Retro Simba

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

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