cards' top 20 homers

by lboros on Jan 21, 2008 7:25 AM EST in News Comment 109 comments

today's tournament results are directly below.

i'm on the road for the next 3 days, so this is a canned post --- not enough preservatives in it to kill you, i hope. a week or three ago, joe posnanski wrote a post listing the 20 greatest homers in baseball history. he cautioned that it was his very own personal, subjective list --- as opposed to some purportedly objective result of some purportedly objective method. in the same spirit, i'm gonna list my 20 greatest homers in cardinals history --- my own opinion. your mileage may (and undoubtedly will) vary. here we go:

honorable mention: mike laga, september 15 1986, off ron darling: not really a homer, so it doesn't count --- but it went all the way out of the damn stadium, albeit foul by a mile . . . . turns out that was a pretty exciting ballgame, one worthy of the cards-mets rivalry of that era (even though that year's race had already long been decided) --- scoreless tie into the 13th, cards won it on a walk, bunt, infield hit, intentional walk, and (with the bases loaded) walk to curt ford. final score, 1-0.

20. carl taylor, august 11 1970, off ron herbel: this is not really a very important home run, but it holds a special place in family lore --- and it's my list, dammit. i was 7 years old, at the game with my dad, my brothers, and a cousin who was visiting from new york. the cards fell behind 8-1 early and were still down 4 by the bottom of the 9th; then, with 2 outs, the journeyman taylor came off the bench and blasted a walkoff grand slam. years from now, when my brothers and i are roommates in the alzheimer's ward, i reckon we'll still nod at each other from time to time and say: "carl taylor; yep. carl taylor." lengthier writeup at the old blog.

19. rick ankiel, august 9 2007, off doug brocail: the carl taylor homer writ large --- a moment so indelible that several generations of fans (young, old, and in between) will never forget it.

18. tom lawless, october 21 1987, off frank viola: the homer was big, yeah --- it broke a 1-1 tie and put the cards up by 3 in a game they had to win --- but it's only on the list because of the pose, bat flip, and trot. lawless had homered only once in his big-league career (in 1984), but you'd never know it from the way he strolled down the line, bat still in hand, admiring every millimeter of the baseball's journey over the wall (which it barely cleared). jack buck (calling the game on national radio) had a priceless call of this homer, which went something like: "the cardinals go ahead on a 3-run homer by tom [pause] lawless [longer pause] . . . . folks, that is hard to believe."

17. fernando tatis, april 23 1999, off chan ho park: my wife (then girlfriend) and i were in st louis for a bat mitzvah; we'd just flown in and were sitting around getting caught up with my parents, with the ballgame on in the background. nobody was paying much attention to the game, but we did note tatis' first grand slam and were engaged enough that one of us said, as the lineup cycled around: "hah, that'd be nuts if he got a chance to hit another one." tatis was batting 4th, and the bases were loaded for the leadoff man, darren bragg; they stayed loaded through 2 batters (bragg reached on an error, renteria singled in a run) to bring up mcgwire, who seemed sure to ruin the opportunity. dad and i had by then peeled off from the conversation, and mom and heidi soon joined us in front of the set. "c'mon, walk him," we were all saying; big mac obligingly flied out to short right, keeping the sacks jammed for the immortal moment.

16. george hendrick, july 4 1980, off kevin saucier: i know george hendrick once hit a home run off the face of the stadium club at busch II; i'm pretty sure it was this one, ending a game that had been deadlocked at 0-0 for almost 10 innings. this happened long before the ball and / or the players were juiced, when it was virtually impossible to hit a home run into the upper deck at old busch (i think only willie stargell and mike schmidt had done it up to that point). hendrick's blast didn't quite reach the upper deck, but only because the windows of the stadium club got in the way; the ball still seemed to be rising when it bounced off the plexiglass. i saw it in person.

15. mark whiten, september 7 1993, off rob dibble: how stunning was this --- four homers in a game by a cardinal? this was only 1993, remember --- a date more proximate to whiteyball than to mcgwireball. busch II was still at its native proportions (ie, 414 to dead center and 386 to the gaps), and the team had witnessed only two 30-homer seasons in its history (not surprisingly, this game took place on the road). nor was it a particularly homer-heavy season; only 2 nl players topped 40 homers. whiten's feat was about as likely as it would be for brendan ryan to tie the single-game record for stolen bases (and who knows what it is?).

14. brian jordan, october 13 1996, off greg mcmichael: another personal favorite --- my dad called this homer, down to the pitch. the cards had rallied from an 0-3 deficit the previous (7th) inning to tie the score; when jordan stepped up in the 8th one 1 out and the tie still in force, dad said something like: "i think it's jordan's turn to be the hero today." so what are you saying, dad --- you think he's gonna hit it out? "that's what i'm saying." on this pitch? "this pitch." boom! --- jordan lines it into the left-field bullpen, and the cards win the game 4-3. it would be their last win of 1996 . . . . .

