Red Schoendienst, 1923-2018

It's not every man who can say he beat an eye injury and Ted Williams to win a World Series, and beat the Yankees to win another, and also beat tuberculosis. In fact, only one man could truthfully say that, and can no longer.

Albert Fred Schoendienst was born on February 2, 1923 in Germantown, Illinois, considerably closer to St. Louis than to Chicago. Much of Southern Illinois was then coal country, and his father was a miner. This was before Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, with its Rural Electrification Administration, and their house not only had no electricity, it had no running water.

Another of FDR's New Deal programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps. Albert, already nicknamed Red because of his hair, dropped out of school at age 16 to join it. But while working on a fence, he was hit in the left eye with a nail. He went through several doctors before finding one who said it could be treated without having to be removed. But he was plagued with headaches for years.

His injury made it difficult to judge pitches, especially breaking balls. So he switched to batting lefthanded. The St. Louis Cardinals signed him in 1942, and had gotten up to Triple-A before being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944. The Army soon realized that, with his eye injury, he was not fit for combat, and he was medically discharged, allowing him to play in the 1945 season.

A natural shortstop, he would have been stuck behind the best shortstop in the National League at the time, Marty Marion, a man known as the Octopus because his fielding suggested that he had 8 arms. So Red was put in left field, then moved to 2nd base in 1946. It was the Cardinals 4th Pennant and 3rd World Championship in a span of 5 years, but, in each case, it was Red's 1st.

In 1950, he handled 320 consecutive chances without an error, and hit a home run in the top of the 14th inning to win the All-Star Game for the National League, 4-3 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. In 1956, he had a fielding percentage of .9934, a record for 2nd baseman that stood for 30 years, until broken by Ryne Sandberg.

In that 1956 season, the Cardinals traded him to the New York Giants. In 1957, the Giants traded him to the Milwaukee Braves for Bobby Thomson (yes, that Bobby Thomson) and 2 others. That trade was key to the Braves winning their 1st Pennant and 1st World Series in Milwaukee, as Red batted .309 and finished 3rd in the Most Valuable Player vote, behind his new teammate Hank Aaron and his former teammate Stan Musial.

Still, he doesn't look right in any uniform

other than that of the Cardinals, does he?

The Braves won the Pennant again in 1958, but blew World Series leads of 2-0 and 3-1 to lose to the Yankees in Game 7, which ended with Red flying out to Mickey Mantle in center field. During the off-season, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. It seemed as though he would never play again.

But he returned in 1960, and was reacquired by the Cardinals in 1961, batting over .300 in a pinch-hitting role in both 1961 and 1962, before retiring to the coaching staff in 1963. He finished his career with a .289 batting average. He would be elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1989.

*

But most people remember him better as a manager. He was on the Cards' coaching staff when they beat the Yankees in the 1964 World Series. Right afterward, manager Johnny Keane resigned, and Red was appointed to replace him.

This was the 1st MLB team to mix white, black and Hispanic players in large numbers and win the World Series. The Brooklyn Dodgers had a couple of Latin players in the 1950s, and the San Francisco Giants won a Pennant doing this in 1962, but the Cards -- with bad grammar in English and Spanish, nicknamed "El Birdos" -- went all the way. In 1967, Red led them to the Pennant, and beat the Boston Red Sox in the World Series in 7 games. In 1968, he led them to another Pennant, but lost the World Series in 7 games, to the Detroit Tigers.

With Dick Williams, manager of the Red Sox,

at Fenway Park during the 1967 World Series

Red continued to manage the Cards until 1976, getting them into the NL Eastern Division race in 1973 and 1974 before fading. He remained on the Cardinals' coaching staff, and was interim manager in 1980 between the firing of Ken Boyer and the hiring of Whitey Herzog, and again in 1990 between the firing of Herzog and the hiring of Joe Torre. Overall, his managerial record was 1,041-955. He won a 5th World Series ring as a Cardinal coach in 1982. Interestingly, all 5 were in Series that went the full 7 games: 1946, 1957, 1964, 1967 and 1982. He was also a member of 4 teams that lost 7-game Series: 1958, 1968, 1985 and 1987.

In 1996, the Cardinals retired his Number 2. In 1998, he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. In 2006, when the current version of Busch Stadium opened, Red was among the honorees, all with retired numbers, who had a statue dedicated outside. In 2014, he was a charter inductee into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum. In 2015, he was inducted into the Milwaukee Brewers Walk of Fame at Miller Park, although he played for the Braves, not the Brewers.

He was married to Mary O'Reilly for 52 years, until death did they part. They had 4 children, and he lived to see 10 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. He also lived to be the oldest living member of the Hall of Fame, the last surviving player from the Cardinals' 1946 World Champions, and the oldest and earliest living manager of a postseason, Pennant-winning or World Series-winning team.

He also set a record that is unlikely to be broken: 74 consecutive seasons wearing a Major League Baseball uniform. 67 of them were spent with the Cardinals. What Phil Rizzuto was to the Yankees, Johnny Pesky to the Red Sox, Richie Ashburn to the Philadelphia Phillies, and Tommy Lasorda to the Dodgers, Red was to the Cardinals: A living link to more than one glorious era, and elderly reminder of all that the team stood for, a living legend.

At Busch Stadium at last year's 50th Anniversary

celebration of the 1967 World Championship.

He's posing with the Commissioner's trophy awarded then.

It was the 1st time the Trophy was awarded. Note 20 flags for 20 teams.

Until he could live no more. Red Schoendienst died on June 6, 2018, at his home in the St. Louis suburb of Town and Country, Missouri. He was 95 years old.

With his death:

* There are now just 31 men who are living veterans of both World War II and Major League Baseball: Cloyd Boyer, Bobby Brown, Fred Caliguiri, Dick Cole, Jack Crimian, Billy DeMars, Carl Erskine, Johnny Groth, Chuck Harmon, Don Hasenmayer, Chris Haughey, Val Heim, Johnny Hetki, Lefty Howard, Randy Jackson, Howie Judson, Dick Manville, Ed Mickelson, Larry Miggins, Bob Miller, Fenton Mole, Bobby Morgan, Irv Noren, Eddie Robinson, Frank Saucier, Bobby Shantz, Charlie Silvera, Paul Stuffel, Wayne Terwilliger, Wally Westlake and George Yankowski.

* The earliest living winner of a World Series is Bobby Brown of the 1947 Yankees, age 93.

* There are 18 living former New York Giants: Terwilliger, Willie Mays, Bill White, Johnny Antonieelli, Jackie Brandt, Eddie Bressoud, Pete Burnside, Foster Castleman, Gil Coan, Ray Crone, Billy Gardner, Harvey Gentry, Joe Margoneri, Mike McCormick, Ron Samford, Ozzie Virgil Sr. and Al Worthington.

* The earliest living manager of a postseason team, or of a Pennant winner, is Lasorda, age 90. So we went from 1967 to 1977 in one fell swoop. The earliest living manager of a World Series winner is also Lasorda, so that's a jump from 1967 to 1981.

* The earliest living manager of any team is Alex Grammas, 92. Best known as Sparky Anderson's 3rd base coach on the 1970s Cincinnati Reds, he managed the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last 5 games of the 1969 season, and also managed the Milwaukee Brewers in 1976 and '77.

* And the oldest living member of the Baseball Hall of Fame is Lasorda. The oldest living person elected as a player is Yankee Legend Whitey Ford, 89.

UPDATE: Red Schoendienst was buried at Resurrection Cemetery in the St. Louis suburb of Affton, Missouri.

Living Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame as of January 25, 2018

Left to right: St. Louis Cardinals Hall-of-Famers Whitey Herzog,

Ozzie Smith, Red Schoendienst, Bob Gibson and Lou Brock.

Red, about to turn 95, is the oldest living Hall-of-Famer.

With the new elections, and the deaths of some, it is time to update this list.

A player is counted as a Hall-of-Famer with the team if he played at least 4 seasons with them. Teams are ranked in order of most HOFers.

1. St. Louis Cardinals, 9: Red Schoendienst (elected as player, also managed them to a title), Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Steve Carlton (7 seasons), Bruce Sutter, Ozzie Smith, Whitey Herzog (manager-executive), Tony LaRussa (manager).

2. Atlanta Braves, 9: Hank Aaron, Phil Niekro, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Chipper Jones, Bobby Cox (manager), Joe Torre (managed them in between Cox's 2 tenures there, also a player), John Schuerholz (executive).

3. Baltimore Orioles, 8: Brooks Robinson, Luis Aparicio, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Roberto Alomar, Jon Miller (broadcaster).

4. Cincinnati Reds, 8: Frank Robinson, Johnny Bench, Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver (6 seasons with Reds), Barry Larkin, Ken Griffey Jr., Marty Brennaman (broadcaster).

