Dave Parker oddly predicted his own Hall of Fame induction in poignant, funny moment

In MLB Network's 2019 documentary, "The Cobra at Twilight," a celebration of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Dave Parker's career and legacy in Major League Baseball was cast in a shadow of disappointment and injustice.

In November of that year, Parker was among the 10 candidates nominated for the Hall of Fame by the Modern Baseball Era committee in Cooperstown. But despite more than 2,700 hits, nearly 1,500 RBI, seven All-Star teams, three Gold Gloves, two batting titles, an MVP award and two World Series wins, "The Cobra" did not receive the votes necessary for induction.

As Parker's public battle with Parkinson's disease waged on, many of his friends, family and fans grew increasingly impatient as they waited for him to get the well-deserved call from Cooperstown. They had no doubt it would come, but they wanted him to be alive to see it.

"It would be a grand day for you, I know," Parker's wife, Kellye, said of her husband's potential Hall of Fame induction while sitting beside him during filming for the documentary six years ago.

Without hesitation, Parker smirked and replied, "I might not show up."

It's true; Parker never needed anyone else to tell him how great he was.

Kellye scoffed and rolled her eyes as she chuckled at her husband's trademark sarcasm in his response. But, as it turned out, he was right.

Six years later, Parker would still be alive to learn that he had finally been voted into the Hall of Fame, but he would lose his battle with Parkinson's on June 28, 2025, exactly one month before his induction ceremony.

Pirates' Dave Parker oddly predicted his own Hall of Fame induction ceremony in poignant, funny moment

In fairness, Parker never needed anyone else to tell him how great he was. He certainly didn't lack for confidence. But there was another reason he didn't feel that he needed the Hall of Fame to recognize him for his own achievements.

"It would be great," Parker said of his potential induction into the Hall of Fame in his 2019 documentary. "But I would rather have that for my wife, my kids. That's for them. You know, I've done a lot in baseball for myself. I got guys that say stuff about me. That means more to me than any Hall of Fame plaque."

Parker seemed to sense what was coming and made sure that his family would get their recognition at his induction ceremony. Before his death, he wrote a poem that his son, Dave Parker II, read to the crowd that gathered in Cooperstown on Sunday.

“Pops wanted me to leave everyone with this poem that he wrote, that he gave me a long time ago,” Parker's son said during the ceremony. “And he said that if he ever made it here to read it.”

Here are Dave Parker’s own words, as read by his son, that drew plenty of smiles and laughs from the crowd:

"Here I am, 39. About damn time. I know I had to wait a little, but that's what you do with fine aged wine. I'm a Pirate for life. Wouldn't have it no other way. That was my family, even though I didn't go on Parade Day. I love y'all, the Bucs own my heart because those two championships I got, y'all played in the first part.

"I'm in the Hall now, you can't take that away. That statue better look good; you know I got a pretty face. Top-tier athlete, fashion icon, sex symbol. No reason to list the rest of my credentials. I'm him, period. The Cobra. Known for my rocket arm, and I will run any catcher over. To my friends, families: I love y'all. Thanks for staying by my side.

"I told y'all Cooperstown would be my last ride. So the Star of David will be in the sky tonight. Watch it glow.

"But I didn't lie on my documentary; I told you I wouldn't show."

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