13. mark mcgwire, may 16 1998, off livan hernandez: the longest homer ever at busch II, a 545-foot missile off the post-dispatch ad in centerfield. it was his 16th of the year in his 171st plate appearance, a rate of 1 dinger per 10.7 pa, an incredible rate; he would hit 54 more over his remaining 510 plate appearances, or 1 dinger per 9.4 plate appearances.

12. stan musial, may 2 1954 (game 2), off hoyt wilhelm: i had to find some way to get The Man on this list --- just through dumb luck, at least one of those 475 homers he hit for the cardinals must have been important. unfortunately, his only postseason homer (in the 1944 series) wasn't particularly crucial, and the regular-season boxscores aren't available for most of his career (retrosheet's archive only goes back to 1957). his walkoff in the bottom of the 14th won the 1955 all-star game, but it wasn't truly a "cardinal" homer; so i went with this, musial's famous 5th home run in a doubleheader --- which made him the first big-leaguer to hit 5 homers in a single day.

11. mark mcgwire, september 8 1998, off steve trachsel: number 62. would rank higher if not for --- well, you know.

10. terry pendleton, september 11 1987, off roger mcdowell: the cards were down to their last out in this game and 3 run behind the noxious mets. they'd only mustered 1 hit through 8 innings; they'd lost jack clark for the season; and they were about to blow the last vestiges of a once-9.5-game lead. the shea faithful were aroar, and mcgee's RBI basehit with 2 outs in the 9th did nothing to shut them up --- the mets still led by 2, and against this slumping bunch of cards it might as well have been 20. pendleton coolly moved forward in the batter's box, hoping to catch mcdowell's sinker before the late break; he lifted one to center, and (from my vantage point 3,500 miles away) it looked like an easy out coming off the bat. but dykstra kept going back, then looked up . . . . . for me, this was the true "go crazy, folks" moment of the 1980s. the cards went on to win that game in the 10th, then pounded the still-stunned mets the next day; pendleton's homer brought a left-for-dead team back to life and sent it on to a division title.

9. ken boyer, october 11 1964, off al downing: after their 9-run outburst in game 1 of the '64 series, the cards' bats went silent. they scored only 4 runs in the next two games and lost both (dropping game 3 on a walkoff homer by mantle), and they managed only 1 hit through the first 5 innings of game 4. trailing 3-0 in the top of the 6th at yankee stadium, they were staring a 1-3 series deficit in the face. with 2 on and 1 out, groat hit a double-play ball to richardson that should have ended the inning; he booted it and everyone was safe. boyer made them pay big time: his grand slam gave the cardinals their first lead since early in game 2. ron taylor made it stand up, and the cardinals evened the series.

8. tim mccarver, october 12 1964, off pete mikkelsen: the day after boyer's grand slam knotted the series at 2 games apiece, bob gibson threw a masterpiece. after putting down an early threat, he retired 10 men in a row and breezed through to the 9th with a 2-0 lead and 12 strikeouts. groat booted a grounder leading off the inning, but gibson retired the next two and had only to get tom tresh to complete the shutout. . . . tresh took him deep and tied the score. it was a crushing blow for the cards, a terry pendleton moment for the yanks --- new life when all seemed lost. but the cards put runners at 1st and 3d with one out in the 10th for mccarver. way back in the first inning, he'd struck out with the bases loaded against mel stottlemyre; this time he came through, yanking it out to right field to give the cards a win and a 3-2 lead in the series.

7. jim edmonds, october 20 2004, off dan micelli: edmonds hadn't been a factor in the series --- 5 for 20 with a homer overall, but just 1 hit in his last 10 at-bats. he'd struck out in his 2 previous trips to the plate. but edmonds had always been a stellar postseason performer --- he carred a career october slugging average of .617 into that at-bat, averaging a homer every 13 at-bats (vs a regular-season average of 1 homer per 17 at-bats). it was only the 2d elimination game the cardinals had ever won under la russa.

6. albert pujols, october 17 2005, off brad lidge: for sheer heroism, no homer tops this one. if the cards had gone on to win the series, it'd probably be #1 on this list.

5. whitey kurowski, october 5 1942, off red ruffing: as the only homer in st louis history that clinched a world series title, this one's got to be high on the list even though few (if any) of us remember it. it wasn't the most critical moment; the cards already led the series 3 games to 1 and games 6 and 7 would be played back in st louis, if necessary. kurowski, a rookie in 1942 who'd hit 9 homers and earned 6 points in the mvp balloting, came up with 1 out in the top of the 9th with the score tied 2-2 and the series-clinching run at 2d base. in today's game, he might have been pitched around --- the punchless marion was on deck, with the pitcher due to follow. but ruffing, a great world series pitcher with a 7-1 career record and 2.63 era, elected to pitch to him, and kurowski took him deep. it was ruffing's october swan song; he would never again pitch in the world series.

