Greg Brown tells a story that exemplifies why Steve Blass is so popular with Pirates’ fans.
Early last season, a fan sitting in the section beneath the Pirates’ radio broadcast booth at PNC Park held up a sign that read “I want to have a beer with Steve Blass.”
A few weeks later, the fan returned with the same sign. This time, Blass went down into the stands and chatted with the fan.
Earlier this winter, Brown happened to be at a function that the fan was also attending.
“He talked about how cool that was,” Brown told me Tuesday with a smile. “It really hit home with me how so many fans would love to have a cup of coffee or a sit down or a beverage with Steve. For me to have that on pretty much a daily basis is something really special. He’s a special person. He’s my best friend.”
It seems Blass is everybody’s friend, whether it’s Bob Nutting or a PNC Park vendor or the fan watching the game on television or listening on the radio.
That is why there was a mixture of happiness and sadness Tuesday when the 76-year-old Blass announced this will be his last season as a broadcaster during a press conference at PNC Park. He will move into an ambassador’s role with the club in 2020.
“I’ll still be around the ballpark a lot and I’m very happy about that,” Blass said. “I’m at a stage of my life, though, where I’m rounding third. It’s time to see what the last 90 feet look like, spend more time with my family and doing some other things. I’ve been driving by the roses for a long time, now it’s time to stop and smell them.”
Certainly, it helps in the popularity department that Blass has spent 60 years in the organization and pitched a four-hitter to beat the Orioles in Game 7 of the 1971 World Series. The Pirates signed Blass following his senior year of high school in Housatonic, Conn., in 1960, he reached the major leagues in 1964 and pitched for 10 seasons and will be entering his 35th year as a broadcaster.
However, Blass’ greatest appeal is his ability to relate to everybody with his easygoing manner and endless supply of funny stories. He is a likeable guy, plain and simple.
And humble, too. When I asked Blass what goes through his mind when people refer to him as “Mr. Pirate,” he seemed slightly embarrassed by the question.
“It’s flattering but I try to temper that kind of stuff,” he said. “People use different phrases for different things but there are a lot of people that did a lot more for the Pirates in terms of representing the ballclub and their performance on the field. I’m not in the category of the Clementes, the Stargells, the Mazeroskis and I know that, but I’m very proud of what I did. I appreciate all the nice things people say about me, but I take it with a grain of salt.”
Blass began his broadcasting career in 1983 when he served as color commentator for Hall of Fame play-by-play man Bob Prince on Home Sports Entertainment, the long-defunct cable network. Not surprisingly, Blass had a humorous anecdote about his second game working about “The Gunner.”
“Bob sent someone over to the press lounge to get two screwdrivers,” Blass said. “I thought something was loose in the booth that needed tightened up. It turned out to be a different kind of screwdriver.”
Blass joined the Pirates’ radio broadcast crew in 1986 and has called games on radio and TV ever since. He has been doing almost exclusively home games since 2005 as part of a broadcast crew that currently includes Brown, Joe Block, Bob Walk and John Wehner.
The Pirates did not say who will take Blass’ place in 2020, though expanding Wehner’s duties seems like a logical move. Wehner makes all the road trips with the Pirates and does only a handful of home games each season.
“That’s what I’ll miss the most, working with those guys,” Blass said.
Blass had a 103-76 record and 3.63 ERA in 282 career games, including 231 starts. Perhaps his best season was in 1972 when he went 19-8 with a 2.49 ERA, finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting to Hall of Famer Steve Carlton and made his lone All-Star Game appearance.
However, Blass’ control suddenly deserted him during spring training in 1973. He walked 91 batters in a combined 93 1/3 innings during the 1973 and 1974 seasons, then retired during spring training in 1975.
Whenever a pitcher has severe control problems he is said to have “Steve Blass Disease.”
Blass said he was hoping to pitch at least eight more years. Yet he has not let the puzzling end of his career define him.
“I got so many letters from Pirates’ fans during my struggles and there was not a negative one in the bunch,” Blass said. “The Pirates were so supportive. They told me they would stick with me as long as it took (to get on track). It didn’t happen but I’ll never forget the loyalty this organization showed me, and I have loyalty to the Pirates that’s an endless supply.
“I had a couple of rough years there, but my career record is 74-2. I’ve had 74 good years and two bad ones. That’s pretty good.”