5. Chicago White Sox, 7: Luis Aparicio, Goose Gossage (5 years with them), Carlton Fisk, Frank Thomas, Tim Raines, Jim Thome (4 years), Tony LaRussa (manager).

6. New York Yankees, 8: Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Rich "Goose" Gossage, Dave Winfield, Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, Joe Torre (manager) and Tony Kubek (broadcaster).

7. Boston Red Sox, 6: Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Dennis Eckersley, Wade Boggs, Pedro Martinez.

8. Chicago Cubs, 6: Billy Williams, Ferguson Jenkins, Bruce Sutter, Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Greg Maddux.

9. New York Mets, 6: Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Tom Glavine (5 seasons), Pedro Martinez (4 seasons), Joe Torre (manager), Tim McCarver (broadcaster).

10. San Francisco Giants, 6: Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, Jon Miller (broadcaster).

11. Los Angeles Dodgers, 6: Sandy Koufax, Don Sutton, Mike Piazza, Tommy Lasorda (manager), Vin Scully (broadcaster), Jamie Jarrin (broadcaster).

12. San Diego Padres, 5: Dave Winfield, Ozzie Smith, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman. Dick Enberg died a few weeks ago.

13. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 5: Nolan Ryan, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, Bert Blyleven, Vladimir Guerrero. Again, Dick Enberg died a few weeks ago.

14. Detroit Tigers, 5: Al Kaline, Jim Bunning, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Ivan Rodriguez.

15. Oakland Athletics, 5: Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, Tony LaRussa (manager).

16. Philadelphia Phillies, 5: Jim Bunning, Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Jim Thome, Pat Gillick (executive).

17. Texas Rangers, 5: Ferguson Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Ivan Rodriguez, Eric Nadel (broadcaster).

18. Milwaukee Brewers, 5: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Bud Selig (owner), Bob Uecker (broadcaster).

Montreal Expos, 5: Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, Dave Van Horne (broadcaster).

19. Houston Astros, 4: Joe Morgan, Nolan Ryan, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell.

20. Kansas City Royals, 4: George Brett, Whitey Herzog (manager), John Schuerholz (executive), Denny Matthews (broadcaster).

21. Seattle Mariners, 3: Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr., Pat Gillick (executive).

22. Toronto Blue Jays, 3: Roberto Alomar, Pat Gillick (executive), Tony Kubek (broadcaster).

Milwaukee Braves, 2: Hank Aaron, Red Schoendienst.

23. Minnesota Twins, 2: Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven.

24. Cleveland Indians, 2: Gaylord Perry, Jim Thome.

25. Pittsburgh Pirates, 2: Bill Mazeroski, Bert Blyleven.

26. Miami Marlins, 2: Felo Ramirez and Dave Van Horne (both broadcasters).

New York Giants, 1: Willie Mays.

Brooklyn Dodgers, 1: Vin Scully (broadcaster).

Washington Senators, 1: Bob Wolff (broadcaster). 

27. Arizona Diamondbacks, 1: Randy Johnson.

28. Washington Nationals, 1: Frank Robinson (manager).

29. Tampa Bay Rays, none.

30. Colorado Rockies, none.

Last Survivors from World Series Winners

Bobby Brown, last survivor of the

1947 and 1949 World Champion New York Yankees;

and Eddie Robinson, last survivor of the

1948 World Champion Cleveland Indians.

I will include pre-World Series "World Champions."

1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the 1st openly professional baseball team, undefeated that year: Hall of Fame shortstop George Wright, who lived until 1937.

1870 Brooklyn Atlantics, who dealt the Red Stockings their 1st loss: 1st baseman Joe Start, who lived until 1927.

1871 Philadelphia Athletics, Champions of the National Association, no connection to the later American League team of the same name: Right fielder Al Reach, founder of the A.J. Reach sporting goods company, who lived until 1928.

1872 Boston Red Stockings, forerunners of the Atlanta Braves: George Wright.

1873 Boston Red Stockings: George Wright.

1874 Boston Red Stockings: George Wright.

1875 Boston Red Stockings: George Wright.

1876 Chicago White Stockings, forerunners of the Cubs, the 1st Champions of the National League: Hall of Fame catcher James "Deacon" White, who lived until 1939.

1877 Boston Red Stockings: Pitcher Tommy Bond, who lived until 1941.

1878 Boston Red Stockings: Tommy Bond.

1879 Providence Grays: George Wright.

1880 Chicago White Stockings, forerunners of the Cubs: Pitcher Fred Goldsmith, who lived until 1939.

1881 Chicago White Stockings: Fred Goldsmith.

1882 Chicago White Stockings: Fred Goldsmith.

1883 Boston Beaneaters (again, forerunners of the Braves): Outfielder Paul Radford, who lived until 1945.

1884 Providence Grays, NL Champions, who beat the American Association champion New York Metropolitans (no connection to today's Mets) in a postseason series: Infielder Charley Bassett, who lived until 1942.

1885 St. Louis Browns, forerunners of the Cardinals, Champions of the AA, who beat Chicago: 3rd baseman Walter Arlington "Arlie" Latham, a.k.a. "The Freshest Man On Earth," who lived until 1952.

1886 St. Louis Browns, who again beat the proto-Cubs: Arlie Latham.

1887 Detroit Wolverines, NL Champions, who beat the proto-Cards: Deacon White.

1888 New York Giants, who beat the Browns: Pitcher Ledell Titcomb, who lived until 1950. He's often been called "Cannonball Titcomb," but the nickname never appeared in public during his playing days.

1889 New York Giants, who beat the AA Champion Brooklyn Bridegrooms: LedellTitcomb.

1890 Brooklyn Bridegrooms (4 players had gotten married in an offseason), forerunners of the Dodgers: Pitcher Harry Howell, who also turned out to be the last surviving original 1903 New York Highlander (Yankee). He lived until 1956.

1891 Boston Beaneaters: Hall of Fame left fielder Hugh Duffy, who lived until 1954.

1892 Boston Beaneaters: Hugh Duffy.

1893 Boston Beaneaters: Hugh Duffy.

1894 Baltimore Orioles (no connection to the later AL team of the name): Catcher William "Boileryard" Clarke, who lived until 1959.

1895 Baltimore Orioles: Boileryard Clarke.

1896 Baltimore Orioles: Boileryard Clarke.

1897 Boston Beaneaters: Hugh Duffy.

1898 Boston Beaneaters: Hugh Duffy

1899 Brooklyn Superbas (again, forerunners of the Dodgers): Shortstop Bill Dahlen, who lived until 1950.

1900 Brooklyn Superbas: Harry Howell.

1901 Pittsburgh Pirates: Right fielder Tommy Leach, who lived until 1969.

1902 Pittsburgh Pirates: Tommy Leach.

1903 Boston Americans, forerunners of the Red Sox: Shortstop Freddy Parent, who lived until 1972.

1904 Boston Americans: Freddy Parent.

1905 New York Giants: Bill Dahlen.

1906 Chicago White Sox: Pitcher Guy "Doc" White, who lived until 1969.

1907 Chicago Cubs: 3rd baseman Henry "Heinie" Zimmerman, who lived until 1969.

1908 Chicago Cubs: Heinie Zimmerman.

1909 Pittsburgh Pirates: Pitcher Albert "Lefty" Leifield, who lived until 1970.

1910 Philadelphia Athletics: Center fielder Amos Strunk, who lived until 1969.

1911 Philadelphia Athletics: Amos Strunk.

1912 Boston Red Sox: Pitcher Smoky Joe Wood, who lived until 1985.

1913 Philadelphia Athletics: Amos Strunk.

1914 Boston Braves: Shortstop Jack Martin, who lived until 1980.

1915 Boston Red Sox: Smoky Joe Wood.

1916 Boston Red Sox: Pitcher Ernie Shore, who lived until 1980.

1917 Chicago White Sox: Outfielder Harry "Nemo" Leibold, who lived until 1977.

1918 Boston Red Sox: 3rd baseman Fred Thomas, who lived until 1986.

1919 Cincinnati Reds: Hall of Fame center fielder Edd Roush, who lived until 1988.

1920 Cleveland Indians: Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Joe Sewell, who lived until 1990.

1921 New York Giants: Hall of Fame 1st baseman George "Highpockets" Kelly, who lived until 1984.

1922 New York Giants: Highpockets Kelly.

1923 New York Yankees: Center fielder Lawton "Whitey" Witt, who lived until 1988.

1924 Washington Senators: Outfielder George "Showboat" Fisher, who lived until 1994.

1925 Pittsburgh Pirates: Shortstop Glenn Wright, who lived until 1984.

1926 St. Louis Cardinals: Infielder George "Specs" Toporcer, who lived until 1989.

1927 New York Yankees: Shortstop Mark Koenig.

1928 New York Yankees: Mark Koenig.

1929 Philadelphia Athletics: Outfielder Walt French, who lived until 1984.

1930 Philadelphia Athletics: Left fielder Jimmy Moore, who lived until 1986.

1931 St. Louis Cardinals: 3rd baseman Ray Cunningham, who lived until 2005. His 74 years as a living World Series winner is a record. Ed Mierkowicz of the '45 Tigers would have to live until at least 2019 to catch him.

