The Pirates are in town tonight, which means it’s time to sing the praises of my favorite Pirate ever, Willie Stargell. Dude hit 475 home runs. Helped the Pirates win the World Series in 1979. But more importantly, he wore that hat. The cakebox hat. And he didn’t just wear it, he fostered the cult of the cakebox hat, giving his teammates li’l stars when they did something good [“Hey, Kent Tekulve! An entire west coast trip without a single hooker! You get a star!”] and encouraging them to affix said stars to their hats. And the other team would come out of the dugout and see an entire team of guys in cakebox hats with stars and they’d say, “Well, f–k my ass, get the camera!” And in their haste to laugh and poke fun at the cakebox hats, the opposing team would often find themselves on the business end of Stargell’s size 13 cleat. Because in his mind, there was no half-steppin’ to the cakebox hat. And there isn’t. Just look at the goddam thing!
Yes, folks, it’s the Boston-Pittsburgh classic. Tonight at 7:00pm.
Oh, anyone looking for a good laugh can come on out to the Barnes & Noble in the Stallbrook Plaza in Bellingham tomorrow [Saturday, June 18] where Denton & I will be attempting to sell copies of Surviving Grady from 11:00am to 1:00pm. Makes a great dad’s day gift, especially if Dad’s a “drinkin’ type.” Stop by and kick us in the goobers.
Lastly, here’s a question for a Friday. What do you think is the biggest obstacle to the Sox repeating as World Champs in 2005. No, no, I’m not dwelling in the negative, just curious as to what you feel is that one thing that must be changed/recitified/eliminated before the Sox can even begin to think about another World Series appearance.
Hint: It’s not cakebox hats.
