Next Week

Baseball 1979 opens with 36 pages of special coverage. Who's the game's best player, Pittsburgh 's Dave Parker or Boston 's Jim Rice ? Roy Blount and Ron Fimrite assess the two MVPs and their talents, while artist Bernie Fuchs places Parker in a gallery of Pirate hitters who have traditionally been baseball's toughest. Jim Bouton recounts his comeback at age 39 and gives the lowdown on today's players. Also, scouting reports on all 26 teams, plus our regular news coverage and departments.