by LS Murphy
The moment finally arrived. The Cardinals are playing baseball. it's time to celebrate the upcoming, inevitable 2010 World Series Championship with our first spring training game.
We've been waiting for this moment since October when...well, you know. We won't talk about that now. The Cardianls travel today to Port St. Lucie to take on the Pond Scum, er, I meant to say Mets. The big guns didn't go but they don't need to. We know they'll be ready for Opening Day.
Brendan Ryan swears up and down he'll be ready Opening Day too. We'll see.
But none of that matters at this moment because the Cardinals are playing balla as we speak.
I think I speak for Cardinals Nation when I say "Thank God baseball has returned. Now let's get moving on Number 11".
Follow LS Murphy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LSMurphy
How Chris Rock Helps Me Get TLR
by: Brian F. LogushIn his 1996 HBO Comedy special Bring the Pain, actor/comedian Chris Rock had a bit about the O.J. Simpson murder trial. In it, he backhandedly defends Simpson had be committed the murders, citing the alimony and the fact that Ron Goldman was driving Juice's Ferrari. Rock repeated the line, "Now I'm not saying he should've killed her...but I understand."
So how is it possible to intertwine the most notorious murder trail of the 1990's to the St. Louis Cardinals? There is no real justification for it. One involved the deaths of two people, the threat of race riots in Los Angeles, and an LAPD conspiracy. The other is a team, playing just a game. It is not a matter of life or death.
DISCLAIMER: I am using the Simpson story as a vehicle for comparison. What you are about to read is related more towards Rock's line than the murder itself. I'm covering my bases over here. I'm not trying to piss anybody off.
With the exception of Ozzie Guillen of the ChiSox, there is no more controversial manager in baseball today than Tony LaRussa. Sure, Dusty Baker and his toothpick take up shop on the Reds' dugout steps. But it's been almost a decade since his nearly four-year-old son was rescued by J.T. Snow in the 2002 World Series. And yes, Jim Leyland still plays the part of the Motor City Marlboro Man, sending more smoke into the Detroit sky than the Ford plants could ever dream of. But for baseball reasons, LaRussa is That Guy.
There isn't a whole lot of middle ground. You are either with him or against him. His fans crow about his eleven winning seasons in fourteen years with the Cardinals, making the playoffs in eight. He also isn't afraid to do anything for an insurance run, be it from a double steal, or trying to swipe third. And then there's his lists of accomplishments: 3rd in wins, 2nd in games managed, only manager to win multiple pennants in both leagues... you get the idea.
Those against him are some of the most venomous people I have ever seen. No joke. LaHaters act like Tony rescues a puppy, nurses it back to health, and then drowns it in a metal tub in his basement, laughing maniacally. They say he screws up player's rhythms by sitting them for a favorable match-up on paper (2009 Ludwick is their favorite example). He ruins the integrity of the game by sending up Jeff Suppan in the eighth spot. And, of course, he is a champion for illicit behavior in baseball, in having the most infamous steroid-user on his coaching staff, a third baseman with a DUI on his record, and LaRussa himself with a 2007 DUI in Florida.
I am on LaRussa's side. Let me rephrase that. I am more on his side than against him. I believe, overall, that he has been far more helpful to the team than hurtful. I look at the big picture, and what he has accomplished in his tenure by far outweighs what drives me up the wall.
First, there is sitting the hot guy and playing the stats. Most recently, we saw Ryan Ludwick turn in 2-for-4 and 3-for-3 efforts, then get benched for Colby Rasmus. LaRussa has stats for everything imaginable, and for some that aren't. So if his notes say Ludwick is 1-for-12 against a certain pitcher, he makes the bet it won't improve today, so he sends up the future franchise cornerstone to get a shot; see if he can pick something up that will set him up beautifully at a later time. Personally, I dislike the move. I am a firm believer in momentum. Ludwick is 5 for his last 7. He deserves a shot to improve against this guy. But numbers do not lie, not to a guy like Tony. So Rasmus gets two or three cuts, and the 2008 All-Star sits next to Jason LaRue, discussing the finer points of the Fu Man Chu. Now I'm not saying he should've played Ludwick...but I understand.