1932 New York Yankees: Pitcher Charlie Devens, who lived until 2003.

1933 New York Giants: Left fielder Joseph "Jo-Jo" Moore, who lived until 2001.

1934: St. Louis Cardinals: Pitcher Clarence Heise, who lived until 1999.

1935 Detroit Tigers: Pitcher Eldon Auker, who lived until 2006.

1936 New York Yankees: Shortstop Frank Crosetti, who lived until 2002.

1937 New York Yankees: Right fielder Tommy "Ol' Reliable" Henrich, who lived until 2009.

1938 New York Yankees: Tommy Henrich.

1939 New York Yankees: Tommy Henrich.

1940 Cincinnati Reds: Center fielder Eddie Joost.

1941 New York Yankees: Tommy Henrich.

1942 St. Louis Cardinals: Hall of Fame left fielder Stan Musial, who lived until 2013.

1943 New York Yankees: Pitcher Hank Borowy, who lived until 2004.

1944 St. Louis Cardinals: Stan Musial.

1945 Detroit Tigers: Left fielder Ed Mierkowicz, who is still alive.

1946 St. Louis Cardinals: Hall of Fame 2nd baseman Albert "Red" Schoendienst and left fielder Bill Endicott, who are both still alive.

1947 New York Yankees: 3rd baseman Bobby Brown, who is still alive.

1948 Cleveland Indians: 1st baseman Eddie Robinson, who is still alive. If the Indians can finish the job, he may just live long enough to have seen them do it again.

*

The earliest surviving member of...

* An NFL Champion: Charlie Trippi, running back for the 1947 Chicago Cardinals.

* An NBA Champion: Carl Meinhold, guard for the 1948 Baltimore Bullets.

* A Stanley Cup winner: Milt Schmidt, Hall of Fame center for the Boston Bruins, the last survivor of their 1939 and their 1941 Cup winners.

* An FA Cup winner: Reg Harrison, a winger for the 1947 Derby County team.

* A European Cup/UEFA Champions League winner: Francisco Gento, an outside left for the 1956 Real Madrid team.

* A World Cup winner: Halfback Horst Eckel and left winger Hans Schafer of the 1954 West Germany team.

I can't find a record of who the earliest surviving Olympic Gold Medalist is. I know there's one who was born in 1917, but he won his Gold in 1964, making him 47 at the time, so that's not him.

Living Former New York Baseball Giants

May 6, 1931, 85 years ago today: Willie Howard Mays Jr. is born in Westfield, Alabama, outside Birmingham. He grows up in nearby Fairfield.

September 29, 1957: The last New York Giants baseball game is played at the Polo Grounds.

To people now under the age of 60, the New York Giants -- presuming you're talking about the old baseball team, not the still-operating football team named for them -- are the home run by Bobby Thomson that won the 1951 National League Pennant, and the catch by Willie Mays that sparked them to win the 1954 World Series.

"The Giants win the Pennant!"

Even Dusty Rhodes, whose pinch-hit home run (with Mays on base) actually won Game 1 of the '54 Series, gets forgotten. And when Monte Irvin, a hero of the '51 and '54 Giants and a star in the Negro Leagues, died earlier this year, he was just a name to most current fans.

So what hope do Bill Terry, Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell, heroes of the 1933 World Championship team and the 1936 and '37 Pennants, have of being remembered? To say nothing of Frankie Frisch and the 1921-24 Pennant winners (including winniing the '21 and '22 Series)? Or Christy Mathewson, Roger Bresnahan, and the 1905 World Champions? Or the man who managed them to Pennants in 1904, '05, '11, '12, '13, '17, '21, '22, '23 and '24, John McGraw?

The San Francisco Giants have retired Terry's Number 3, Ott's 4, Hubbell's 11, Irvin's 20 and Mays' 24. And, since they were around before uniform numbers were worn, they have "NY" notations with the retired numbers for McGraw and Mathewson.

But time passes. It's been nearly 60 years since the Giants played home games in New York. The Polo Grounds last hosted an event on December 14, 1963, when the New York Jets lost an American Football League game to the Buffalo Bills, 19-10. The Mets clowned their way through the '62 and '63 season at the Polo Grounds. The old Harlem Horseshoe was demolished in April 1964, just as Shea Stadium was preparing for its opening.

As with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Philadelphia Athletics, the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Braves, an era is slipping away.

And, unlike the Dodgers, who had Roger Kahn write The Boys of Summer and publish it in 1971 while most of the heroes of their 1950s teams were still alive, the Giants didn't get a literary celebration to cement their memory while the Baby Boomers, the last fans they would have, were still relatively young.

All that's left is a few flickering images: Mathewson's windup, Hubbell's screwball, Ott's odd swing, Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World," Mays' catch, Rhodes' homer. And maybe even a song about Mays.

*

There are 21 surviving New York baseball Giants:

* Wayne Terwilliger, about to turn 91, from Clare, Michigan. A 2nd baseman, he served in the Marines in World War II. He debuted with the Cubs in 1949, and in 1951 was traded to the Dodgers along with Andy Pafko. The Dodgers sent him to the minors for the 1952 season, and he was claimed off waivers in 1953.

After being traded from the Cubs, he spent the rest of his career with teams that no longer exist in those forms: The Brooklyn Dodgers, the New York Giants, the Washington Senators and the Kansas City Athletics, with whom he played his last game, in 1960.

He became a longtime minor league manager and major league coach, and was on Tom Kelly's staff when the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. He won an independent league's Pennant as manager of the revived Fort Worth Cats in 2005.

* Harvey Gentry, about to turn 90, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. An outfielder, he made 5 appearances as a pinch-hitter for the Giants in April 1954, and was long gone before the World Series.

* Ron Samford, 86, from Dallas. A shortstop, he appeared in 12 games as a rookie with the 1954 Giants, but was not on the World Series roster. He appeared in the majors again with Detroit in 1955 and 1957, and with the Washington Senators in 1959. He hit a home run in his last major league at-bat.

* Foster Castleman, 85, from Nashville. A 3rd baseman, he debuted with the 1954 Giants, but did not make the World Series roster. He remained with them through the end, but did not make the move, and played just 1 more season, for the 1958 Baltimore Orioles.

* Billy Gardner, 88, from Waterford, New London County, Connecticut. A 2nd baseman, he played for 2 iconic New York baseball teams: The 1954 Giants and the 1961 Yankees. The Yankees acquired him that year from the Twins, with whom he had made the move as one of the last of the old Senators.

He managed the Twins from 1981 to 1985, and the Kansas City Royals in 1987. His son, Billy Gardner Jr., never made the majors, but is a longtime minor league manager, currently in the Washington Nationals' system.

* Joey Amalfitano, 82, from Long Beach, California. A 2nd baseman, he debuted with the Giants as a bonus baby in 1954, but wasn't on the World Series roster. An original Houston Colt .45 (Astro) in 1962, he wrapped up his playing career with the Cubs in 1967.

He managed the Cubs in 1979, and again in 1980-81, before becoming a coach with the Dodgers, winning a ring in 1988. He is now a minor league instructor with the Giants.

* Johnny Antonelli, about to turn 86, from Rochester, New York. Also a surviving Boston Brave, he was one of the heroes' of the Giants' 1954 World Championship season, leading the NL in ERA, and remained with them through the move to San Francisco. A 6-time All-Star, he had a career record of 126-110.

* Pete Burnside, 85, from the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois. A pitcher, he made scattered appearances for the Giants in the 1955, '57 and '58 seasons, closing his career with the 1963 Washington Senators.

* Gil Coan, about to turn 94, from Monroe, North Carolina. A left fielder, he was The Sporting News' Minor League Player of the Year in 1945, but was undistinguished in the majors for the Senators thereafter. He finished his career with the Giants in 1955 and '56.

* Albert "Red" Schoendienst, 93, from the St. Louis suburb of Germantown, Illinois. A 2nd baseman, he is the last survivor of the St. Louis Cardinals team that won the 1946 World Series. He stayed with the Cards until he was traded to  the Giants in 1956, but he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves and did not make the move to San Francisco. This was lucky for him, because he won another Series with the 1957 Braves, and another Pennant with them in 1958.

He managed the Cards to the 1967 World Series and another Pennant in 1968. He also won rings as a Cardinal coach in 1964 and 1982, and served as interim manager as recently as 1990. The Cardinals retired his Number 2. He is in the Hall of Fame, and 2016 is his 72nd consecutive season on an MLB team's payroll. As far as I know, that is a major league record.

