Retro Simba

John Roseboro of the Dodgers and Tim McCarver of the Cardinals were opposing catchers with similar styles. Both were former football players who viewed baseball as a contact sport. As a standout high school athlete in Memphis, McCarver had football scholarship offers from the likes of Alabama and Notre Dame. Roseboro played football at Central State, a historically black … [Read more...] about Head-on collision: Tim McCarver vs. John Roseboro

After Don Coryell left the NFL Cardinals, he appeared in St. Louis one time as an opposing head coach. It was an experience he could have done without. On Nov. 20, 1983, Coryell brought the San Diego Chargers to Busch Stadium to play the Cardinals. This was no tender homecoming. Too much weird mojo, and too many factors Coryell couldn’t control, not the least of which was an … [Read more...] about Cardinals removed the welcome mat for Don Coryell

From his first regular-season game as a head coach in the NFL with the St. Louis Cardinals, Don Coryell showed signs of being special. He got the Cardinals to play with confidence and collective pride. When he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 9, 2023, Coryell correctly was hailed as an innovator whose offenses with the Cardinals, and later the San Diego … [Read more...] about Dynamic debut: Don Coryell’s first game with Cardinals

Following a formula that worked well for them before, the Cardinals went looking for an old pro who was trying to cap his career with a championship. The character they found was as charismatic as he was competent. Ninety years ago, on Feb. 8, 1933, the Cardinals acquired pitcher Dazzy Vance and shortstop Gordon Slade from the Dodgers for pitcher Ownie Carroll and infielder … [Read more...] about Dazzy Vance brought dash of razzmatazz to Cardinals

In their quest for an elusive World Series title, the Cardinals created a pipeline to the 2002 champion Angels. The first player they tapped was Orlando Palmeiro. Twenty years ago, in February 2003, the Cardinals signed Palmeiro, a free agent, to fill the same role he’d performed so well for the Angels. A left-handed contact hitter, Palmeiro was a reliable reserve … [Read more...] about Orlando Palmeiro did more with less for Cardinals