Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood
Dave Parker was one of the biggest and most badass baseball players of the late twentieth century. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time batting champion, a three-time Gold Glove winner, the 1978 National League MVP, and a World Series champion with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland A's. Here the great Dave Parker delivers his wild and long-awaited autobiography--an authoritative account of Black baseball during its heyday as seen through the eyes of none other than the Cobra.

Cobra is the story of a Black athlete making his way through the game during a time of major social and cultural transformation. From the racially integrated playing fields of his high school days to the cookie-cutter cathedrals of his prime alongside all the midseason and late-night theatrics that accompany an athlete's life on the road--Parker offers readers a glimpse of all that and everything in between.

Parker recounts the triumphant victories and the heartbreaking defeats, both on and off the field. He recalls the complicated politics of spring training, the early stages of the free agency era, and the notorious 1985 drug trials. Paying tribute to the enduring power of relationships between players, Parker tells an epic tale of friendship, success, indulgence, and redemption, but most of all, family. Cobra is the unforgettable story of a million-dollar athlete just before baseball became a billion-dollar game.
1137954905
Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood
Dave Parker was one of the biggest and most badass baseball players of the late twentieth century. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time batting champion, a three-time Gold Glove winner, the 1978 National League MVP, and a World Series champion with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland A's. Here the great Dave Parker delivers his wild and long-awaited autobiography--an authoritative account of Black baseball during its heyday as seen through the eyes of none other than the Cobra.

Cobra is the story of a Black athlete making his way through the game during a time of major social and cultural transformation. From the racially integrated playing fields of his high school days to the cookie-cutter cathedrals of his prime alongside all the midseason and late-night theatrics that accompany an athlete's life on the road--Parker offers readers a glimpse of all that and everything in between.

Parker recounts the triumphant victories and the heartbreaking defeats, both on and off the field. He recalls the complicated politics of spring training, the early stages of the free agency era, and the notorious 1985 drug trials. Paying tribute to the enduring power of relationships between players, Parker tells an epic tale of friendship, success, indulgence, and redemption, but most of all, family. Cobra is the unforgettable story of a million-dollar athlete just before baseball became a billion-dollar game.
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Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood

Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood

Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood

Cobra: A Life of Baseball and Brotherhood

Paperback

$29.95 
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Overview

Dave Parker was one of the biggest and most badass baseball players of the late twentieth century. He was a seven-time All-Star, a two-time batting champion, a three-time Gold Glove winner, the 1978 National League MVP, and a World Series champion with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland A's. Here the great Dave Parker delivers his wild and long-awaited autobiography--an authoritative account of Black baseball during its heyday as seen through the eyes of none other than the Cobra.

Cobra is the story of a Black athlete making his way through the game during a time of major social and cultural transformation. From the racially integrated playing fields of his high school days to the cookie-cutter cathedrals of his prime alongside all the midseason and late-night theatrics that accompany an athlete's life on the road--Parker offers readers a glimpse of all that and everything in between.

Parker recounts the triumphant victories and the heartbreaking defeats, both on and off the field. He recalls the complicated politics of spring training, the early stages of the free agency era, and the notorious 1985 drug trials. Paying tribute to the enduring power of relationships between players, Parker tells an epic tale of friendship, success, indulgence, and redemption, but most of all, family. Cobra is the unforgettable story of a million-dollar athlete just before baseball became a billion-dollar game.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781496240996
Publisher: Nebraska
Publication date: 04/01/2025
Pages: 478
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Dave Parker (1951-2025) was a 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. He played nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues and was the first million-dollar-per-year player. He created the Dave Parker 39 Foundation, an organization focused on finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. Dave Jordan is a writer and filmmaker living in New Jersey. He has written for Sporting News, SB Nation, and the Hardball Times, and he is the coauthor (with John D'Acquisto) of Fastball John.

Table of Contents

Preface
Prologue: Pittsburgh, September 11, 1985
1. My Beautiful Balloon
2. Buckeye Battle Cry
3. My Cherie Amour
4. Everybody Is a Star
5. Are You Experienced?
6. Gotta Get Over the Hump
7. Brother, Brother, Brother
8. Mr. Bojangles
9. Here I Am
10. Black Water
11. Higher Ground
12. Me and Baby Brother
13. The Sound of Philadelphia
14. Show Me the Way
15. Starchild Here!!!
16. Take Me to the Next Phase (Part 1)
17. Take Me to the Next Phase (Part 2)
18. The Ohio Players
19. One Nation under a Groove
20. Family
21. This Is Your Life
22. Fame
23. Funkytown
24. If You Ever Wondered
25. Trouble Man
26. You Dropped a Bomb on Me
27. The Time Has Come Today
Epilogue: Everyday People
Acknowledgments
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