Retro Simba

Gaylord Perry had a career record of 14-14 versus the Cardinals, but there was nothing mundane about the night-and-day seasons he experienced against them in consecutive years during the 1960s. In four starts against the Cardinals in 1966, Perry was 4-0 and didn’t walk a batter. The next year, Perry was 0-5 in five starts versus the Cardinals. Perry pitched well against the … [Read more...] about Tale of two seasons: All or nothing for Gaylord Perry

Rescued from the Reds farm system, where he languished as a reliever, Kurt Kepshire developed into a starter for a Cardinals contender. Forty years ago, on Dec. 6, 1982, Kepshire was chosen by the Cardinals in the Rule 5 draft after being left off the Reds’ big-league winter roster. The Cardinals might have kept Kepshire in a relief role as well if not for a fluke … [Read more...] about How Kurt Kepshire earned spot in Cardinals’ rotation

Ken Griffey Jr. should have been in the lineup for the Padres when the Cardinals faced them in the 2005 and 2006 National League playoffs. Instead, Griffey remained with the Reds, a team that never reached the playoffs during his nine seasons with them. Twenty years ago, in November 2002, the Reds and Padres agreed to a trade of Griffey for Phil Nevin. Griffey would have been … [Read more...] about How Ken Griffey Jr. came close to playing for Padres

In the early days of baseball on television, Cardinals owner Fred Saigh was one of the first to go dialing for dollars. Seventy years ago, in November 1952, Saigh tried to get a form of revenue sharing started among National League franchises regarding broadcast rights fees. To Saigh, baseball’s television audience was an extension of the ballpark audience, and he … [Read more...] about How Cardinals owner launched crusade to gain TV revenue

Given a chance to become a division rival of the Cardinals, the Kansas City Royals balked.  Twenty-five years ago, in November 1997, the Milwaukee Brewers moved from the American League to the National League, joining the Cardinals, Astros, Cubs, Pirates and Reds in the Central Division. The Brewers went because the Royals said no. Musical chairs After deciding to … [Read more...] about Members only: Why Brewers joined Cardinals in NL Central