* Ozzie Virgil, about to turn 84, from Monte Cristi, the Dominican Republic. How he didn't get the nickname "The Count of Monte Cristi," I don't know. The 1st Dominican national to play in the major leagues, even though he served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He debuted with the Giants in 1956, but was traded before the move.

In 1958, he became the 1st nonwhite player for the Detroit Tigers. He returned to the Giants in San Francisco in 1966, and remained through 1969. Mainly a 3rd baseman, he played all positions in major league games except pitcher and center field.

In 1969, he was named to the Giants' coaching staff, making him (possibly) the 1st Hispanic coach in the major leagues. He was on the Giants' staff when they won the NL West in 1971, on the Montreal Expos' staff when they won the NL East in 1981, and on the San Diego Padres' staff when they won the NL Pennant in 1984.

The airport in his hometown of Montecristi is named for him. His son, Ozzie Virgil Jr., was born in Puerto Rico while his father was playing winter ball there, and became a major league catcher, twice making the All-Star Game and appearing in the 1983 World Series with the Phillies.

* Ray Crone, 84, from Memphis. A pitcher, he went 4-8 with the Giants in 1957, and made the move with them, but was cut by San Francisco in 1958, and never appeared in the majors again.

* Jackie Brandt, about to turn 82, from Omaha. An outfielder, he debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956, and was soon traded to the Giants, remaining with them through the move, until 1959. A Gold Glove winner with the Giants, he was an All-Star with the Baltimore Orioles.

* Daryl Spencer, 87, from Wichita, Kansas. A utility infielder, he debuted with the Giants in 1952, was a regular in 1953, missed the 1954 and 1955 seasons in the U.S. Army (including the '54 Series), made the move, hit the 1st home run in San Francisco Giants history, remained with the team through 1959, was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds in 1963 (and thus missed out on a ring again), and played in Japan from 1964 to 1972.

* Al Worthington, 87, from Birmingham. A pitcher, he arrived in the majors with the Giants in 1953, spent most of 1954 in the minors and thus missed the World Series, moved with the team, staying through 1959, and bounced around until arriving in Minnesota, helping the Twins win the 1965 American League Pennant and the 1969 AL Western Division title. He went 75-82 with 110 saves in his career.

He later served as head baseball coach at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, and is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. He should not be confused with the famous Los Angeles used car salesman Cal Worthington, and his dog Spot.

* Eddie Bressoud, about to turn 85, from Los Angeles. A shortstop, he arrived in 1956, stayed through the move until 1961, and later played for the Mets. Has been a longtime scout for the Los Angeles Angels.

* Joe Margoneri, 86, from the Pittsburgh suburb of Somerset, Pennsylvania. A pitcher, he went 7-7 for the Giants in 1956 and '57, for his only major league experience.

* Roy Wright, 82, from Buchtel, Ohio. A pitcher, he appeared in 1 major league game, on September 30, 1956. It was the last game of the season, he started against the Phillies, got rocked, didn't get out of the 3rd inning, lost, and stayed in the minors through 1959.

* Bill White, 82, from Cleveland. A 1st baseman, he appeared with the Giants in New York in 1956 and in San Francisco in 1958, then was traded to the Cardinals. An 8-time All-Star and a 7-time Gold Glove winner, he won the World Series with the Cards in 1964. Batting .286 for his career, with 202 home runs.

His baseball life was far from over. In 1971, he became the 1st black person to regularly broadcast a major league team's games, with the Yankees, joining Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer. He remained with the Yankees through the 1988 season, until he was named President of the National League, serving until the Strike of '94. Why he hasn't been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, while he's still alive to appreciate it, is beyond me.

* Mike McCormick, 77, from the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, California. A pitcher, he debuted with the Giants in 1956, made the move with them, and lasted until the Pennant season of 1962. He was traded after the World Series, came back in 1967, and won the NL Cy Young Award that year. He pitched for the Yankees in 1970, and wrapped up his career with the Kansas City Royals in 1971. His career record was 134-128.

* Willie Mays, 85, from Fairfield, Alabama. He played with the Giants from 1951 to 1972, missing most of 1952 and all of 1953 while serving in the Korean War. NL Most Valuable Player in 1954 and 1965. NL Champion in 1954 and 1962, World Champion in 1954. He added a National League Western Division title in 1971. He was traded to the Mets, and ended his career with another Pennant in 1973.

660 home runs. Over 3,000 hits. Hall of Fame. All-Century Team. Number 24 retired by Giants, unofficially retired by Mets. Regarded by many fans as the greatest player ever. And the last New York Giant still active, playing until 1973.

This past November, "the Say Hey Kid" was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

For the moment, Willie Mays is still a living treasure. And he is one of the last links to one of the greatest of all baseball teams, which is still in business, although not in the city where it first made its mark.

UPDATE: Daryl Spencer died on January 2, 2017. Roy Wright died on May 5, 2018. Red Schoendienst died on June 6, 2018. Harvey Gentry died on July 1, 2018. Gil Coan died on February 5, 2020. Johnny Antonelli died on February 28, 2020. Mike McCormick died on June 13, 2020. Foster Castlean died on November 9, 2020. Ron Samford died on January 14, 2021. Wayne Terwilliger died on February 3, 2021. Peter Burnside died on August 26, 2022. Eddie Bressoud died on July 11, 2023.

Billy Gardner died on January 3, 2024. Willie Mays died on June 18, 2024. Ozzie Virgil died on September 29, 2024. Ray Crone died on January 15, 2026.And Al Worthington died on June 16, 2026. That left 4 living New York Giants: Amalfitano, Brandt, Margoneri and White.)

That leaves 4 living former New York Giants: Joey Amalfitano, Jackie Brandt, Al Worthington, Joe Margoneri and Bill White.

St. Louis' All-Time Baseball Team

The St. Louis Cardinals' "territory" is spread over several States, although not as many as there used to be. In the pre-expansion era, powerful radio station KMOX broadcast the Cards' games over about 75 percent of the country. As both the Westernmost team in the majors until 1955, and the Southernmost until 1962, Cardinal fans are still all over the South despite the Atlanta Braves and the Florida and Texas teams, and all over the Midwest despite the arrival of teams in Kansas City, Minnesota and even Colorado.

Today, however, their region is pretty much "limited" to Eastern Missouri, Southeastern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana, the Western edges of Kentucky and Tennessee (Memphis' Elvis Presley was a big Cards fan), Northern Mississippi and Northeastern Arkansas.

I grew up in Central Illinois, about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, and I made a historic blunder: All my friends became Cardinal fans and grew up happy and liberal, and I became a Cub fan and grew up embittered and conservative.
-- George Will, nationally-syndicated columnist for the Washington Post and author of two books about baseball.

He grew up in Champaign, as his father was a professor at the University of Illinois. The campus is 144 miles from Wrigley Field, 134 miles from U.S. Cellular Field, 173 miles from Busch Stadium, and 236 miles from Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark. So he had other choices he could have made.

However, traditionally, Cub fans have been rather liberal, while Cardinal fans have usually been conservative. This is not written in stone, though: Bill Clinton, a liberal who grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 415 miles from St. Louis, and Rush Limbaugh, a right-wing fanatic who grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 119 miles away, are both big Cardinal fans. (No wonder Bill and Hillary "had problems in their marriage": Hillary grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, just 12 miles from Wrigley, and was a Cub fan -- before she became a Yankee Fan!)

Anyway, here's...

2. St. Louis' All-Time Baseball Team

1B Gil Hodges of Princeton, Indiana. Putting aside for a moment the fact that he managed the New York Mets, for crying out loud, to a World Series win, he is one of the players not in the Hall of Fame who most deserves it. He had a career OPS+ of 120, the first 3 Gold Gloves given to National League first basemen (the first of which when he was already 33 years old), 7 straight 100-RBI seasons, and 370 home runs despite missing 3 seasons due to World War II.

At the time he played his last game, he was 11th on the all-time home run list, trailing only Jimmie Foxx and, just recently surpassed at that point, Willie Mays among righthanders (and Mickey Mantle if you count switch-hitters). He helped the Dodgers win 7 Pennants (6 in Brooklyn, 1 in Los Angeles) and 2 World Series (1 in each city). His Number 14 was retired by the Mets, but not by the Dodgers. There is no good reason to not have Hodges in the Hall.

St. Louis is loaded at 1st base for its history, having Honorable Mentions dishable out to St. Louis natives Roy Sievers and Ryan Howard (who may replace Hodges as the starter someday); 1890s hitting star and Hall-of-Famer Jake Beckley of Hannibal, Missouri; and Hodges' fellow Hoosier Don Mattingly of Evansville.