4. scott rolen, october 21 2004, off roger clemens: seems laughable in retrospect, but clemens was assumed to be retiring after the 2004 season; he'd done the farewell tour and all, and it looked as if his last act on a big-league diamond would be to yield a fall-behind homer late in a winner-take-all game. rolen had taken an 8-pitch at-bat against clemons in his previous trip, which ended in a flyout to center; this time he jumped on the first pitch. kerpow.

3. ozzie smith, october 14 1985, off tom niedenfuer: if it had been anyone other than ozzie, i don't think this hit would hold quite the same place in our hearts, 20+ years later. damn, but that little squirt was a winner.

2. jack clark, october 16 1985, off tom niedenfuer: probably shouldn't be listed this high, but i was in the park --- it was the greatest in-person thrill in my 40 years of watching this team. and what the hell, it did turn a loss into a pennant-clinching win; that's got to be worth something. niedenfuer had already faced clark once in this game and got the better of him --- struck him out with 1 out in the 7th and the go-ahead run on 3d in a tie game. he had a base open in the 9th and could have put him on; bill james made a good case in the 1986 Baseball Abstract that pitching to clark was the right percentage play. i wouldn't have . . . . i think it took clark about 4 full minutes to round the bases.

1. yadier molina, october 19 2006, off aaron heilman: perhaps i'm just overrating this homer because the memory's still so fresh, but i don't think so. the franchise had never witnessed a homer like this one --- it simultaneously staved off elimination (as the pujols and edmonds homers of the previous 2 years) and propelled the cards to a championship (like rolen and clark's blasts). molina's homer was one of only 6 in baseball history (unless i've missed one) that decided a winner-take-all game in the 9th inning or later. the others:

aaron boone, 2003 alcs game 7
rick monday, 1981 nlcs game 5
chris chambliss, 1976 alcs game 5
bill mazeroski, 1960 world series game 7
bobby thomson, 1951 nl playoff game 3

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Jose Oquendo

I might've found a spot for this highly unlikely one. Otherwise, I enjoyed the list.

by DCGreg on Jan 21, 2008 8:00 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It's hard with hindsight

But I've never, never, never been as excited as I was after the Pujols homer. It was the instantaneosness of 475 feet that does it for me. No "is it going is it going is it going" just "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HOLY SHIT" before the ball was even halfway through it's flight haha. Not to mention 2 seconds before the pitch I was thinking "Is this really it for the season...", that's my #1 regardless of how that series turned out.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Jan 21, 2008 8:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Silence in the NoiseBox

My parents, in attendance, said the silence after the crack of the bat was just amazing. They heard Pujols touch the bases from their seats in the upper deck behind the plate.

by TBender on Jan 24, 2008 10:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed on Pujols.

My favorite is another Pujols shot, his third from this game:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN200407200.shtml

In Wrigley, there's no sweeter music than a Pujols dinger to sink the Cubs in the middle of a pennant race. That loss ended any hope they had of winning the Central.

by matt reeder on Jan 21, 2008 8:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

winner take all homers

Didn't Joe Carter win the 93 series for Toronto with a walk off homer??

by farley503 on Jan 21, 2008 9:03 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

yes

But that wasn't a game 7 "winner take all game" it was in Game 6 of the '93 series.

"I just wish that the late Harry Carey were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Jan 21, 2008 9:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

correct...

but that wasn't the criteria...see above list.

by farley503 on Jan 21, 2008 9:49 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

partially correct

the criteria was "winner take all"... so home runs from the last possible game of a series.

by Pujols Shot Ya on Jan 21, 2008 10:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What a walk

down memory lane, loved it. I think I saw (on tv) 14 of the 20 homers and they are all fun to think back on. Almost wonder how Big Mac only made the list twice, the band-aid on the P-D sign was classic. Forgot about Lawless, haven't thought of that in years, most unlikely homer I think I've ever seen.
Can't argue with Yadi as #1 but in my heart nothing will top the wizard comming through in the playoffs with a walk-off HR. I was a kid and didn't know any better so I was telling everyone in the room that my favorite player was going to hit a homer to win it. Alot of strange looks from everyone but he did it. The '82 team started it but that moment more than anything made me a lifelong baseball fan.