Then there is batting the pitcher eighth. The first time I remember seeing this was in the dying months of 2007. I went to my roommate Dan's room and asked him what the hell was going on? He looked at me and said one word, "Tony." I didn't get it. But it appeared Tony knew what he was doing. While batting the pitcher eighth, the Cards scored more runs per game (4.64 to 4.34). Pitchers hit 19 points higher (.191 to .210) and the nine spot improved their slugging percentage by 50 points (.338 to .388). Now, in this scenario, it can very easily backfire on you. Maybe you get bases loaded and, batting eighth is...Kip Wells? Well, he couldn't be any worse at the plate than he was on the bump. But again, the end justified the means. Now I'm not saying he should've let Yadi hit eighth where he belongs...but I understand.
Finally, there is the ethics factor. People who love to bash on LaRussa (read: Slaten, Kevin) say that he enables cheating in baseball, and should be banished from baseball with all the other cheaters, never to return. Guilt by association. Do you realize that in 2010, the Cardinals will have admitted user Mark McGwire, past user Ryan Franklin, alcoholic David Freese, and mega-alcoholic Tony LaRussa being introduced at the home opener? My God. This is the argument that impresses me the least. LaRussa doesn't condone cheating, and he certainly doesn't encourage players to get wasted and cruise around South County. Freese and LaRussa both went through a program, Franklin has moved on, and McGwire is ready to start a new chapter of his life. One thing I appreciate about LaRussa is that he is fiercely loyal. To think he was going to throw his good friend under the bus is ridiculous. He protected McGwire because he cares about him. Like a good friend would do. When the teacher asks you who threw the spitball at the board, are you going to point to your best friend? Mikey did it Mrs. Allen. You look out for people you care about. It won't go over very well, but friendship bonds aren't broken that easily. Now I'm not saying McGwire was the best choice...but I understand.
If you want to knock LaRussa, do it for the obvious choice: The man wears sunglasses at night. After all, the man is no Corey Hart.
A Penny Earned?
by LS Murphy
Pitchers and catchers and coaches, oh my!
Reports are already streaming in from Jupiter today as pitches are gingerly tossed and muscles are gently stretched. One of the newest to the Cardinals has a lot to learn with his fifth team in his career. Brad Penny arrived in Jupiter ready to make a mark on the team, the staff, and, most importantly, the fans.
Penny was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round in 1996 but made his major league debut with Florida on April 7, 2000. He also had his first major league win that day. He went on to win a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003.
Traded to the Dodgers after the Marlins famous “fire sale” in 2004, Penny hit the disabled list in his second start. An attempted comeback in September of that year ended in injury that prompted him to start the 2005 season on the DL. He completed the remainder of the 2005 season fairly strong but injury free.
In 2006, Penny had the honor of being named an All Star and started for the National League under then Houston Astros manager Phil Garner. His fastball averaged 93.9 mph that season. The following season, Penny again joined the National League All Star team.
After several strong years in Dodger blue, Penny struggled in 2008. He ended up on the DL again and returned to continue his difficulties in the bullpen. He also threw a 96 mph fastball into the right jaw of umpire Kerwin Danley. Danley’s trip to the ER ended 5 hours later when he was released. The Dodgers gave up and declined the option for 2009.
Penny signed with the Boston Red Sox and the woes continued into the 2009 season. After being moved to the bullpen in favor of Tim Wakefield, Penny asked for and was granted his release at the end of August. The San Francisco Giants picked him up for the remainder of the season with the Red Sox footing all but the league minimum of 400k. Something the Red Sox did a lot in 2009.
December 7, 2009, Penny inked a one-year deal with the Cardinals.