2B Red Schoendienst of Germantown, Illinois. A 10-time All-Star, he helped the Cardinals to win the World Series in 1946 and the Milwaukee Braves to do it in 1957, and another Pennant in '58. He suffered from tuberculosis and missed most of '59 and half of '60, or else the Braves might have won 4 straight Pennants. He led the NL in stolen bases as a rookie in 1945, doubles and sacrifice hits in 1950, and hits in 1957. His lifetime batting average was .289. He was never a home run hitter, but he collected 2,449 hits including 427 doubles in an illness-shortened playing career. 

He returned to the Cardinals as their manager, winning the 1967 World Series and the 1968 Pennant. He has occasionally returned as Cards' interim manager, such as during Ken Boyer's fatal illness. The Cards have retired his Number 2, and he is in the Hall of Fame.

SS Don Kessinger of Forrest City, Arkansas. A 6-time All-Star and a 3-time Gold Glove, the Chicago Cub shortstop was part of a few close-but-no-cigar finishes, and never appeared in the postseason. He was also, across town with the White Sox in 1979, the last player-manager in the American League.

Honorable Mention to John Richard Schofield and Richard Craig Schofield, both of Springfield, Illinois. Both major league players and both known as "Dick" and "Ducky," officially they are not "Senior" and "Junior." And neither can push Kessinger out of the starting lineup. However, with John Richard's grandson and Richard Craig's nephew, Jayson Werth, also reaching the majors, this is now a three-generation MLB family.

3B George Kell of Swifton, Arkansas. He's best known for just barely beating out Ted Williams for the AL batting title in 1949, thus denying him a record 3rd Triple Crown. In each of the next 2 seasons Kell led the AL in both hits and doubles. He was a 10-time All-Star, with a .306 lifetime batting average, and after his retirement returned to the Detroit Tigers to become one of many fine broadcasters for that franchise. In the Hall of Fame, although none of the numbers he wore has been retired (mainly wore 21 and 7).

The St. Louis region is also loaded at this position: Bill Madlock of Memphis, Tennessee; Gary Gaetti of Centralia, Illinois; Kevin Seitzer of Springfield, Illinois; and Scott Rolen of Evansville, Indiana, who might one day join Kell in the Hall of Fame, but the voters will have to take his fielding into account.

LF Walter "Hoot" Evers of Collinsville, Illinois. A Detroit teammate of Kell's and a 2-time All-Star, when Kell led the AL in hits and doubles in 1950, Evers led it in triples. It is a bit ironic that while the St. Louis region had Stan Musial, one of baseball's 20 greatest players ever, in left field (although he also played a lot of 1st base), Hoot is the best the region can do for a native left fielder. It's also unfortunate that both Kell and Evers arrived in Detroit after the 1934-45 period that saw the Tigers win 4 Pennants and 2 World Series: The closest they got was a 2nd-place finish in 1950.

CF Max Carey of Terre Haute, Indiana. A .285 lifetime batting average came from getting 2,665 hits, including 419 doubles and 159 triples. And once he got on base, that's when the fun started: He stole 738 bases, a total topped by only 4 guys before (Billy Hamilton, Arlie Latham, and his contemporaries Ty Cobb and Eddie Collins) and only 4 guys since (Lou Brock, Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines and Vince Coleman). He led the NL in steals 10 times, topping 60 twice and 50 6 times, peaking with 63 in 1916.

He was a little unlucky, reaching the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1910, right after they won their first World Series, but was still there in 1925 when they won their second, and he batted .458 with 2 RBIs in his only trip to the postseason. He retired before uniform numbers were worn, but he's in the Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention to Edd Roush of Oakland City, Indiana. "I didn't know if I'd make it to the major leagues," he said in an interview late in life, "but I didn't care. I just had to get away from those damn cows." He made many baseballs get away from pitchers: Lifetime batting average .323, OPS+ of 127, 2,376 hits. He was said to have had the best outfield arm of his era.

He lived until 1988, and insisted until then that the Cincinnati Reds would have won the 1919 World Series even if the White Sox had played it on the level. He's in the Hall of Fame, and although he played before numbers were worn, he was probably the greatest player the Reds ever had until Johnny Bench came along.

Honorable Mention to Pete Reiser of St. Louis, Missouri. Branch Rickey, then running the Cardinals, started scouting Harold Patrick Reiser in 1931. The man nicknamed after a movie cowboy named Pistol Pete was no man yet: He was just 12 years old. Rickey finally signed him for the Cards in 1937, but in 1940 traded him to the Dodgers -- perhaps Rickey anticipated his own move to Brooklyn.

Leo Durocher was the Dodger manager, and while Leo often said Willie Mays (also a center fielder, of course) was the greatest player he ever saw, he also once said Mays "might have been better than Reiser."

How good was this guy? In 1941, his first full season in the majors, he led the NL in batting (.343), slugging, on-base percentage, total bases, runs, doubles and triples -- and the Dodgers won the Pennant. In 1942, he led it in stolen bases. Then World War II intervened. In his next year of play, 1946, again he led the NL in steals.

But his tendency to crash into hard concrete outfield walls to make catches -- say a prayer of thanks, Lenny Dykstra, for the padded walls of your era -- led to serious injuries, including a fractured skull and a separated shoulder. In 1947, another Dodger Pennant year, he batted .309, but broke his ankle late in the season. He was 28, having already lost the seasons of ages 24, 25 and 26 due to the war, and he never topped 258 plate appearances again.

He last played at age 33, and died at 62. He's one of the great what-if stories in baseball history. On the other hand, if Reiser hadn't continually gotten hurt, Duke Snider might never have become the Dodgers' center fielder.

Honorable Mention to Steve Finley of Paducah, Kentucky. Playing for several teams, he won 5 Gold Gloves, and while not a great hitter (only once topping 100 RBI in a hitting-happy era), he did collect 2,548 hits, including 449 doubles, 124 triples and 304 homers. He appeared in 2 World Series, both against the Yankees, losing with the San Diego Padres in 1998, and winning with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. He's now eligible for the Hall of Fame, but I think he's a step short. Still, it might be nice for the D-backs to retire his Number 12.

RF Arnold "Bake" McBride of Fulton, Missouri. He kind of got lost in the shuffle with the 1976-83 Phillies near-dynasty having Greg "the Bull" Luzinski in left field and Garry "the Secretary of Defense" Maddox in center, but he was a very good outfielder. He won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1974 (with St. Louis, and the Cards were fools to get rid of him), batted .299 lifetime, and had his best year at just the right time, 1980, as the Phils won their first World Series.

Honorable Mention to Jayson Worth of Chatham, Illinois -- the starting right fielder on the other Phillies team to win the World Series, in 2008. (Funny, but Phils fans aren't especially grateful to him these days.) He'll be 35 next month, so his current career home run total of 170 won't rise enough to get him to the Hall of Fame, but he has a 122 OPS+. An All-Star in 2009, he led the NL in doubles in 2010. He may have been the only player to reach the postseason every season from 2007 to 2012 -- the first 5 with the Phils, the last with the Washington Nationals.

C Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra of St. Louis, Missouri -- the North Side, the then-mostly-Italian "The Hill." Actually, that's a shortened name, as it was known as "the Dago Hill" before "Dago" became an unacceptable slur. Yogi grew up across the street from Joe Garagiola, who was also a big-league catcher, although he's in the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.

Yogi won World Championships with the Yankees in 1947, '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '56, '58, '61 and '62, plus Pennants in '55, '57, '60 and '63. His 14 appearances, 10 championships, games, at-bats and hits are the most in World Series history.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame and the All-Century Team. His Number 8 was retired by the Yankees, who honored him in their Monument Park. His 358 home runs are the most ever by a player 5-foot-8 or shorter, although he's no longer the all-time leader in home runs by a catcher. And he's the only man ever to win Pennants as manager of both the Yankees and the Mets, in 1964 and '73, although both times his team lost Game 7.

By a weird coincidence, Yogi's backups on this team are his predecessor and his successor as Yankee catcher.

Honorable Mention to Bill Dickey of Searcy, Arkansas. Prior to Yogi and Johnny Bench, he was considered, along with Mickey Cochrane, as perhaps the greatest catcher ever. 8 Pennants and 7 World Championships with the Yankees from 1932 to 1943. Hall of Fame, Number 8 co-retired with Yogi, Monument Park.

When The Sporting News announced its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, Yogi came in at Number 40, Bill at Number 57.

Honorable Mention to Elston Howard of St. Louis, Missouri. He was the first black Yankee, and played on 9 Pennant-winners, plus 1 more with the Boston Red Sox in 1967, and 4 World Championships. In 1963, practically carrying the offense with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris injured for much of the season, he became the first black player to win the AL MVP. (By that point, 8 black men had won 11 MVPs in the NL.) Number 32 retired, Monument Park.

