You are here: Home >Archive for December, 2008

With precedent set, Smith awaits call. Preeminent closer established curve, hoping for Hall nod

He seemed destined to be the one who threw open the Hall of Fame's doors for the influx of baseball's neo-knights, the closers. That did not happen, but now that Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage have done the honors, Lee Smith would be more than thrilled to follow his peers across the doorsill. If a [...]

Will third time be charm for McGwire?. First player to hit 70 homers has received little Hall support

A few years ago, Mark McGwire was widely considered a lock for Hall of Fame enshrinement. How times have changed. McGwire, who retired as the No. 5 home run hitter of all time (he's now eighth), looked like a stone-cold lock for immortality back when he called it a career following the 2001 season. Since [...]

McKay makes Canada proud. Hard work pays off for Cards’ first-base coach, a Vancouver native

He might be baseball's most unlikely "lifer." Raised in a hockey-mad country without playing organized baseball until he was 11, Dave McKay's road to the big leagues was anything but typical. "People ask me why I didn''t play high school baseball? Well, my high school didn't have a baseball team," said McKay, the Cardinals' first-base [...]

Rewind: Watch Game 7 of ’82 Series. MLB.com/Live to air Cardinals’ clincher over Brewers

After a strike-shortened 1981 season, baseball came back strong in 1982. In particular, the World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals, dubbed the Suds Series, came down to a great last call. Behind a temperamental starting pitcher and clutch hitting, St. Louis, home of Anheuser-Busch, beat Milwaukee, home of Miller, 6-3, in [...]

New-look Cards prove competitive. St. Louis surprises in 2008 despite youngsters, injuries

ST. LOUIS — They surprised everyone but themselves. Resisting the term "transitional year," the Cardinals insisted that they could and would compete in a significantly improved National League Central, and in fact they did. St. Louis won 86 games, its highest total since 2005, while working in quite a few young players from an improving [...]

Rooney savors family time at Christmas. Getting relatives together is best gift for Cardinals broadcaster

ST. LOUIS — John Rooney, one of the two men whose voices bring Cardinals baseball to radio listeners all over the Midwest and the country, is a busy fellow pretty much year-round. So when the December holidays offer him a chance to take a little break, he's delighted to take advantage. Rooney checked in with [...]

Fans can relive Gibson’s ’68 Series gem. MLB.com Live is replaying historic Fall Classic Game 1 on Friday

For pitching lovers, this was a dream matchup in a dream season. Cy Young winner vs. Cy Young winner. MVP vs. MVP. A 1.12 ERA vs. 31 wins. In Game 1 of the 1968 World Series, St. Louis' Bob Gibson, the National League MVP and ERA leader, dueled Detroit's Denny McLain, the American League MVP [...]

Fuentes reiterates interest in Angels. Closer could be scouted by Halos after Teixeira breakdown

The best available closer on the free-agent market is doing his part to let the Angels know he's interested. A week and a half since telling his hometown Northern California newspaper that the Angels were his first choice, left-hander and former Rockies closer Brian Fuentes reiterated his interest to the Los Angeles Times in Monday's [...]

Mailbag: Wait a second, Cards fans. Beat reporter Matthew Leach answers questions about infield

Welcome to the last mailbag of 2008. As always, if you have a question, use the link below to submit it — and please be sure to include your first name, last initial and hometown. If you send a regular e-mail, rather than using the form, be certain to use the word "mailbag" in the [...]

Cards confirm Pujols for Warm-Up. Team also releases list of items available at auction

ST. LOUIS — The Cardinals on Friday announced two big draws for the club's annual Winter Warm-Up. The club confirmed that two-time National League MVP Albert Pujols will attend and also released the extensive list of auction items that will be available to fans in attendance. Passes for the 13th annual Winter Warm-Up are still [...]