Retro Simba

During his core years with the Pirates, Bob Skinner did a convincing impersonation of Stan Musial whenever he played against the Cardinals in St. Louis. An outfielder who batted from the left side, Skinner had a level swing admired by teammates and foes alike. In a six-season stretch from 1957-62, these were the numbers Skinner produced for the Pirates in games at St. … [Read more...] about St. Louis became hitter’s haven for Bob Skinner

During the 10 years he was a catcher in the big leagues, Bill Plummer may have been the most patient man in baseball. For most of that time, he sat and watched, waiting to get called into a game. Plummer had hoped to play for the Cardinals, the club that signed him to his first professional contract, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he was mostly with the Reds, whose … [Read more...] about Cards prospect Bill Plummer got stuck in catcher pipeline

Ted Simmons clobbered the Cubs with his bat, but he also used brains and hustle to beat them. Fifty years ago, on May 24, 1974, Simmons outmaneuvered the Cubs, escaping a rundown between third and home to score the lone run in a 1-0 Cardinals victory. Hardly swift, the Cardinals’ catcher evaded the Cubs’ fastest player in a race to the plate. Cubs … [Read more...] about A crafty play by Ted Simmons confuses Cubs

At a critical point in a game against the Cardinals, Reds manager Birdie Tebbetts determined bold action was required. With Stan Musial at the plate, Tebbetts yanked the Reds’ shortstop from the game and went with an alignment of four outfielders. Tebbetts’ surprise move became the talk of baseball. According to The Sporting News, it was “probably the first … [Read more...] about Reds made unorthodox move in bid to thwart Stan Musial

In late July 1944, Allied troops were on the outskirts of Brest, a strategic seaport town in northwest France that the Germans occupied during World War II and turned into a submarine base. The Allies were determined to drive out the Nazis, and hoped to make the harbor a supply hub. Among the infantry advancing on Brest was a U.S. Army private, Eddie Kazak, a St. Louis … [Read more...] about Soldier’s story: How Eddie Kazak became Cardinals all-star