Sunday Post-Crescent, Appleton-Neenoh-Menasho, Wit. E-7 Mother aided Bruce Tanner's career BY JOE MOOSHIL AP iportt wrlttr CHICAGO - Bruce Tanner has shot through baseball's professional ranks like a meteor, but not because his father is Chuck Tanner, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. "There are advantages and disadvantages of having a baseball backround." said Tanner, a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher recently brought up to the major leagues by the Chicago White Sox. "The advantages are the atmosphere and being around the players," said Tanner, a White Sox batboy when his father managed the team in the early 1970s. The disadvantages came later for Bruce Tanner. "With Dad away the whole summer, there was nobody around to tell you what to do when you were swinging poorly. We had coaches, but in most cases, the coaches know only as much as the typical fan." Taking Dad s place was Barbara (Babs) Tanner. "Mom got us around to our games, and she attended all the games," Bruce Tanner recalled. "She'd take my brother (Mark) to 1 field and myself to another. "She was a big influence on me. If I got mad and threw my bat or helmet, she'd tell me 'Hey, you don't have to do that sort of thing.' She taught me patience, and after I did something wrong, I'd never do it again." Tanner belieyes his mother helped him in ways his father might not have even if his father been around. "Who knows?" the younger Tanner said. "If I got mad and threw my helmet, he might have thought that was OK." Tanner chuckled when he spoke about his mother. "She's been a great help. There'd be days around the house when she'd ask me to take out the garbage or do other chores and I wouldn't do them. She'd say 'You'd better make a living playing baseball because you don t know anything else.'" Tanner doesn't think there's added pressure on him because of his background except for a short time when ne was at Florida State. "When I was in college and struck out 10 times in 16 at bats I wondered if the other players thought, 'Did this guy get to Florida State because of nis dad?' But I got over that when I showed them I could play." Tanner says he would have pursued baseball regardless of his background. "I love the game, but I didn't decide on baseball until my senior year in high school," she said. "I was leaning a little towards golf. But in my senior year I didn't play golf very well, and I had a good year in baseball. I knew then I wanted to go in that direction. "Making the major leagues was a lifelong dream," said Tanner, who's not surprised he made the major leagues as quickly as he did. ,fI always thought I'd get here quickly," said Tanner, who last year was pitching at Appleton in the Class A Midwest League. "I was happy going to triple A this year and figured I'd do well and get to majors this September and probably make it to stay next year. "But I never had any doubts I'd get here, and I feel I deserve to be here. I pitched well in triple A." Last year, Tanner was 12-4 at Appleton, won 2 more games in the playoffs and was the winning pitcher in the championship game. He worked 124 innings, compiling a 1.96 earned run average with the Foxes. Showboats top Outlaws By The Associated Press MEMPHIS, Tenn. Quarterback Mike Kelley ran for one touchdown and threw for another while completing 15 of 19 passes for 214 yards Saturday night as the Memphis Showboats bombed the Arizona Outlaws 38-28. The victory assured the Showboats, 11-7, of a home field advantage in the first round of the United States Football League playoffs which begin next weekend. Arizona's season ended with an 8-10 record. It was the third straight victory for the Showboats, who have scored 110 points while allowing their opponents only 45 since their 41-17 defeat of Orlando. The Showboats scored first on Alan Duncan's 35-yard field goal, then the Outlaws took the lead with a 64-yard drive culminating in Reggie Brown's 1-yard run. Brown scored the Outlaws' second touchdown on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Doug Williams. Both teams scored on every possession in the first period, and it wasn't until two minutes deep in the second quarter that the Outlaws broke the cycle and were forced to punt. Wi-i' 1:'' - $' "There's a lot of bulldog in him," LaRussa said. "He likes to go after the batter. Put him in a tough spot, and he comes out firing." Bruce Tanner This year, he was 4-3 at Buffalo before being called up to replace Richard Dotson when Dotson was placed on the disabled list. "It's funny when you come up to face guys like Dave Kingman who you saw hit massive home runs on television as a kid, and I think it'll be the same when California comes to town and I face Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew. "But I don't let it intimidate me," Tanner said. "You work with your catcher and block the hitter out of your mind." White Sox Manager Tony LaRussa is impressed with Tanner who won his first start and was on his way to winning his second last Tuesday night against Oakland when the bullpen blew a 3-1 lead. The Sox still managed to win the game. "Hes got a heckuva future," LaRussa said. "He'll be a good pitcher in this league. He has major-league stuff and great talent. He has a great understanding and instincts for the game. 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