Mike Shannon, 1939-2023

Most teams in Major League Baseball have that one team legend who was a star player for them, if not necessarily a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, who became beloved for them all over again as a broadcaster. For the Yankees, it's Phil Rizzuto. For the Philadelphia Phillies, it's Richie Ashburn. For the Chicago Cubs, it's Ron Santo.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, it's Mike Shannon.

Thomas Michael Shannon was born on July 15, 1939, in St. Louis, and grew up on the city's South Side. He played baseball and football at Christian Brothers College High School, and in 1957, was named Missouri's Player of the Year in both sports, the only time that's ever happened.

He went on to the University of Missouri, and said he was better in football, and that he would have played football if it had paid better at the time. Frank Broyles, who was head coach there before moving on to great success at the University of Arkansas, said that if Shannon had stuck with football, he might have won the Heisman Trophy.

But, in those pre-draft days, he was able to sign with his hometown team, and made his major league debut on September 11, 1962. Batting 7th, playing right field, and wearing Number 28, he went 1-for-4. And Stan Musial and Ken Boyer hit home runs in support of Bob Gibson. But those homers were the only runs that the St. Louis Cardinals scored, as they lost to the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2 at the 1st Busch Stadium (formerly the last Sportsman's Park).

In 1963, he switched to Number 18. In 1964, he became the Cardinals' starting right fielder, and they went on to win the World Series, beating the Yankees in 7 games. In Game 1, he hit a home run off Whitey Ford that hit the A for Anheuser-Busch atop the left-field scoreboard. 

The move to the new Busch Memorial Stadium, downtown, really helped him: The old ballpark was friendly to lefthanded hitters, but not to righthanded hitters; while the new stadium was symmetrical. Shannon batted .221 in 1965, and .288 in 1966. That was his highest batting average, and he also hit a career-high 16 home runs, with 64 RBIs. He ended up hitting the last home run in the old Busch Stadium and the 1st home run in the new one.

In 1967, the Cardinals acquired Roger Maris to play right field. Having traded Boyer away, they moved Shannon to 3rd base. They won the World Series, and won the National League Pennant again in 1968. He had 77 RBIs in 1967, and a career-high 79 in 1968. But after batting .254 in 1969, he fell victim to nephritis, a kidney disease. In the pre-antibiotic era, that would have been a death sentence. By 1970, it was treatable, and his life was saved, but it ended his playing career at age 31, as his batting average fell off to .213.

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Gussie Busch, the Anheuser-Busch beer baron who owned the Cardinals from 1953 until his death in 1989, greatly rewarded loyal employees, and punished disloyal ones. He rewarded Shannon for his service by hiring him for the team's promotional staff in 1971. In 1972, he was hired as a broadcaster, teaming with Jack Buck on KMOX, the flagship of the team's vast radio network.

Like most broadcasters who last, he developed catchphrases. "Shannonisms" included:

* "Well that's the life of a reliever. It's either a mountain or a valley. There's no in-between. You either get all of the glory or all of the goat hair."

* Talking about a road game in Montreal: "This game is moving along pretty quick. It must have something to do with the exchange rate."

* "Referring to a young fan who was hit with a foul ball: "And that youngster will leave the stadium with a souvenir today. Not a ball, but a nice-looking bruise."

* "There's a woman protecting herself from the sun with a carousel." (He meant "parasol.")

* "This game is off to a rather conspicuous start, don't you think, Jack?" (He meant "auspicious.")

* "Acevedo tried to sneak that pitch past Pujols on the inside corner. That's like trying to sneak the sun past the rooster." (That was previously said of Hank Aaron.)

* "Everyone's on a pitch count now. You people down on the farms, don't let Major League Baseball on your place, or they will have the cows on a pitch count."

* His best-known, invoking Abner Doubleday, the man incorrectly credited with inventing baseball: "Old Abner has done it again."

* And his home run call: "Here's a long one to left field! Get up, baby! Get up! Get up! Oh yeah!"

He proved to be every bit as popular with Cardinal fans as Buck and former Cardinal broadcaster Harry Caray. He won a local Emmy Award, was twice named Missouri Sportscaster of the Year, and was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. NBC brought him into their rotation for their Saturday Game of the Week broadcasts.

After Buck's death in 2002, his broadcast partners included Joel Meyers, Wayne Hagin and John Rooney. In 2021, he announced his retirement, and the broadcast booth at the 3rd Busch Stadium, which opened in 2006, was named for him. He ended up calling Cardinal games for 50 years, longer than either Caray or Buck; and was with the Cardinal organization for 64 years. Between playing and broadcasting, he was with them for 10 Pennants and 5 World Series wins. In 2014, the Cardinals inducted him into their team Hall of Fame.

"No one sold more beer or tickets than Mike Shannon," Rooney said. "I don't think Harry Caray can even come close. Mike Shannon would mention that we have 3,000 tickets left for the Tuesday game against the Pirates. We had a sellout not long after. That means a lot. That's how he connected with his audience."

From 1986 to 2016, he ran Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood, downtown at 620 Market Street. It proved to be a popular pregame and postgame dining spot. The family expanded it to Mike Shannon's Grill, opening locations at St. Louis' Lambert International Airport and in suburban Edwardsville, Illinois. The Shannon family closed the downtown location so they could focus on the Grill concept. The Edwardsville location has since closed, but the one at the Airport remains open.

He retired from broadcasting because of his health: He barely survived COVID-19 in 2020, and was dealing with "Long COVID." He died on April 29, 2023, at the age of 83. He was survived by his wife Lori; sons Michael Jr., Tim and Dan; daughters Patricia, Peg and Erin; 18 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

With his death, there are now 12 surviving players from the 1964 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals: Roger Craig, Bob Skinner, Julian Javier, Dal Maxvill, Bill White, Carl Warwick, Gordie Richardson, Ray Washburn, Ron Taylor, Charlie James, Bob Humphreys and Bob Uecker.

And there are 10 surviving players from the 1967 World Champion Cardinals: Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton, Julian Javier, Dal Maxvill, Ray Washburn, Eddie Bressoud, Bobby Tolan, Ed Spiezio, Dick Hughes and Larry Jaster.