Retro Simba

At Tigers spring training in 1971, Joe Coleman had the look of a pitcher whose career was on the upswing. Traded by the Senators, Coleman was with a contender for the first time. At 24, the right-hander with a potent fastball and forkball seemed on the cusp of becoming an ace. Then, a Ted Simmons line drive nearly shattered Coleman’s outlook. Simmons’ scorcher struck Coleman … [Read more...] about Hard knocks: Joe Coleman and his Cardinals connections

On an evening in March 1964, St. Louis Cardinals running back Bill Triplett was having dinner at home when he felt a dull ache in his chest. “My wife said I probably ate too fast,” Triplett recalled to Newsday. When the chest pain returned at dinner the next night, Triplett and his wife grew more concerned. At a visit to a doctor the following day, X-rays showed a dark spot on … [Read more...] about How Bill Triplett breathed life into Cardinals’ ground game

While learning to be a California cowboy, 11-year-old Bill Howerton vaulted from a horse, landed awkwardly and injured an ankle. His left leg was never the same. Howerton walked with a limp, earning the nickname Hopalong, but eventually developed into a baseball talent, reaching the big leagues with the Cardinals. A left-handed batter with power, Howerton got the most starts in … [Read more...] about How Bill Howerton lassoed a role with Cardinals

Ted Simmons was feeling groovy during the summer of 1975. Long mane flowing, he swung free and easy from both sides of the plate, hitting for high average, driving in runs and making consistent contact. Big-league baseball, though, wasn’t hip to the grooves Simmons made in his bats, even though the Cardinals catcher claimed the alterations were done to preserve the lumber, not … [Read more...] about Going batty: How Ted Simmons home run turned into out

After he was graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Walter Alston was ready to become a high school teacher. A knock on his door altered those plans. Ninety years ago, in June 1935, Alston grabbed an opportunity to play professional baseball, signing a minor-league contract with the Cardinals. The offer came from Frank Rickey, a Cardinals scout and brother of the … [Read more...] about How Cardinals came calling on Walter Alston