Sport: The Full-Tilt Boogie Buccaneers

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The Pirates did it with more than emotion, however. Traditionally a team of big sluggers and uncertain defense, they anchored their erratic infield with trades for Madlock and Shortstop Tim Foli. A succession of injuries left the Pirates without a regular starting rotation for the entire season, so the pitching staff needed all the help it could get. Manager Chuck Tanner juggled frantically to fill the gaps; the top three Pirate relievers, Kent Tekulve, Grant Jackson and Enrique Romo, set a major league record by appearing a total of 250 times. Among the regulars, Stargell had his best season since 1975, hitting .281, pounding 32 home runs and 82 RBIS. Centerfielder Omar Moreno batted .282, a full 41 points above his life time average, and led the league in sto len bases with 77. Garner (.293) and Foli (.288) had the best years of their lives as hitters. Parker (.310) and Madlock (.328 since arriving from the Giants in mid year) had seasons most players only dream about. John Milner and Bill Robinson alternated in leftfield and between them piled up 40 home runs and 135 RBis.

Like Baltimore Manager Earl Weaver, the Pirates' Tanner saw to it that no one maundered on the bench. Aside from the usual parade of pitchers, he shuttled pinch hitters and runners through the lineup as if it were a revolving door.

Matt ("the Scat") Alexander, for example, filled in on the base paths so often that he scored more runs for other Pirates than he had official times at bat.

In the process, he developed baseball's equivalent to spiking a football: whenever he reached home plate, he would turn around and dance across it backward.

Each time he earned applause from his teammates and an understanding smile from Tanner. "Just because you play baseball for a living doesn't mean it has to be a job," he says. "You ought to have fun playing in the big leagues just like you did when you were a little kid, be cause the more you enjoy it, the better you play." He paused to listen to the laughter of the National League champions and added, "Now, our guys — they have fun."