Smith corks one into right, down the line. It may go . . . Go crazy, folks. Go crazy! It's a home run and the Cardinals have won the game 3-2 on a home run by the Wizard. Go crazy!''

by That's a Winner on Jan 21, 2008 9:08 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Kerry Robinson Walk-off vs. Cubs

This is one of my all time fav's cause I was at the game. I've never seen a regular season crowd react like they did when he hit this shot. Gotta love the Cards/Cubs rivalry.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200308280.shtml

Another one of honorable mention was also against the Cubs on July 8, 2002 when Edgar Renteria hit at 3 run shot off Alfonseca to cap a 6 run 9th comeback win.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200207280.shtml

by imissrex on Jan 21, 2008 9:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Robinson HR

was the "Three Nights in August" shot, right?

by StanTheManFan on Jan 21, 2008 11:36 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+1, with regard to attendance

That was a great game. Zambrano and Morris both pitched well. Jimmy threw out a runner attempting to score on a would be sac-fly-line drive. I wish my kids had been paying attention to how Jimmy actually took at least two steps backwards so he'd be catching that ball on the run toward home plate, and then he threw a strike to the plate -- it wasn't even close.

K-Rob's improbably walk-off was a great topper to that game. It was a spur of the moment family trip to that game (3-hour drive from Champaign), and it was a lot of fun.

TSF

by TedSimmonsFan on Jan 21, 2008 12:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

improbable

duh

TSF

by TedSimmonsFan on Jan 21, 2008 12:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Another honorable mention

McGwire's tack-on blast in the 8th inning of Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS will always stand out in my mind. It didn't have any significance to the game, but with Will Clark already on the roster, it seemed like Big Mac's season and in-fact his career were nearing their end.

I remember it as a McGwire-esque blast to straight away center, and though he hit 29 that next season, it's the last of his bombs that I really remember.

by bgodar on Jan 21, 2008 9:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Eckstein

Yet another honorable mention: Eckstein's walk-off Grand Slam to beat Atlanta 8/7/2005

This was also memorable because supposedly J-Rod was in the hole, and went to get his back, and Pujols grabbed it and threw it back in the rack, telling J-Rod that Eckstein was going to finish the game off, then he lept out of the dugout in a flash and was the first one to greet Eckstein at the plate.

by farley503 on Jan 21, 2008 9:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Eckstein`s walk-off grand slam

I was at this game it was the most amazing game I have EVER went to!!!!!!!!!!!
It was like a hundred degrees out........ Carp had given up two early home runs....... and we had to play catch up the entire game.......
but when Eckstein hit that ball I have never seen a crowd EXPLODE like that it will be my favorite game FOREVER!!!!!!!!!

by Calhoun on Jan 21, 2008 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I was at that game too

That night I took in a stray cat, and named it Dave.

"A great catch is like watching girls go by; the last one you see is always the prettiest." - Bob Gibson

by stl tyler on Jan 21, 2008 10:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Joe Carter

I think his home run was in game 6.

by lerwin1 on Jan 21, 2008 9:31 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You know what's great about that list...

Is that, excepting Chambliss, none of those guys were known as power hitters. In fact, most of them are known for their LACK of power, but every one of them were pretty clutch players who always seemed to play on winning teams. As hard as it is to statistically prove "clutch" play, that list goes to show that it truly does exist in some players.

I don't think that you've missed any homer on that list either -- but I'd hope that someone would point one out if there is one missing.

"I just wish that the late Harry Carey were still around so I could hear him mispronounce 'Kosuke Fukudome' every fukun' night" -- Dennis Miller

by fourstick on Jan 21, 2008 9:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

So Taguchi, Honorable Mention

And one of my personal favorites...

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN200610130.shtml

Game 2 NLCS, October 13, 2006, Taguchi hits the go-ahead home run off Billy Wagner in the top of the 9th inning, giving the Birds a 7-6 lead in a game they would eventually win 9-6.

I think that was one of the most defining moments in the 2006 poststeason - you could feel the momentum shift that very instant.

by SmashedAtoms on Jan 21, 2008 9:47 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was going to mention this one, too

not only b/c of the surprise factor but b/c the Cards needed this win to feel like we were in the series. We needed Carp to pitch well in game 2 and he didn't but we kept fighting back. What a great homer and pretty typical of the '06 postseason -- where so many unknowns or unsung players came up so big -- from So to Yadi to Josh Kinney and Tyler Johnson, Suppan and Wever, Spiezio. It wasn't all Pujols and Carp and, in fact, Carp didn't pitch at all well in his 2 games vs. the Mets.

by chuckb on Jan 21, 2008 11:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yep

that really was a postseason of unsung heroes. and who can forget jeff suppan's home run that series?!

Brian Gunn

by briangunn on Jan 21, 2008 12:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Gooch

also hit the game-tying hr(off Farnsworth) in Albert's three-hr game, IIRC.