Regardless of his bad seasons, Cardinals fans expect to see the Penny of old. With future Hall of Fame coaches Dave Duncan and Tony LaRussa behind, Brad Penny can be certain of one thing, he came to the right city to rediscover that 93 mph fastball.
Pitchers and catchers and coaches, oh my!
Reports are already streaming in from Jupiter today as pitches are gingerly tossed and muscles are gently stretched. One of the newest to the Cardinals has a lot to learn with his fifth team in his career. Brad Penny arrived in Jupiter ready to make a mark on the team, the staff, and, most importantly, the fans.
Penny was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round in 1996 but made his major league debut with Florida on April 7, 2000. He also had his first major league win that day. He went on to win a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003.
Traded to the Dodgers after the Marlins famous “fire sale” in 2004, Penny hit the disabled list in his second start. An attempted comeback in September of that year ended in injury that prompted him to start the 2005 season on the DL. He completed the remainder of the 2005 season fairly strong but injury free.
In 2006, Penny had the honor of being named an All Star and started for the National League under then Houston Astros manager Phil Garner. His fastball averaged 93.9 mph that season. The following season, Penny again joined the National League All Star team.
After several strong years in Dodger blue, Penny struggled in 2008. He ended up on the DL again and returned to continue his difficulties in the bullpen. He also threw a 96 mph fastball into the right jaw of umpire Kerwin Danley. Danley’s trip to the ER ended 5 hours later when he was released. The Dodgers gave up and declined the option for 2009.
Penny signed with the Boston Red Sox and the woes continued into the 2009 season. After being moved to the bullpen in favor of Tim Wakefield, Penny asked for and was granted his release at the end of August. The San Francisco Giants picked him up for the remainder of the season with the Red Sox footing all but the league minimum of 400k. Something the Red Sox did a lot in 2009.
December 7, 2009, Penny inked a one-year deal with the Cardinals.
Regardless of his bad seasons, Cardinals fans expect to see the Penny of old. With future Hall of Fame coaches Dave Duncan and Tony LaRussa behind, Brad Penny can be certain of one thing, he came to the right city to rediscover that 93 mph fastball.
Best Cardinals Second Baseman of All-Time
by Mark Ashby Vaughan
This is the fourth in a series of ten articles counting down the best ever Cardinals players at each position.
As I said in the first article of this series, I will be going around the diamond based on the box score number of each position and picking the top two players at that position.
This being the fourth article in the series, let’s take a look at the number 4 position – Second Baseman.
Without dancing around the subject, the greatest ever, hands down, is Rogers Hornsby (1927 – 1937).
“The Rajah”, as he was called, is one of the greatest ever hitters in MLB history. Hornsby owns the highest career batting average (.358) ever for a right-handed hitter which is also good for highest average all-time for a National League (NL) player. The only player to have a higher career average is Ty Cobb at .366, bettering Hornsby by a miniscule .0079 percentage points.
Hornsby’s 1924 batting average of .424 is the highest in the past 85 years and he is the only player to win the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice. His .424 mark is also the highest NL average during the 20th century.
Just 19 years old when he came to the club in 1915, Hornsby was a regular the very next year. Proving the move was the right one for the team, he hit for a .313 average which was 4th highest in the league.
Having played most of his games at third base and shortstop through 1919, he permanently switched to second base in 1920. The move to second must have been to his liking, judging by his .370 batting average for the league’s batting title that year.
In 1922, Hornsby became the only player ever to hit over 40 home runs while batting over .400 in the same season. He also won his first Triple Crown award that year.
The Rajah won his first MVP award after the 1925 season in which he batted .403 with 203 hits, 41 doubles, 39 home runs and 143 RBIs. He also led the league with a 1.245 On Base Percentage (OBP). His .756 slugging percentage that year was the highest in the NL during the 20th century.
