Tim Foli paid a lot of attention to the video tribute to Willie Stargell the Pirates ran on the scoreboard before the first regular-season game at PNC Park yesterday.
"Willie celebrated his life," Foli said. "He celebrated being a player. He celebrated dining -- the ribs, fish, chicken he ate. He celebrated having a glass of wine. He celebrated everything.
"We're kind of celebrating him on his death. And I think that's appropriate. I really do."
Stargell died early yesterday morning following a long illness. Foli, a Reds coach, was the shortstop on the Pirates' 1979 World Series championship team of which Stargell was the undisputed leader.
"The biggest thing I'll remember about Willie is that he was a leader," Foli said. "He was a leader in the clubhouse, although he wasn't a 'rah-rah' guy. And he was as much of a leader off the field, too.
"If I'd broken into the big leagues with Willie, I'd have been a better player. He taught you how to handle the game, how to handle everything. He wanted you to respect the game and be proud of having a major-league uniform on.
"He was the same whether he went 0 for 4 or 4 for 4. That's how he led. You watched him. And he went to war. He knew every day was a war. He competed. If you beat him one day, he'd tip his cap, then tell you he'd be back tomorrow better prepared and beat you.
"His personality was infectious. Yes, he did get a bunch of big hits. Yes, he did hit a lot of home runs. But one thing about him was, you couldn't be miserable around him. He wouldn't let you be miserable. Every day was special to him. He was a kid when he put the uniform on.
"I never knew him not as a kid. He thought it was a privilege to be a kid playing baseball. He loved this game. He loved to talk about this game. He was free-wheeling. It was a pleasure to play with him. If you didn't get to be around him, you missed something.
"He's gone, but his memory will last through generations."
Lloyd McClendon remembered talking with Stargell at the batting cage before the final game at Three Rivers Stadium. Everybody knew that Manager Gene Lamont would be fired the next day. And everybody knew McClendon would be a candidate for the vacant job.
"Willie and I had a private moment that day," McClendon said. "He said, 'Do you want this job?' I said I did. He said he felt I'd get it if I wanted it. We talked a little about the things I could expect if I got the job. And he said he certainly would be on my side."
McClendon noted the Stargell statue that was unveiled Saturday afternoon outside the left-field bleachers.
"It's a wonderful monument to what he stood for in this organization," he said. "Probably more than anything Willie told me I'll remember he said to have fun. Respect the game, but have fun."
McClendon acknowledged yesterday was a bittersweet day. The opening of PNC Park wasbalanced by the news "Pops" had died.
"Another thing Willie told me was, 'You take your hits and go on,'" McClendon said. "This is devastating to all of us, but I don't think he'd want it any other way than for us to go out and kick some butt. And that's what we'll try to do."
Foli leads 'celebration' of Stargell's life, work 
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