Manny Lee was a one-of-a-kind Cardinal. In the long history of the franchise, Lee is the only Cardinal to play in just one game for them and have a 1.000 batting average. A 10-year veteran of the American League and shortstop for the 1992 World Series champion Blue Jays, Lee made his Cardinals debut as their 1995 Opening Day second baseman _ and never appeared in another … [Read more...] about Cardinals to Manny Lee: We hardly knew thee
Road to closer role for Bill Caudill began with Cardinals
Batters might have thought Bill Caudill spelled his name with a K, for strikeout, because that’s what happened to many when trying to hit his fastball. The correct spelling, though, was C, for closer, because that’s what Caudill became in the American League after beginning his career with the Cardinals. The letter C also fit because this closer was a clubhouse cut-up who … [Read more...] about Road to closer role for Bill Caudill began with Cardinals
George Raft, Leo Durocher: Guys and dolls and baseball
Immediately after the Cardinals beat the Dodgers in the playoff game that decided the 1946 National League pennant, Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey and his assistant, Arthur Mann, hustled into the home team clubhouse at Ebbets Field. Rickey wanted to talk with Dodgers manager Leo Durocher, but the door to Durocher’s office was closed and locked. Rickey and Mann plopped … [Read more...] about George Raft, Leo Durocher: Guys and dolls and baseball
How Ryan Kurosaki got lost in Cardinals system
As an amateur pitcher, Ryan Kurosaki experienced a dramatic change in climate, landscape and culture, leaving the tropical paradise of Hawaii after high school and going to the prairies of Nebraska to attend college. After making that transition, a leap from the minors at Arkansas to big-league St. Louis might seem feasible, but it turned out to be too much too … [Read more...] about How Ryan Kurosaki got lost in Cardinals system
How Garry Templeton transformed from shortstop to skipper
As a Cardinals player who struggled to manage his emotions, Garry Templeton didn’t seem a likely candidate to manage others. Yet that’s precisely what he did. A shortstop for 16, sometimes stormy, seasons in the big leagues, Templeton went on to spend 13 years as a manager in the minors, often at the lowest levels. He managed in the Angels’ system for four seasons, … [Read more...] about How Garry Templeton transformed from shortstop to skipper