Rogers Hornsby had one of the most incredible hitting stretches ever starting with the 1921 season and running through 1925. During that period, the Rajah hit over .400 three times and averaged 216 hits, 41 doubles, 29 home runs and 120 RBIs per year. His batting average over that five year span was an incredible .402, a mark which any serious baseball fan or statistician would consider completely out of reach for any future player.
He also won the NL batting title every year during that span and finished his career with a total of seven titles.
Hornsby dropped his average dramatically the next year (.317) but, in an ironic twist, the 1926 season was to be the first National League pennant in Cardinals’ history. The Birds also went on to beat the mighty New York Yankees, who were led by the celebrated duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, for the team’s first World Series title.
In the bottom of the 9th inning of game 7, one of the most bizarre endings to a World Series occurred. With two outs and nobody on, and the Cardinals leading by a score of 3 to 2, Babe Ruth walked against Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander. With Bob Meusel at the plate, Ruth attempted to steal second base. The throw from catcher Bob O’Farrell beat him to the bag and Ruth was tagged out by Hornsby to end the game and the Series. Considering the numbers of Meusel that year, a.290 average, 33 HRs and 138 RBIs, and the fact that the Babe had attempted just three stolen bases all year, the play goes down as one of the all-time blunders in sporting history.
After winning the World Series title, the Rajah demanded a higher salary and a 5-year contract for $50,000. Owner Sam Breadon was willing to offer Hornsby just a 4-year deal for $40,000. Incredibly, after Hornsby dug in his heels, he was traded to the New York Giants for future HOFer Frankie Frisch and forgettable pitcher Jimmy Ring in one of the most shocking Cardinals’ moves ever.
The only other trade more shocking, in my opinion, is the Steve Carlton to the Phillies for pitcher Rick Wise. Wise lasted just two seasons with the Birds while Carlton went on to win four Cy Young awards with the Phillies. The Birds probably would have won at least two more division titles in the 1970s with Carlton on the mound, considering that they finished in 2nd place in both the 1973 and 1974 seasons, finishing just 1 ½ games behind the division leaders those two years. Without a Wild-Card in those years, the Birds were unable to reach the playoffs for another shot at a NL and/or MLB championship title.
Rajah hit the most home runs and drove in the most runs in the NL during the 1920s. Hornsby also had the highest batting average of any NL player during that decade, making him one of just four players in baseball history to win a "decade" triple crown. The other three players are Honus Wagner, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols.
Hornsby’s seven NL batting titles set the team record until it was tied by Stan Musial (’43, ’46, ’48, ’50, ’51, ’52, ’57). The only other NL players to win more, at eight, are Honus Wagner and Tony Gwynn. The all-time leader is Ty Cobb with eleven batting titles, all in the American League (AL).
Other notable accomplishments by Hornsby: He is the only two-time winner of the NL Triple Crown (’22, ’25); He is the only right-handed hitter in the 20th century to hit .400 in three seasons and he was the first NL player ever to hit 40 homers in a season.
The only other two-time Triple Crown winner is Ted Williams (’42, ’47), who noted in his autobiography that Hornsby was the greatest hitter for average and power in the history of baseball.
Borrowing from a then aging Hornsby, a young Ted Williams spoke with him about hitting and Rogers revealed his simple secret, "Wait for a good pitch to hit" which quickly became Williams' credo throughout his HOF career.
Legendary MLB Commissioner, ‘Judge’ Kenesaw ‘Mountain’ Landis , who had already banned for life several Chicago Black Sox players for throwing the 1919 World Series, was repulsed by even the slightest suggestion of players gambling -- and Hornsby was a major player at the horse track. Landis called Hornsby into his office to reprimand him for betting on races, but he failed to frighten Rogers. Instead, Hornsby barked at Landis, accusing the commissioner of playing the stock market with funds from the Commissioner’s office. Knowing that this news would cause a major scandal if Hornsby exposed it to the papers, Landis promptly relented about Hornsby's gambling.