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

by cardsrul on Jan 21, 2008 12:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Correct

I was fortunate enough to have seen this one in person AND hear the radio replay leading up to Gooch's HR later.......

Ron Santo was chiding Farnsworth for falling behind So (2-1 or 3-1?) and whined in classic Ron-speak fashion, "C'mon, throw it in there -- this guy can't hurt ya....."

BOOM!

by LuBrock20 on Jan 21, 2008 2:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sooooooo Taguchi!

I woke up my (at the time) 3 month old by yelling "Sooooooooooooooooo!" My wife wasn't as thrilled.

That homer sparked the thought that something special just might happen.

by TBender on Jan 24, 2008 10:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tommy Herr

First time poster but long time reader. One that stands out clear to me was the seat cushion night walkoff grand slam that Tommy Herr hit on April 18th 1987. I was at the game, and it is one of my first cardinal memories. Great night.

by somethingclever on Jan 21, 2008 10:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Seatcushion Night !

When I saw the title of today's post, this homer immediately came to mind.

by ctjim on Jan 21, 2008 10:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seatcushion Night

is still, to this day, my favorite game I've seen in person (and that includes a couple postseason clinchers). For anyone who's unfamiliar with the game, I wrote about it over on Joe Posnanski's original post:

4/18/87: It's Seat Cushion Night at Busch Stadium. After the Mets lapped the field in 1986, the Cards are trying to establish themselves as contenders. It's a furious see-saw battle. Ozzie Smith scores the tying run in the bottom of the ninth and hundreds of seat cushions rain down on the field. The umpires threaten a forfeit if any more debris is thrown on the field.

The Mets strike back with a run in the 10th, but in the bottom half, Tommy Herr cranks a two-out, walk-off grand slam, and the sky fills with thousands more cushions floating to the ground. It was like snowfall in April.

Brian Gunn

by briangunn on Jan 21, 2008 12:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seat cushon night

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198704180.shtml

I worked this game at the hall of fame steps. Of all the games I remember seeing, this one always stands out in my mind. The next day when a buddy and I asked for a seat cushon our supervisior (who I see stll works for the cardinals behind homeplate, I think his name was Harold, but I'm only 67% sure that is his name.) he said they don't know what happened to them after the game last night. I bet a postal employee has them in his basement in Queens.

On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.

by UsherNamedPENNIS on Jan 21, 2008 3:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I Agree 100% on the Yadi longball

Number one, there is no way the cards win that game, and therefore win the the World Series in '06 if Molina doesn't go yard there. With the game tied, I doubt Tony would bring in Wainwright, and he was the only one left in the pen I would trust to handle Beltran at the time (I believe Kinney had already been used).

Number two, it was an Ozzy and a Tom Lawless moment all rolled into a one. A lovable player who also didn't have much pop and maybe the least hitter you'd expect to muscle one over the wall at Shea. I nearly jumped through my celling as I watched that ball go over that "Strength to be There" sign in left. Man, what an amazing baseball moment.

Number three, the high of that homerun after the low of watching Rolen get absolutely robbed by Endy Chavez's spectacular catch was unbeatable. It was the same feeling of dread I had watching the NLCS in '05, that transitioned into the joy I had from watching Alberts Game 5 shot off Lidge. Wow.

I could go on and on about that homerun.

by cloistermaximus on Jan 21, 2008 10:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Pujols

That homer's effect is still being felt. Just ask Lidge. He's never really recovered.

by ctjim on Jan 21, 2008 10:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wonderful list. The rest of this

is just a trivial piece of personal history but a few of you might find it interesting. The Musial homer in the '55 all star game was the first baseball memory I have and the reason why I am a Cardinal fan. I grew up in upstate New York and, maybe surprisingly to most of you, there were very few Yankee fans there at the time. There was some animosity to the big city and to the Yankees so most people just chose a team or rooted for the Dodgers or Giants. I was seven years old and watching the all star game with my father although I really had no idea what baseball was about. Early in the game my father told me that Stan Musial was one of the great players and I remember thinking how cool his name sounded. The walkoff home run solidified his heroic stature forever for me. I really didn't start following baseball until a couple of years later so I missed almost all of Stan's great seasons but he will forever be my favorite player. I have also never lived remotely near St. Louis and have only made a few pilgrimages there but I have spent a couple of thousand beautiful summer evenings struggling to hear Jack, Mike (yes and Harry) through the static and interference so I have heard or seen many of those other classic Cardinal homers. Thanks to satellite radio this has gotten much easier. Thanks for the memories.

by easy on Jan 21, 2008 10:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

My father(as were the rest of)

was born in Upstate NY, as well(Olean), but spent most of his formative years in New Rochelle. He had told me some of the same things you mentioned about the Upstate/NYC "rift", if you will. That's definitely the reason I'm a Cardinals fan, and probably has a lot to do with why I've never had any desire to ever go to The City.

