Retro Simba

At a time when St. Louis had two of baseball’s most exceptional hitters, Rogers Hornsby of the Cardinals and George Sisler of the Browns, another appeared on the verge of joining their ranks. Cardinals left fielder Austin McHenry was a ballplayer with special gifts. He hit steadily and with authority, got on base often, generated bundles of runs and fielded with an athletic … [Read more...] about A flash of talent: The story of Austin McHenry

A power struggle within the front office nearly cost the Cardinals a chance to get the shortstop they needed to win a championship. Sixty years ago, on Nov. 19, 1962, the Cardinals acquired shortstop Dick Groat and reliever Diomedes Olivo from the Pirates for pitcher Don Cardwell and shortstop Julio Gotay. With his exceptional hitting and base running, Groat helped the … [Read more...] about Bing Devine overcame roadblock to acquire Dick Groat

Nimble footwork in the field and on the bases helped make shortstop Charlie Gelbert a prominent part of Cardinals championship clubs, yet it was a stumble that nearly cost him his foot and his playing career. Ninety years ago, on Nov. 16, 1932, during a hunting trip in Pennsylvania, Gelbert accidently shot himself just above his left ankle when he tripped over a vine in the … [Read more...] about True grit: The amazing comeback of Charlie Gelbert

In his return to the Cardinals, Tim McCarver was hoping to be their first baseman, even though he’d never played the position in the big leagues. Fifty years ago, on Nov. 6, 1972, the Cardinals traded outfielder Jorge Roque to the Expos for McCarver. As the Cardinals’ catcher during their glory days in the 1960s, McCarver played on two World Series championship … [Read more...] about Homecoming: Same place, new role for Tim McCarver

The first home run hit by Leon Durham for the Cubs came against the relief ace the Cardinals acquired for him. On April 29, 1981, Durham slugged a two-run home run versus Bruce Sutter to tie the score at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Four months earlier, the Cardinals had traded Durham, Ken Reitz and Ty Waller to the Cubs to get Sutter as their closer. He did the job, … [Read more...] about How Bruce Sutter got rude welcome back to Wrigley