During his playing days with the Cardinals, Hornsby amassed a total of 5,798 at bats, 1,038 runs, 2,083 hits, 316 doubles, 143 triples, 191 HRs, 1,051 RBIs, 117 stolen bases while hitting at a .359 clip.
Quotes by Rogers Hornsby:
"I don't like to sound egotistical, but every time I stepped up to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the pitcher."
"I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it."
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
The Cardinals retired Hornsby’s number is 1937.
The #2 spot on the list of Best Cardinals Second Baseman of All-Time goes to Hall of Famer Francis ‘Frankie’ Frisch (1927 – 1937) also known as ‘The Fordham Flash’.
Frisch picked up his nickname “The Fordham Flash” from his multi-sport days at Fordham University.
Frisch never played a single game in the minors. He joined the New York Giants in 1919 and was so spectacular and competitive that his manager, John McGraw, soon named him the Giant’s team captain.
Frisch was a switch-hitter who held the career record for hits at 2,880 until he was caught and passed by Pete Rose during the 1977 season.
Ironically, Frisch had a falling out with manager John McGraw as Hornsby did with the Cardinal’s owner and they were traded for each other before the 1927 season.
Frisch led the Cardinals to four National League titles and two World Series wins. In fact, the team appeared in the Series 3 out of 4 years between 1928 and 1931. After losing the first 2 Series (’28 & ’30) to the Yankees and A’s respectively, the Cardinals rebounded with wins in ’31 versus the A’s and in ’34 against the Tigers.
He was also named the NL MVP in 1931 with a .311 average, 114 RBIs and a league leading 28 stolen bases.
In 1933, Frisch became player manager of the Cardinals and led the legendary “Gashouse Gang” to the pennant and title in 1934. The Gang had the likes of Leo ‘The Lip’ Durocher, brothers Paul and Dizzy Dean, Pepper Martin, Rip Collins and Joe ‘Ducky’ Medwick.
Frisch retired after the 1937 season but stayed on as manager for another year. His managerial record with the Cardinals was 458 – 354 for an impressive .564 winning percentage. He also managed the team to a WS title in ’34. He went on to manage both the Pirates and Cubs and, reflecting his fiery temper as a player, he was tossed from games 86 times in all which places him at 5th place all-time in that category.
Honorable Mention goes to Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst (1945 – 1956, ’61 – ’63) who also managed the team from 1965 to 1976 and short stints in both 1980 and 1990. He managed the El Birdos to NL pennants in ’67 and ’68, winning the WS in 1967 against the Boston Red Sox. His overall managerial mark is 1,041 and 955 for a .522 winning percentage.
Note: The links below refer back to any previously published ‘Greatest Cardinal Player’ articles written by this author --
Pitcher: http://www.cardinalsmix.com/2009/11/best-cardinals-pitcher-of-all-time.html
Catcher: http://www.cardinalsmix.com/2009/11/best-cardinals-catcher-of-all-time.html
1st Base: http://www.cardinalsmix.com/2009/12/best-cardinals-first-baseman-of-all.html
This is the fourth in a series of ten articles counting down the best ever Cardinals players at each position.
As I said in the first article of this series, I will be going around the diamond based on the box score number of each position and picking the top two players at that position.
This being the fourth article in the series, let’s take a look at the number 4 position – Second Baseman.
Without dancing around the subject, the greatest ever, hands down, is Rogers Hornsby (1927 – 1937).
“The Rajah”, as he was called, is one of the greatest ever hitters in MLB history. Hornsby owns the highest career batting average (.358) ever for a right-handed hitter which is also good for highest average all-time for a National League (NL) player. The only player to have a higher career average is Ty Cobb at .366, bettering Hornsby by a miniscule .0079 percentage points.
Hornsby’s 1924 batting average of .424 is the highest in the past 85 years and he is the only player to win the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice. His .424 mark is also the highest NL average during the 20th century.