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

by cardsrul on Jan 21, 2008 12:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oops..

that should read "the rest of us".

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

by cardsrul on Jan 21, 2008 12:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

beautiful post, easy

although I live closer to St. Louis than your report, I live in solid Reds' (ugh) country, so it was against the odds that I became a Cards' fan , too.
MY defining 'Musial moment' was a shadow of yours: I was playing in the back yard late one Sunday evening when my older brother came around to report that Stan Musial had hit FIVE homeruns that day (a double-header, of course.) Not sure of the year, but had to be circa mid-50's.
In my HEART, that feat still stands as the most remarkable event for a single player on a single day. And to the best of my knowledge has never been duplicated. {Of course, since then there have been fewer and fewer double-headers being played.}

And oh yes, I remember so well waiting for the crackle of KMOX to die down enough to hear Jack Buck, and then for Harry to finish off the game.

by the Tewk on Jan 21, 2008 2:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm almost positive

Nate Colbert matched this feat with the Pads circa 1970

by LuBrock20 on Jan 21, 2008 11:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yadi's homer

I was at shea for game 7. however, i missed molina's homer because i was in the process of taking a leak. met fan next to me started cursing molina and his mother. i turned and asked him what happened. he colorfully summarized that yadier molina had just taken aaron heilman out of the yard.

if you shake it more than three times you're just playing with it.

by trip mcneely2 on Jan 21, 2008 10:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Trip, that's the best personal HR story

I've ever heard.

Back on the list itself, I'd agree that the Musial All-Star HR should be added. I would further argue that the first career HR for Musial should be on it, although I have been unable to determine when it happened. A couple other candidates:

April 6, 2001: Albert Pujols' first major-league homer, off Armando Reynoso in the 4th inning. We tend to forget that El Hombre, despite having a legendary spring training that year, had been in a mini-slump to start the regular season. That day (he went 3 for 5 with a double and 3 RBIs) broke him out of it, and baseball has never been the same since.
October 12, 1967: Bob Gibson (pitcher!) caps a single-handed demolition of Boston in the seventh game of the World Series with a shot off Jim Lonborg in the 5th. Gibson and Brock durn near won this Series by themselves.
October 3, 1934: The "Gas House Gang," most famous of the pre-war Cardinals teams, gets off on the right foot versus Detroit in the Series as Joe Medwick yanks one out off General Crowder in the fifth -- one of four hits he had that day, and 11 in the Series. (No, I wasn't around for that one!)

by StanTheManFan on Jan 21, 2008 11:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haha

You can dance and you can beg but the last drop always goes down your leg.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Jan 21, 2008 12:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lawless

I was at the 1987 Game when Lawless stood there and admired his HR. I was 13 and at the game with my dad. I don't think I've ever seen him so excited in his life. I can still remember him shaking me by the shoulder and yelling, "did you see him flip his bat!?!"

I need to get that ticket framed or something. Ah, memory lane....

by mootsmtb on Jan 21, 2008 10:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If recall

Tim McCarver in the TV booth had a great take on it, too. McCarver just couldn't get over the way Lawless was staring at the ball as if he knew it was long gone. McCarver's comment was something like: "How does he know?"

by DCGreg on Jan 21, 2008 10:48 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I was there, too

It was the most exciting basbeall moment I ever saw in person. It was so completely unexpected it just floored everyone.

by tarakas on Jan 21, 2008 4:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jesus...

How bad do you have to piss to miss the top of the ninth in game seven of the NLCS??

by farley503 on Jan 21, 2008 10:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

touche

i was in line from the bottom of the seventh. the only positive thing about that whole experience was running back to the seats looking up and seeing my 5 met fan friends contemplating the virtues of suicide.

by trip mcneely2 on Jan 21, 2008 10:43 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seriously, please consider this...

http://www.stadiumpal.com/

by flynn on Jan 21, 2008 8:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dude I missed

Albert's first home run on Opening Day 2006 because I was taking a leak. Guy in the urinal next to me says, "We'll always remember where we were, boys... in the shithouse."

by Jhusk on Jan 22, 2008 1:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Great Memory about Terry Pendleton's homer

I was listening to that game in 1987 with my dad. The Cards were just imploding. They could not hit anything that night. The huge lead they had at the All Star break was going the way of the dodo bird. When Terry Pendleton stepped to the plate - my dad said, "He can't hit his way out of a wet paper bag." I was about 14 at the time and I still had faith. I said, "Dad, he is going to do something here and the Cardinals are going to win this game." We kept listening. I was pacing back and forth in the living room, and sure enough - he hit a homer and the Cards went on to win that game. That one homer turned the season around and the Cardinals went on to the World Series. Truly a great moment for me and my life-long addiction to Cardinal baseball.

by Cardinal Red State on Jan 21, 2008 10:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

This one would be in my top five.

