BRANDING TEAM OWNER A CONGENITAL IDIOT, FORMER BUCS SKIPPER SHOUTS:"THAT'S FOR FIELDING SUCH A LOUSY TEAM, YOU CHEAP SON OF A BITCH"PITTSBURGH - Former Pirates manager Chuck Tanner, who took the "We are Family" Bucs to a world championship in 1979, was tapped to throw out the first pitch in this year's All-Star Game at PNC Park in Pittsburgh before a sold-out crowd of adoring fans.
Tanner took his place just in front of the mound and doffed his cap toward the crowd. He eyed the catcher but then unexpectedly wheeled around toward the first base stands and heaved a 92 mile per hour beanball directly at Pirates controlling owner G. Ogden Nutting who was sitting in the first row of seats above the visitors' dugout, smacking him in the middle of the forehead. Nutting yelled, "Oh, no," then toppled over with a very nasty bruise directly above his nose.
"That's for ruining my Pirates," Tanner yelled at Nutting, as ushers surrounded the 71-year old newspaper magnate.
After more than a minute, Nutting slowly stood up in a stupor and tried to call out to Tanner. Suddenly, another fastball came sailing in and clipped Nutting in the throat, sending him to the ground again.
"This time, stay down," Tanner yelled as the crowd roared its approval. Not bothering to see if Nutting was seriously injured, Tanner walked off the field in triumph as the anthem of the '79 Pirates, "We are Family," blared over the loudspeaker.