Just 19 years old when he came to the club in 1915, Hornsby was a regular the very next year. Proving the move was the right one for the team, he hit for a .313 average which was 4th highest in the league.
Having played most of his games at third base and shortstop through 1919, he permanently switched to second base in 1920. The move to second must have been to his liking, judging by his .370 batting average for the league’s batting title that year.
In 1922, Hornsby became the only player ever to hit over 40 home runs while batting over .400 in the same season. He also won his first Triple Crown award that year.
The Rajah won his first MVP award after the 1925 season in which he batted .403 with 203 hits, 41 doubles, 39 home runs and 143 RBIs. He also led the league with a 1.245 On Base Percentage (OBP). His .756 slugging percentage that year was the highest in the NL during the 20th century.
Rogers Hornsby had one of the most incredible hitting stretches ever starting with the 1921 season and running through 1925. During that period, the Rajah hit over .400 three times and averaged 216 hits, 41 doubles, 29 home runs and 120 RBIs per year. His batting average over that five year span was an incredible .402, a mark which any serious baseball fan or statistician would consider completely out of reach for any future player.
He also won the NL batting title every year during that span and finished his career with a total of seven titles.
Hornsby dropped his average dramatically the next year (.317) but, in an ironic twist, the 1926 season was to be the first National League pennant in Cardinals’ history. The Birds also went on to beat the mighty New York Yankees, who were led by the celebrated duo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, for the team’s first World Series title.
In the bottom of the 9th inning of game 7, one of the most bizarre endings to a World Series occurred. With two outs and nobody on, and the Cardinals leading by a score of 3 to 2, Babe Ruth walked against Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander. With Bob Meusel at the plate, Ruth attempted to steal second base. The throw from catcher Bob O’Farrell beat him to the bag and Ruth was tagged out by Hornsby to end the game and the Series. Considering the numbers of Meusel that year, a.290 average, 33 HRs and 138 RBIs, and the fact that the Babe had attempted just three stolen bases all year, the play goes down as one of the all-time blunders in sporting history.
After winning the World Series title, the Rajah demanded a higher salary and a 5-year contract for $50,000. Owner Sam Breadon was willing to offer Hornsby just a 4-year deal for $40,000. Incredibly, after Hornsby dug in his heels, he was traded to the New York Giants for future HOFer Frankie Frisch and forgettable pitcher Jimmy Ring in one of the most shocking Cardinals’ moves ever.
The only other trade more shocking, in my opinion, is the Steve Carlton to the Phillies for pitcher Rick Wise. Wise lasted just two seasons with the Birds while Carlton went on to win four Cy Young awards with the Phillies. The Birds probably would have won at least two more division titles in the 1970s with Carlton on the mound, considering that they finished in 2nd place in both the 1973 and 1974 seasons, finishing just 1 ½ games behind the division leaders those two years. Without a Wild-Card in those years, the Birds were unable to reach the playoffs for another shot at a NL and/or MLB championship title.
Rajah hit the most home runs and drove in the most runs in the NL during the 1920s. Hornsby also had the highest batting average of any NL player during that decade, making him one of just four players in baseball history to win a "decade" triple crown. The other three players are Honus Wagner, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols.
Hornsby’s seven NL batting titles set the team record until it was tied by Stan Musial (’43, ’46, ’48, ’50, ’51, ’52, ’57). The only other NL players to win more, at eight, are Honus Wagner and Tony Gwynn. The all-time leader is Ty Cobb with eleven batting titles, all in the American League (AL).
Other notable accomplishments by Hornsby: He is the only two-time winner of the NL Triple Crown (’22, ’25); He is the only right-handed hitter in the 20th century to hit .400 in three seasons and he was the first NL player ever to hit 40 homers in a season.
The only other two-time Triple Crown winner is Ted Williams (’42, ’47), who noted in his autobiography that Hornsby was the greatest hitter for average and power in the history of baseball.