At the time, in Little Rock, I only got to watch a few Cards games a year. I happened to get the one in which they were going to complete their collapse. My wife went to bed--no need to stay up and watch this debacle. Before the homer, I sat on the couch, morosely nursing my Jack Daniels and waiting for the inevitable. Instead, the evitable. I screamed myself hoarse--my wife thought we were getting robbed.

by Archaeopteryx on Jan 21, 2008 10:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Albert Saves the Season

Yet another Albert homer:

September 27, 2006. The Cards were in the midst of their nose-dive, trying to blow a lead that a week before had been more than safe. They had lost seven in a row, and had started the day only 1.5 games up on the surging Astros (who were playing Pittsburgh, of all people).

The Cards had just gone down 2-1 in the top half of the eighth. They only had two hits in the game up until that point, and none since the 4th. The Gooch and Miles had walked, and there were two outs.

On the second pitch he saw, Albert hit a monstrous shot into the upper deck in left. It saved the season, as far as I'm concerned. They needed every win in the regular season, and that would have been the third eight-game losing streak.

I was at this game, sitting just a few rows off the field half-way down the third base line. Never has a ball flying by so high, almost straight overhead, been so beautiful.

by k randolph on Jan 21, 2008 10:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

cla meredith was the pitcher...

...and if i remember correctly he had not given up a homer to a rh hitter all year.

by indakind on Jan 21, 2008 2:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i have this shot on dvd

i take it out and watch it sometimes... it always makes me smile

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

by RosevilleRedbird on Jan 21, 2008 4:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Re #2, I had just moved to

San Francisco during the '85 season, and I'll never forget the SF Chronicle sports page the day after Clark eliminated the Dodgers. (Keep in mind how much Giants fans hate the Dodgers.) Page one of the Chron sports page had a huge photo of Clark hitting that ball, and then in 3-inch type below the photo: "DODGER KILLER."

You'd have thought the Giants just won the WS or something.

by MdRedbirdFreak on Jan 21, 2008 10:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget....

...that Jack Clark was traded from San Fran to the Cards. He was in his first year in STL after spending the previous 10 season with the Giants. Not to say that Giant fan doesn't hate Dodger fan, but Clark's history in SF might have had a little something to do with the love.

by southsidepat on Jan 21, 2008 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What's coming back to me now

are the different reactions of these guys after their dramatic homers. Like McCarver I wondered at the time how Lawless could handle his dinger like it was just the latest in a long line. He was the only one of the millions of people who saw it who wasn't stupefied. Albert's reaction after shattering Lidge's ego was beautifully subdued. A quick check on the ball, a quick trot around the bags, then it's back to work tomorrow. Somebody described the look on Yadi's face as "Charlie Brown after sex". That's exactly the way I remember it.

by easy on Jan 21, 2008 11:50 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

meaningless but memorable for me

got to see Roger Freed's 11th inning walk off grand slam vs the astros 5-1-79. astros took a 6-3 lead in the top of the 11th. In the bottom half off Joe Sambito, Tony Scott singled, Reitz struck out, and then Oberkfell and Swisher walked. Templeton struck out leaving the bases loaded with 2 outs for pinch hitter Roger Freed to connect on his first of 2 homers that season.

now living in chicago, I also got to see McGwire's 30th at Comiskey II on 6-10-98. Ventura stole the show that day though. Cards were up 8-4 with two outs, nobody on in the 9th. Then Curtis King gives up an infield single to Caruso and walks Frank Thomas. Ventura homers to make it 8-7 and Belle follows suit to send it to extra innings. Ventura would hit a 2 run homer in the 11th to win it 10-8 for the Sox.

Strangely TLR mades no comparisons between Ventura and Babe Ruth....................

by vances law on Jan 21, 2008 12:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Roger Freed, '79

Heard the game on KMOX. Can't say why, but it's the homer I think of before all others in forty years of games.

by random on Jan 21, 2008 11:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

downers

It probably isn't cool to throw a Baby Ruth into the pool here, but I started wondering what the most memorable home runs are AGAINST the Cardinals.