Honorable Mention to Quincy Trouppe of St. Louis, Missouri. A star in the Negro Leagues, especially for the Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs, he was player-manager for the Cleveland Buckeyes, taking them to Negro American League Pennants in 1945 and 1947. He spent 2 weeks with the Cleveland Indians, despite being 39 years old.

Along with his Monarch teammate Buck O'Neil, he is one of the black stars still deserving of the Baseball Hall of Fame who is not in. He added the extra P to his surname because it sounded cooler when he played winter ball in the Caribbean, turning "TROOP" into "Troo-PAY." His son, a renowned poet, restored the original name, and goes by Quincy Troupe.

SP Elwyn "Preacher" Roe of Viola, Arkansas. He didn't have a full season until he was 28 because of World War II, and he then struggled with the Pirates. But when he was traded to the Dodgers, he became the top lefty for the Boys of Summer. In 1951, he went 22-3. He finished 127-84, not counting a shutout of the Yankees in Game 2 of the 1949 World Series, but was gone by the time the Dodgers won it all in 1955.

SP Robin Roberts of Springfield, Illinois. He won 20 games. In 6 seasons. In a row. This included 20 in the Phillies' 1950 "Whiz Kids" Pennant season, and 28 in 1952, a total surpassed only once since (Denny McLain's 31 in 1968) and not otherwise matched since (Steve Carlton in 1972 and Bob Welch in 1990 reaching 27).

He won 286 games, despite pitching most of his career for a mediocre Phils team. He was named to 7 All-Star Games. He had a career ERA+ of 113, and WHIP of 1.170. Hall of Fame, and his Number 36 was the 1st ever retired by a Philadelphia sports team. A statue of him was dedicated outside the 1st base gate of Citizens Bank Park when it opened. When The Sporting News announced its 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, he came in at Number 74.

SP Bob Turley of East St. Louis, Illinois. One of the fastest pitchers of the 1950s, came to the Yankees in the post-1954 deal that also brought in Don Larsen from the Baltimore Orioles. At the beginning of that season, he started and won the first home game in Oriole history, at Memorial Stadium. In 1991, at Memorial's last Opening Day, he was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, along with the opposing starter from the first game, Virgil Trucks, then with the White Sox. (By a weird twist of fate, they died just 7 days apart last March.)

In 1958, after developing a sharp curveball to go with his blazing fastball, Bullet Bob, not Whitey Ford, became the first Yankee pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, going 21-7, plus winning Games 5 and 7 of the World Series, one of 4 titles he won. (And remember, until 1967, the Cy Young was awarded to the most valuable pitcher in both Leagues. Ford would win it, in 1961.)

He was 101-85 for his career, 82-52 for the Yankees. Due to injury, he last pitched in the majors in 1963, only 33 years old. He became a pitching coach, then moved to the Atlanta area made a fortune in insurance, then an even bigger one in real estate in Georgia and Florida -- much more money than a baseball player could make during his time, although not as much as a Cy Young Award winner could make now.

SP Tommy John of Terre Haute, Indiana. He used a blazing fastball to win 124 games for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers -- which would be a fine career for most pitchers. Then, at age 31, he wrecked his elbow. Then he had surgery, a pioneering procedure that now bears his name.

After sitting out a season, became a sinkerballer, and won 164 games for the Dodgers, Yankees, California Angels and Oakland Athletics -- winning more games after the surgery that could have ended his career (had it gone wrong) than he did before it.

Total wins: 288, the closest any pitcher comes to 300 major league wins -- long considered a benchmark for Cooperstown -- without making it. His .555 career winning percentage should also open some eyes. He never pitched on a Series winner, although he did pitch for 6 teams that reached the postseason ('74, '77 & '78 Dodgers; '80 and '81 Yanks, '82 Angels). He belongs in the Hall.

SP Steve Rogers of Jefferson City, Missouri. If only the Montreal Expos had been better at the start of his career, and if only injury hadn't made him just 33 when he pitched his last good season. He still managed to win 158 games, still a record for the Expos/Nationals franchise. His career ERA+ was 116 and his WHIP 1.232.

Sadly, he'll probably be best remembered for giving up a Pennant-losing home run to a guy who almost made this team, Rick Monday of the Dodgers (born in Batesville, Arkansas but grew up in Santa Monica, California and thus ineligible for this team), on "Blue Monday," October 19, 1981.

The Expos never played another postseason game (although they were sabotaged by Bud Selig in 1994 and by their own ownership after that, and took until 2012 to reach the postseason as the Washington Nationals). It's also a little odd that the greatest pitcher in the history of this Canadian team shared the real name of the comic book character Captain America.

Honorable Mention to Mark Buehrle of St. Charles, Missouri. He just turned 35, and has a career record of 186-142. Sounds good, except that those 142 losses are now tops among active pitchers. (Ryan Dempster is next, at 132-133). Buehrle has an ERA+ of 117, plus 2 no-hitters, 1 of them a perfect game, and went 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in the Pale Hose's 2005 postseason, resulting in their first Pennant since the Ike Age and their first World Championship since World War I. He's made 4 All-Star teams and won 4 Gold Gloves.

Honorable Mention to Max Scherzer of Chesterfield, Missouri. On almost any team but the Tigers, he'd be the ace; but on that team, even his fantastic 21-3, 2.90 ERA, 0.970 WHIP, Cy Young Award 2013 season isn't enough to make him more highly regarded than former MVP Justin Verlander.  Scherzer turns 30 in July, but he's already 73-45 for his career, and has already been to the postseason the last 3 years, including starting Game 4 of the 2012 World Series. (The Giants finished off a sweep of the Tigers, but did it in 10 innings, so Scherzer, who pitched well, was not charged with the loss.)

RP Jason Isringhausen of Brighton, Illinois. He was supposed to be one of the "Generation K" pitchers that would lift the Mets out of their early 1990s stink. By the time they got back to the postseason, though, all of those pitchers were injured, and none looked like they'd be able to contribute much to any team.

But Izzy fooled them, accepting a conversion to the bullpen -- a move Met manager Bobby Valentine had, with his usual acumen, said would be "using an Indy car as a taxi" -- and pitching in the postseason for the A's and Cardinals, including the 2006 World Championship.

When he missed the 1998 season, at the end of which he turned 26, who would then have thought that he would still be pitching as late as 2012, age 40? He finished his career with an even 300 saves, including an NL-leading 47 in the Cards' 2004 Pennant season. And who did the Mets get from the A's in exchange for Isringhausen and Greg McMichael in 1999? Billy Taylor, who pitched 18 games for them, none of them noteworthy. Yet another bonehead Met trade.

MGR Earl Weaver of East St. Louis, Illinois. As the aforementioned political columnist George Will, a baseball nut and Orioles stockholder, said, "Earl Weaver looked like a baseball manager should look." He was short, chubby, had gray hair even in his early 40s that turned white before he was 50, seemed to always be angry, and constantly argued with umpires. I'm convinced Trey Wilson was cast as the manager in Bull Durham because, hair aside, he was Weaveresque.

I didn't always like him: I'm still peeved that he had the field at Memorial Stadium watered down to get a rainout during a 1978 Yanks-O's series, even though the Yanks won the World Series that year anyway. But he was a great manager. He managed the Orioles to 6 postseason berths, 4 Pennants and, strangely, only 1 World Championship, in 1970. (Hank Bauer managed them in 1966, and Joe Altobelli succeeded Earl in 1983 and won that year's Series.)

Thomas Boswell, covering the Orioles for The Washington Post in those years when they were the closest MLB team to the Nation's Capital, made the point that Jim Palmer won 268 games as a big-league pitcher, but wouldn't have won 50 if not for Earl, even though Weaver and Palmer drove each other crazy. Palmer even titled a memoir Together We Were Eleven-Foot-Nine. (Palmer was 6-foot-3. Officially, Weaver was 5-foot-7, but Palmer may have thought him shorter.)

The Earl of Baltimore was a hothead, and I'm convinced that this, contrasted with the calm demeanor of Gil Hodges, is the biggest reason that Hodges' Mets beat Weaver's O's in the 1969 World Series. But the experience helped Earl's O's triumph over rookie manager Sparky Anderson's Reds the next year. The next, hothead Earl lost to calm veteran Danny Murtaugh and the Pirates. In 1979, hothead Earl lost to calm veteran Chuck Tanner and the Pirates.

No matter. Earl is rightfully in the Hall of Fame, and the O's retired his Number 4. When Memorial Stadium was closed in 1991, the first player introduced was Brooks Robinson, the last player introduced was Cal Ripken Jr., but the last person introduced was Earl. He personified that team: "The Oriole Way is pitching, defense, and three-run homers." Not just home runs, but with men on base. He didn't put up with RISPfail. He didn't put up with anything except your best effort.