Borrowing from a then aging Hornsby, a young Ted Williams spoke with him about hitting and Rogers revealed his simple secret, "Wait for a good pitch to hit" which quickly became Williams' credo throughout his HOF career.
Legendary MLB Commissioner, ‘Judge’ Kenesaw ‘Mountain’ Landis , who had already banned for life several Chicago Black Sox players for throwing the 1919 World Series, was repulsed by even the slightest suggestion of players gambling -- and Hornsby was a major player at the horse track. Landis called Hornsby into his office to reprimand him for betting on races, but he failed to frighten Rogers. Instead, Hornsby barked at Landis, accusing the commissioner of playing the stock market with funds from the Commissioner’s office. Knowing that this news would cause a major scandal if Hornsby exposed it to the papers, Landis promptly relented about Hornsby's gambling.
During his playing days with the Cardinals, Hornsby amassed a total of 5,798 at bats, 1,038 runs, 2,083 hits, 316 doubles, 143 triples, 191 HRs, 1,051 RBIs, 117 stolen bases while hitting at a .359 clip.
Quotes by Rogers Hornsby:
"I don't like to sound egotistical, but every time I stepped up to the plate with a bat in my hands, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the pitcher."
"I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it."
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."
The Cardinals retired Hornsby’s number is 1937.
The #2 spot on the list of Best Cardinals Second Baseman of All-Time goes to Hall of Famer Francis ‘Frankie’ Frisch (1927 – 1937) also known as ‘The Fordham Flash’.
Frisch picked up his nickname “The Fordham Flash” from his multi-sport days at Fordham University.
Frisch never played a single game in the minors. He joined the New York Giants in 1919 and was so spectacular and competitive that his manager, John McGraw, soon named him the Giant’s team captain.
Frisch was a switch-hitter who held the career record for hits at 2,880 until he was caught and passed by Pete Rose during the 1977 season.
Ironically, Frisch had a falling out with manager John McGraw as Hornsby did with the Cardinal’s owner and they were traded for each other before the 1927 season.
Frisch led the Cardinals to four National League titles and two World Series wins. In fact, the team appeared in the Series 3 out of 4 years between 1928 and 1931. After losing the first 2 Series (’28 & ’30) to the Yankees and A’s respectively, the Cardinals rebounded with wins in ’31 versus the A’s and in ’34 against the Tigers.
He was also named the NL MVP in 1931 with a .311 average, 114 RBIs and a league leading 28 stolen bases.
In 1933, Frisch became player manager of the Cardinals and led the legendary “Gashouse Gang” to the pennant and title in 1934. The Gang had the likes of Leo ‘The Lip’ Durocher, brothers Paul and Dizzy Dean, Pepper Martin, Rip Collins and Joe ‘Ducky’ Medwick.
Frisch retired after the 1937 season but stayed on as manager for another year. His managerial record with the Cardinals was 458 – 354 for an impressive .564 winning percentage. He also managed the team to a WS title in ’34. He went on to manage both the Pirates and Cubs and, reflecting his fiery temper as a player, he was tossed from games 86 times in all which places him at 5th place all-time in that category.
Honorable Mention goes to Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst (1945 – 1956, ’61 – ’63) who also managed the team from 1965 to 1976 and short stints in both 1980 and 1990. He managed the El Birdos to NL pennants in ’67 and ’68, winning the WS in 1967 against the Boston Red Sox. His overall managerial mark is 1,041 and 955 for a .522 winning percentage.
Note: The links below refer back to any previously published ‘Greatest Cardinal Player’ articles written by this author --
Pitcher: http://www.cardinalsmix.com/2009/11/best-cardinals-pitcher-of-all-time.html
Catcher: http://www.cardinalsmix.com/2009/11/best-cardinals-catcher-of-all-time.html
1st Base: http://www.cardinalsmix.com/2009/12/best-cardinals-first-baseman-of-all.html
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