Pittsburgh On My Mind, As I Remember Charles Grodin And Rennie Stennett

In a post from 2019 (link below), I commented on the tremendous hitting acumen of Rennie Stennett, a Pittsburgh Pirates title team member in both 1971 and 1979, (though he did not appear in the ’71 post-season, due to injury), who died days back at age 72.

A tremendous actor and thinker, Charles Grodin, (he died at age 86 also days back) was from Pittsburgh and another Pirates title, that in 1960, comes to mind.

I met Mr. Grodin once and upon hearing or realizing he was from Pittsburgh, I did a “Midnight Run” around “The Heartbreak Kid,” and asked him about the ’60 Bucs, a truly amazing World Series winning team.

He told me he was at #7 and of course recalled Bill Mazeroski’s series winning home run, but disappointed me greatly, not remembering Hal Smith’s epic bottom 8th, wallop, (so many others have and it is so sad and so revealing in a negative way!), that transformed a one run “Pitts” deficit, into a (9-7) lead, in an eventual (10-9) triumph.

Ah, but Mr. Grodin was an actor and he mastered his craft. Ditto Rennie Stennett as a hitter. My gift, or is it curse (cue Mr. Cotten’s character in “Kane”) is memory and recall each man fondly.

Rennie Stennett, Quite A Hitter on November 18, 2019

A magnificent, smart man, Charles Grodin pictured above.