Retro Simba

Lew Burdette was supposed to give the Cardinals the edge they needed to win the 1963 National League pennant, but it didn’t work out. Instead, he helped them attain a championship the following year, even though he was gone by June. Sixty years ago, on June 15, 1963, the Cardinals obtained Burdette, 36, from the Braves for catcher Gene Oliver and pitcher Bob Sadowski. A … [Read more...] about Why Cardinals had high hopes for Lew Burdette

Pitchers Dizzy Dean and Paul Derringer didn’t get along as Cardinals teammates. As opponents, their dislike for one another erupted into public view. Ninety years ago, on June 6, 1933, Dean and Derringer got into a fight on the field before a game at Cincinnati. Only their egos got bruised. Dean, the consummate showman, was a flamboyant flamethrower who craved … [Read more...] about Battle stations: Dizzy Dean versus Paul Derringer

Before his fastball faded and spray hitters such as Ozzie Smith could pull it with power, the Cardinals saw the vintage Vida Blue, the one who, as Sports Illustrated noted, threw heat that “explodes in all directions.” Blue was 28 when he came to the National League in a trade from the Athletics to the Giants in 1978. Though he would continue to pitch in the majors until 1986, … [Read more...] about Cardinals got tangled up with true Vida Blue

Stan Musial won a game for the Cardinals with a walkoff pop-out. It happened 60 years ago, on May 31, 1963, against the Giants at St. Louis. In the ninth inning, with the score tied at 5-5, reliever Don Larsen, the former Yankee who pitched a World Series perfect game, walked Cardinals leadoff batter Curt Flood. Bill White tried to move Flood to second with a sacrifice … [Read more...] about How Cardinals won in 9th without a ball leaving infield

Dennis Ribant hoped to be the second person _ and first American _ to play in both the National Hockey League and in baseball’s major leagues. He made a good run at it, playing in the farm systems of baseball’s Milwaukee Braves and hockey’s Detroit Red Wings. Encouraged by the Braves to focus on baseball, Ribant reluctantly gave up hockey and pitched in the majors … [Read more...] about Why Dennis Ribant took his slap shots to the big leagues