Maybe if he'd applied the same standard to himself, as did the physically similar but not quite as hotheaded football coach Vince Lombardi, Earl would have won 5 titles like Lombardi did. Certainly, he might not have lost 2 Series in Game 7s. But he did make the Orioles a model organization on the field for an entire generation.

St. Louis' All-Time Baseball Team

The Mets broke out of their awful 2-9 Western roadtrip by coming home to beat the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field last night, but tonight The Great Johan Santana got rocked with 6 runs in the top of the 1st inning -- all with 2 outs.

Wow, Santana really has made a big difference for the Mets, hasn't he?

The Cardinals' "territory" is spread over several States, although not as many as there used to be. In the pre-expansion era, powerful radio station KMOX broadcast the Cards' games over about 75 percent of the country. As both the Westernmost team in the majors until 1955, and the Southernmost until 1962, Cardinal fans are still all over the South despite the Atlanta Braves and the Florida and Texas teams, and all over the Midwest despite the arrival of teams in Kansas City, Minnesota and even Colorado.

Today, however, their region is pretty much "limited" to Eastern Missouri, Southeastern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Southwestern Indiana, the Western edges of Kentucky and Tennessee (Memphis' Elvis Presley was a big Cards fan), Northern Mississippi and Northeastern Arkansas.

"I grew up in Central Illinois, about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis, and I made a historic blunder: All my friends became Cardinal fans and grew up happy and liberal, and I became a Cub fan and grew up embittered and conservative."
-- George Will, nationally-syndicated columnist for the Washington Post and author of two books about baseball.

He grew up in Champaign, as his father was a professor at the University of Illinois. The campus is 144 miles from Wrigley Field, 134 miles from U.S. Cellular Field, 173 miles from Busch Stadium, and 236 miles from Cincinnati's Great American Ballpark. So he had other choices he could have made.

However, traditionally, Cub fans have been rather liberal, while Cardinal fans have usually been conservative. This is not written in stone, though: Bill Clinton, a liberal who grew up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 415 miles from St. Louis, and Rush Limbaugh, a right-wing fanatic who grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 119 miles away, are both big Cardinal fans.

No wonder Bill and Hillary "had problems in their marriage": Hillary grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois, just 12 miles from Wrigley, and was a Cub fan -- before she became a Yankee Fan!

Anyway, here's...

St. Louis' All-Time Baseball Team

1B Gil Hodges of Princeton, Indiana. Putting aside for a moment the fact that he managed the New York Mets, for crying out loud, to a World Series win, he is one of the players not in the Hall of Fame who most deserves it.

He had a career OPS+ of 120, the 1st 3 Gold Gloves given to National League 1st basemen (the 1st of which when he was already 33 years old), 7 straight 100-RBI seasons, and 370 home runs despite missing 3 seasons due to World War II. At the time he played his last game, he was 11th on the all-time home run list, trailing only Jimmie Foxx and, just recently surpassed at that point, Willie Mays among righthanders (and Mickey Mantle if you count switch-hitters).

He helped the Dodgers win 7 Pennants (6 in Brooklyn, 1 in Los Angeles) and 2 World Series (1 in each city). His Number 14 was retired by the Mets, but not by the Dodgers. There is no good reason to not have Hodges in the Hall.

St. Louis is loaded at 1st base for its history, having Honorable Mentions dishable out to St. Louis natives Roy Sievers and Ryan Howard (who may replace Hodges as the starter someday); 1890s hitting star and Hall-of-Famer Jake Beckley of Hannibal, Missouri; and Hodges' fellow Hoosier Don Mattingly of Evansville.

2B Red Schoendienst of Germantown, Illinois. A 10-time All-Star, he helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 1946 and the Milwaukee Braves to do it in 1957, and another Pennant in '58. He suffered from tuberculosis and missed most of '59 and half of '60, or else the Braves might have won 4 straight Pennants.

He led the NL in stolen bases as a rookie in 1945, doubles and sacrifice hits in 1950, and hits in 1957. Lifetime batting average .289, and never a home run hitter, but collected 2,449 hits including 427 doubles in an illness-shortened playing career.

He returned to the Cardinals as their manager, winning the 1967 World Series and the 1968 Pennant. Has occasionally returned as Cards' interim manager, such as during Ken Boyer's fatal illness. The Cards have retired his Number 2, and he is in the Hall of Fame.

SS Don Kessinger of Forrest City, Arkansas. A 6-time All-Star and a 3-time Gold Glove, the Chicago Cub shortstop was part of a few close-but-no-cigar finishes, and never appeared in the postseason. He was also, across town with the White Sox in 1979, the last player-manager in the American League.

Honorable Mention to the John Richard Schofield and Richard Craig Schofield, both of Springfield, Illinois. Both major league players and both known as "Dick" and "Ducky," officially they are not "Senior" and "Junior." And neither can push Kessinger out of the starting lineup. However, with John Richard's grandson and Richard Craig's nephew, Jayson Werth, also reaching the majors, this is now a 3-generation MLB family.

3B George Kell of Swifton, Arkansas. Best known for just barely beating out Ted Williams for the AL batting title in 1949, thus denying him a record 3rd Triple Crown, in each of the next 2 seasons Kell led the AL in both hits and doubles.

 He was a 10-time All-Star, with a .306 lifetime batting average, and after his retirement returned to the Detroit Tigers to become one of many fine broadcasters for that franchise. He is in the Hall of Fame, although none of the numbers he wore has been retired (mainly wore 21 and 7).

The St. Louis region is also loaded at this position: Bill Madlock of Memphis, Tennessee; Gary Gaetti of Centralia, Illinois; Kevin Seitzer of Springfield, Illinois; and Scott Rolen of Evansville, Indiana, who might one day succeed Kell here.

LF Walter "Hoot" Evers of Collinsville, Illinois. A Detroit teammate of Kell's and a 2-time All-Star, when Kell led the AL in hits and doubles in 1950, Evers led it in triples.

 It is a bit ironic that while the St. Louis region had Stan Musial, one of baseball's 20 greatest players ever, in left field (although he also played a lot of 1st base), Hoot is the best the region can do for a native left fielder. It's also unfortunate that both Kell and Evers arrived in Detroit after the 1934-45 period that saw the Tigers win 4 Pennants and 2 World Series: The closest they got was a 2nd-place finish in 1950.

CF Max Carey of Terre Haute, Indiana. A .285 lifetime batting average came from getting 2,665 hits, including 419 doubles and 159 triples. And once he got on base, that's when the fun started: He stole 738 bases, a total topped by only 4 guys before (Billy Hamilton, Arlie Latham, and his contemporaries Ty Cobb and Eddie Collins) and only 4 guys since (Lou Brock, Rickey Henderson, Tim Raines and Vince Coleman). He led the NL in steals 10 times, topping 60 twice and 50 6 times, peaking with 63 in 1916.

He was a little unlucky, reaching the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1910, right after they won their 1st World Series, but was still there in 1925 when they won their 2nd, and he batted .458 with 2 RBIs in his only trip to the postseason. He retired before uniform numbers were worn, but he's in the Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention to Edd Roush of Oakland City, Indiana. "I didn't know if I'd make it to the major leagues," he said in an interview late in life, "but I didn't care. I just had to get away from those damn cows."

Getting away from those damn cows was good for him, and for the Cincinnati Reds. He had a lifetime batting average .323, OPS+ of 127, 2,376 hits, and was said to have had the best outfield arm of his era. He insisted until his death that the Cincinnati Reds would have won the 1919 World Series even if the White Sox had played it on the level.

He is in the Hall of Fame, and although he played before numbers were worn, he was probably the greatest player the Reds ever had until Johnny Bench came along.

Honorable Mention to Pete Reiser of St. Louis, Missouri. Branch Rickey, then running the Cardinals, started scouting Harold Patrick Reiser in 1931. The man nicknamed after a movie cowboy named Pistol Pete was no man yet: He was just 12 years old. Rickey finally signed him for the Cards in 1937, but in 1940 traded him to the Dodgers -- perhaps Rickey anticipated his own move to Brooklyn. Leo Durocher was the Dodger manager, and while Leo often said Willie Mays (also a center fielder, of course) was the greatest player he ever saw, he also once said Mays "might have been better than Reiser."

How good was this guy? In 1941, his1st full season in the majors, he led the NL in batting with .343, slugging, on-base percentage, total bases, runs, doubles and triples -- and the Dodgers won the Pennant. In 1942, he led it in stolen bases.

Then World War II intervened. In his next year of play, 1946, again he led the NL in steals. But his tendency to crash into hard concrete outfield walls to make catches -- say a prayer of thanks, Lenny Dykstra, for the padded walls of your era -- led to serious injuries, including a fractured skull and a separated shoulder. In 1947, another Dodger Pennant year, he batted .309 but broke his ankle late in the season. He was 28, having already lost the seasons of ages 24, 25 and 26 due to the war, and he never topped 258 plate appearances again.

