Back in 1983, the last year that the Phillies would torture the National league for many years, they had a man step to the mound in the closing innings that would strike fear in batters the way Mr. T would strike fear in the eyes of Adrian Balboa (Rocky’s Wife).

Alfred (What choo talkin’ ’bout) Willis Holland, born August 16th 1952 made his first appearance with the Phils in 1983 and had a year to remember.  Possibly his only year.  That year, as the Phillies raced to the National League Pennant, Holland served what could have been the first year of a great career that was later interrupted by cocaine allegations and suspensions that left the intimidating relievers career in a muck.

Acquired in the trade that sent Mike Krukow to San Francisco and brought over Joe Morgan, Holland was a throw in that helped to complete the trade.  The Phils had hopes for him, but no one, to be sure could have bet on him making the All-Star team, finishing in the top 10 in voting for both the Cy Young Award and MVP!  He finished that season with an 8-4 record to go along with 25 saves and a 2.26 ERA.

With a nasty sneer and a hard delivery, Hollins wreaked havok throughout the National and won the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award.  But two years later, Holland was struggling just to stay in the game.  As the great Phillies teams of the late 70′s and early 80′s began to age and disassemble, so did the promise that Holland’s career held.  In 1984, he followed up that great season with another decent one numbers wise, picking up 29 saves, but his ERA jumped to 3.39 (the equivalent of at least 4.50 in this day and age), and lost 10 games (which is never good for a reliever).

The following season he was traded back to Pittsburgh (his original team), for the king of the nerds, Kent Tekulve, and his career was never the same.  This may have had to do with the fact that in 1985, he was asked to testify at the infamous ‘Pittsburgh Drug Trials’, where he admitted to cocaine abuse and was subsequently suspended 60 days during the 1986 season.  Man, imagine that, baseball used to actually suspend players for taking drugs?!?!

By 1987, Al Holland’s career was finished (at least professionally), when he was cut by the Yankees after the season, in which his ERA had ballooned to 14.21 over 3 appearances (which was the equivalent of being Adam Eaton these days).

Al Holland was the first player to show me what it means to have a beast coming out of your bullpen to finish games off.  I remember seeing opposing players roll their eyes skyward as they asked, “I have to face this guy?”.  He literally sucked the life out of opponents that year, and made a place for himself in the annals of Phillies lore during their one true era of dominance (albeit with only one World Series win).

Besides how could you forget a face like that.