If there's anyone in the projects sitting up there, here's living proof ...with hard work, determination and dedication, you can make a great indentationl
"

Simply, Willie Stargell believed he was born to play baseball......and that he did.
----------------

In Pops, you'll find
a closeup
of Willie and also an ongoing analysis of the Pirate franchise.
For more "Stargell according to Stargell".... perhaps his autobiography. ......( published 1984)

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the introduction to Pops, Richard Peterson makes certain to inform us that this is a baseball biography, rather than a straight biography, and as such it is a very solid effort.

I have to admit that I don't have much to say about the book. It was interesting and Mr. Peterson's writing style is very clear, concise, and accessible. But, since I lived through — and was a Pirates fan during — the period of time covered in the book, I can't say that there were any startling revelations. I did find a couple of small factual errors, but that is pretty normal for a local writer and they did not misrepresent the basic story.

So, this might be an excellent read for someone who is unfamiliar with Willie Stargell's playing career and who wants to learn more.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done biography of the late Pirates star. Book began differently than most in that it did not move in chronological fashion, rather snippets from his life that explained what kind of man Stargell was. Book also detailed baseball in Pittsburgh and the influences of Honus Wagner, Bill Mazeroski and Roberto Clemente and how the latter two were directly correlated to Stargell. Second half of the book settled into a more traditional biography, which does not mean it wasn't enjoyable. Well researched.

[Jason Rosenstock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to relive the Pirates of the 1970s era. Stargell sounds like a great guy, although the focus was always on the baseball achievements, with limited discussion of his personal life or character, or his life after he retired.

[Tim Szczesny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, more about the Pirates during the Pops years

[David A. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best ever

A great read on one of the greatest Pirates ever. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT BOOK. I truly enjoyed this.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the beloved Pirate and Hall of Famer. In the words of Don Sutton, "Willie Stargell doesn't just hit pitchers, he takes away their dignity."

[Scott Holstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book on one of the greatest players in baseball history -- Pittsburgh's Willie Stargell. I grew up in the Pittsburgh area and he was my favorite player. I always loved seeing his towering home runs get hit out of the park. Shoot, even infield outs were crazy! I once saw him hit the ball straight up so high, it went out of the stadium before coming down and being caught for an out. He started his career as a left fielder, but finished as a first baseman to save his perpetually painful knees he played on for most of his career. Early in his career, he was overshadowed by Hall of Fame teammate Roberto Clemente. But Stargell was named team captain following Clemente's untimely death, and proceeded to do a masterful job. Toward the end of his career, Dave Parker named him "Pops" because of his advancing age and his stature in the clubhouse. It stuck.

Stargell always wanted to win the World Series with a seventh game home run, just like Pittsburgh's Bill Mazeroski did in 1960 against the Yankees. He finally got to the World Series in 1971 against Baltimore, but he had a miserable series and Roberto Clemente won it for them, winning MVP honors. In 1971, Stargell had probably his greatest year, hitting .295 with 48 home runs and 125 RBIs. He expected to win the MVP award for the season, but came in second in voting with four writers leaving his off their ballots entirely. He never really got over that. He had another stellar season in 1973 and expected to win the MVP that year too, but didn't get it. Still, he didn't let those disappointments dampen his spirit. He was a very positive individual and a great influence on the other players.

Even though he was injured and didn't play full seasons from 1976-1978, he did something I never knew. He led the 1970s in most home runs hit. That's pretty impressive. Finally, in 1979, the Pirates made it back to the World Series, also against Baltimore, and this one was pretty special. Down three games to one, the Pirates used as inspiration the fact that the Baltimore mayor had already released the World Series champion parade route to get them back in it and force a Game Seven. And in Game Seven, Stargell finally hit that elusive World Series Game Seven home run to win the game that he had dreamed about his whole life. And he won the Series MVP. And he won the elusive National League MVP award too, so that was good. Indeed, I remember that year well, and attended many of the games. It was the year the Pirates were "the Family" and Sister's Sledge's "We Are Family" was played at the bottom of each seventh inning, per Stargell's orders. It just seemed to bring the city together. So too did Stargell's stars he handed out to his teammates for great plays so that they could put them on their hats.

It was great reliving old times by reading about Stargell's teammates, many of whom I remember clearly and fondly. I can still name the starting lineup in the World Series. Stargell at first, Garner at second, Foli at short, Madlock at third, Robinson in left, Moreno in center, Parker in right, Ott behind the plate. And our pitchers were really good. Berty Blyleven, Don Robinson, John Candelaria, Jim Rooker, Jim Bibby, with Kent Tekulve relieving. How could we not have won???

Of course, Stargell was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot, only the 17th player to ever receive that honor. He finished his career with a .282 average, 475 home runs (which left him at 16th all time at the time), and 1540 RBIs. Great numbers. He would have had better numbers if he hadn't played half of his games at Pittsburgh's Forbes Field, the biggest ballpark in the majors, where center was 475 feet away. If he had played his whole career at Three Rivers Stadium, he could have had 600 home runs, I'm convinced. Oh well. My only real disappointment is in the fact that Willie died in 2001, right after they unveiled his new statue at Pittsburgh's ballpark. Stargell will always be revered in Pittsburgh for being a great player and a great person. This book was a joy to read and I'm glad I was able to relive so many memories. Highly recommended.

[Jlan17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall I think this book was okay. The things that I liked about it was the fact that learned alot about the Pirate's history back in the 1950-1970 era. What I didnt like about the book was that there was so many facts and names that it got hard to take it all in. I would not recommend reading this book unless youre looking for alot of statistics and roster updates for the seasnos back in the day.

[David Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book about a great baseball player. It does not try to be a complete autobiography, but is instead about Stargell as a baseball player. As an old Pirates fan, I really enjoyed reading about some familiar names, and learning things I didn't know.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a full biography, but an enjoyable rehashing of Stargell's playing career. I didn't learn anything new in this book, but I enjoyed the trip down memory lane through 60s and 70s Pirate history.