He last played at age 33, and died at 62. One of the great what-if stories in baseball history. On the other hand, if Reiser hadn't continually gotten hurt, Duke Snider might never have become the Dodgers' center fielder.

Honorable Mention to Steve Finley of Paducah, Kentucky. Playing for several teams, he won 5 Gold Gloves, and while not a great hitter (only once topping 100 RBI in a hitting-happy era), he did collect 2,548 hits, including 449 doubles, 124 triples and 304 homers. He appeared in 2 World Series, both against the Yankees, losing with the San Diego Padres in 1998, and winning with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. He'll be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013, but I think he's a step short. Still, it might be nice for the D-backs to retire his Number 12.

RF Arnold "Bake" McBride of Fulton, Missouri. He kind of got lost in the shuffle with the 1976-83 Phillies' near-dynasty having Greg "the Bull" Luzinski in left field and Garry "the Secretary of Defense" Maddox in center. But he was a very good outfielder, won the NL Rookie of the Year in 1974 (with St. Louis, and the Cards were fools to get rid of him), batted .299 lifetime, and had his best year at just the right time, 1980, as the Phils won their 1st World Series.

C Lawrence "Yogi" Berra of St. Louis, Missouri -- the south side, the mostly-Italian "The Hill." Actually, that’s a shortened name, as it was known as "the Dago Hill," before "Dago" became an unacceptable slur. Yogi grew up across the street from Joe Garagiola, who was also a big-league catcher, although he's in the Hall of Fame as a broadcaster.

Yogi won World Championships with the Yankees in 1947, '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '56, '58, '61 and '62, plus Pennants in '55, '57, '60 and '63. His 14 appearances, 10 championships, games, at-bats and hits are the most in World Series history. Hall of Fame, All-Century Team, Number 8 retired by the Yankees, Monument Park. His 358 home runs are the most ever by a player 5-foot-8 or shorter, although he's no longer the all-time leader in home runs by a catcher.

And he's the only man ever to win Pennants as manager of both the Yankees and the Mets, in 1964 and '73, although both times his team lost Game 7.

By a weird coincidence, Yogi's backups on this team are his predecessor and successor as Yankee catcher:

Bill Dickey of Searcy, Arkansas: Prior to Yogi and Johnny Bench, was considered, along with Mickey Cochrane, as perhaps the greatest catcher ever. 8 Pennants and 7 World Championships with the Yankees from 1932 to 1943. Hall of Fame, Number 8 co-retired with Yogi, Monument Park.

Elston Howard of St. Louis, Missouri: The 1st black Yankee, 9 Pennants, plus 1 more with the Boston Red Sox in 1967, and 4 World Championships. Number 32 retired, Monument Park.

Honorable Mention to Quincy Trouppe of St. Louis. A star in the Negro Leagues, especially for the Homestead Grays and Kansas City Monarchs, he was player-manager for the Cleveland Buckeyes, taking them to Negro American League Pennants in 1945 and 1947.

He spent 2 weeks with the Cleveland Indians, despite being 39 years old, and on May 3, 1952, he joined with Sam Jones (who, with the 1959 Cubs, became the first black pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the major leagues) to form the 1irst all-black battery in the American League. (Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe preceded them in the National League.) Along with his Monarch teammate Buck O'Neil, he is one of the black stars still deserving of the Baseball Hall of Fame who is not in.

SP Elwyn "Preacher" Roe of Viola, Arkansas. He didn't have a full season in the majors until he was 28, because of World War II, and then struggled with the Pirates. But upon coming to the Dodgers, he became the top lefty for the Boys of Summer. In 1951, he went 22-3. Finished 127-84, not counting a shutout of the Yankees in Game 2 of the 1949 World Series, but was gone by the time the Dodgers won it all in 1955.

SP Robin Roberts of Springfield, Illinois. He won 20 games. Six times. In a row. This included 20 in the Phillies' 1950 "Whiz Kids" Pennant season, and 28 in 1952, a total surpassed only once since (Denny McLain's 31 in 1968) and not otherwise matched since (Steve Carlton in 1972 and Bob Welch in 1990 reaching 27).

He won 286 games despite pitching most of his career for a mediocre Phils team. Named to 7 All-Star Games. Career ERA+ of 113, and WHIP of 1.170. Hall of Fame, and his Number 36 was the first ever retired by a Philadelphia sports team.

A statue of him was dedicated outside the first base gate of Citizens Bank Park when it opened. He died a few weeks ago, but lived to receive all of these accolades. Except, of course, for being named to this team.

SP Bob Turley of Troy, Illinois. In 1958 (and remember, until 1967 it was for the best pitcher in both Leagues), Bullet Bob, not Whitey Ford, became the 1st Yankee pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, going 21-7, plus winning Games 5 and 7 of the World Series, one of 4 titles he won. He came to the Yankees in the post-1954 deal that also brought in Don Larsen from the Baltimore Orioles. At the beginning of that season, he started and won the 1st home game in Oriole history, and in 1991, at Memorial Stadium's last Opening Day, he was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

SP Tommy John of Terre Haute, Indiana. He used a blazing fastball to win 124 games for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers -- which would be a fine career for most pitchers. Then, at age 31, he wrecked his elbow. Then he had surgery, a pioneering procedure that now bears his name. After sitting out a season, became a sinkerballer, and won 164 games for the Dodgers, Yankees, California Angels and Oakland Athletics -- winning more games after the surgery that could have ended his career (had it gone wrong) than he did before it.

Total wins: 288, the closest any 20th Century pitcher comes to 300 major league wins -- long considered a benchmark for Cooperstown -- without making it. His .555 career winning percentage should also open some eyes. He never pitched on a Series winner, although he did pitch for 6 teams that reached the postseason ('74, '77 & '78 Dodgers; '80 and '81 Yanks, '82 Angels). He belongs in the Hall.

SP Steve Rogers of Jefferson City, Missouri. If only the Montreal Expos had been better at the start of his career, and if only injury hadn't made him just 33 when he pitched his last good season. He still managed to win 158 games, still a record for the Expos/Nationals franchise. His career ERA+ was 116 and his WHIP 1.232.

Sadly, he'll probably be best remembered for giving up a Pennant-losing home run to a guy who almost made this team, Rick Monday of the Dodgers (born in Batesville, Arkansas but grew up in Santa Monica, California and thus ineligible for this team), on "Blue Monday," October 19, 1981. The Expos/Nationals franchise has never played another postseason game (although they were sabotaged by Bud Selig in 1994 and by their own ownership after that). It's also a little odd that the greatest pitcher in the history of this Canadian team shared the real name of the comic book character Captain America.

Honorable Mention to Mark Buehrle of St. Charles, Missouri. He's only 31, but he has already won 144 games, all for the White Sox, with an ERA+ of 121, plus 2 no-hitters, 1 of them a perfect game, and went 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in the Pale Hose's 2005 postseason, resulting in their first Pennant since the Ike Age and their first World Championship since World War I.

RP Jason Isringhausen of Brighton, Illinois. He was supposed to be one of the "Generation K" pitchers that would lift the Mets out of their early 1990s stink. By the time they got back to the postseason, though, all of those pitchers were injured, and none looked like they'd be able to contribute to anyone. But Izzy fooled them, accepting conversion to the bullpen -- a move Met manager Bobby Valentine had, with his usual acumen, said would be "using an Indy car as a taxi" -- and pitching in the postseason for the A's and Cardinals, including the 2006 World Championship.

At 37, he is coming off, oddly enough, Tommy John surgery, and is pitching for the Reds' top farm team. If his big-league career is over, it's still lasted a lot longer than anyone thought it would when the Mets discarded him, and he has 293 career saves. And who did the Mets get from the A's in exchange for Isringhausen and Greg McMichael in 1999? Billy Taylor, who pitched 18 games for them, none of them noteworthy. Yet another bonehead Met trade.

MGR Earl Weaver of East St. Louis, Illinois. He managed the Baltimore Orioles to 6 postseason berths, 4 Pennants and, strangely, only 1 World Championship, in 1970. (Hank Bauer managed them in 1966, and Joe Altobelli succeeded Earl in 1983 and won that year's Series.) But he's in the Hall of Fame, Number 4 retired, and, well, as political columnist, baseball nut, and Orioles stockholder George Will said, "Earl Weaver looked like a baseball manager should look": Short, chubby, gray hair, always angry, arguing with umpires.

I didn't always like him -- I'm still peeved that he had the field at Memorial Stadium watered down to get a rainout during a 1978 Yanks-O's series, even though the Yanks won the World Series that year anyway -- but he was a great one.