My personal list would include: Kent's walkoff HR in the '04 NLCS; the Strawberry HR in '85 that hit the stadium clock; Sosa's 15th-inning walkoff in Wrigley in '03; a GIGANTIC homer by Mo Vaughn in Busch in '03 (for which our fans applauded); Craig Counsell's 3-run shot off Mike Matthews in the '01 NLDS; Mark Bellhorn's homer vs. the Cards in Fenway, Game 1 of the '04 World Series; Gladden's grand slam in Game 1 of the '87 Series; Juan Samuel hitting a 2-out grand slam in the 9th to win a game in '86 for the Phils 8-7 (I was at that game - Ozzie had just made an error on the previous batter; would've ended the game).

I gotta say, I thought that list would be more depressing. Either I've blocked out a few memorable homers or the Cardinals have definitely hit bigger homers than our opponents these past few years.

Brian Gunn

by briangunn on Jan 21, 2008 12:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

those are some good ones.

Kind of a different emotion than the deflations those imposed would be how mad the one-flap-downs of Leonard made me during the Mets series.

by RedbirdRay on Jan 21, 2008 1:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Curse your black and foul heart

for re-awakening a nearly 45-year-old memory.

September 18, 1963. Stan Musial's last season. St. Louis and Los Angeles were engaged in a phenomenal stretch drive. The Cards had just won 19 out of 20 -- verified by b-r -- to close within a game of the Dodgers, who came to town for 3-game series with the pennant obviously on the line.

Game one, two days earlier. Musial homered to tie it, which I will never forget, and then Bobby ****ing Shantz let in two runs in the ninth to give the Dodgers the win. Lead is back up to two, and this doesn't look good, because Koufax, who is unhittable that year, is pitching in game two. Sure enough, he throws a shutout. And then ... game three, and the last chance to salvage the series, and the season.

Cardinals 5-4 going into the 9th. Gibson was not at his best, but he was good enough, despite another relief screwup by Shantz, whose name I cursed in perpetuity after this series. Ron ****ing Taylor comes on to pitch the 9th. He gets the first guy, and then up to the plate comes one Dick ***** ****ing Nen -- father, incidentally, of reliever Robb, whom I would hate as a major leaguer for no other reason than the misbegotten genes he carried. As far as I can tell, it is his second major-league at-bat; he'd flied out in the 8th as a pinch hitter.

I can still hear Harry Caray calling that at-bat, and every word was a dagger in my heart. Nen hit it out to right, and the game was tied. Three extra innings of sheer agony followed, before the Dodgers managed to win it in the 13th (Nen, btw, was again on base, although he didn't score the winning run). The game was over and so was the race.

That was the last time in my childhood when I cried myself to sleep that night.

by StanTheManFan on Jan 21, 2008 1:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That '63 series

with the Dodgers was a crusher with me also. I remember it well. The whole three games. The Dick Nen (who the hell is Dick Nen) homer being the final nail in the coffin. I desperately wanted the Cards to win that year because everybody knew it was Musial's last year. The name, Dick Nen is still well known on Dodger lore even today and I believe the Dodgers voted him a full series share that year although he was just a Sept.1st call up.

by ridgesee on Jan 21, 2008 2:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ah, the '63 campaign

there for a while, Dick Nen was the Cardinal equivalent of the RedSox' Bucky Dent or Aaron flippin Boone.

by the Tewk on Jan 21, 2008 2:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I hate Dick and Robb Nen

That was the only hit Dick Nen ever collected as a Dodger. The hole in my bedroom wall where the doorknob impacted was still there when my parents sold the family home some 20 years later.

by DizzyDean17 on Jan 21, 2008 4:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

back to uppers

My fav: I didn't see it, but Jack Buck's call was incredible, and I think it broke the Mets' will, much the way Pendelton's did in 1987:

www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1985/B09110NYN1985.htm

Cesar Cedeno off of Jesse Orosco, top of the 10th, for a 1-0 victory. Tudor pitched all 10.

TSF

by TedSimmonsFan on Jan 21, 2008 12:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I've gotta rank McGwire's 62 higher

even with the "well, you know" situation. Perhaps some if it has to do with me being at the game, but that was one of the most awesome things I've ever witnessed in baseball.

by saladdays on Jan 21, 2008 12:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Molina signs muti-year deal

To avoid Arbitration it is up on stltoday.com

by gonzostl on Jan 21, 2008 12:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Pujols off Peavy

I think Pujols' HR off Peavy in Game 1 of the '06 LDS warrants an honorable mention. Broke a scoreless tie in the 4th and Peavy was rolling. That really set the tone for the 2006 postseason. It wasn't as memorable as Taguchi's or Yadi's bombs, but it was a huge step toward getting that team's mindset to the "we can win this thing" mentality.

by MN Cardinals Fan on Jan 21, 2008 12:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Home Run memories...

I most definitely remember Kenny Boyer's GS in the '64 Series. Up to that point in my life, that was the most excited I'd ever seen my father. Clark's hr off Neidenfeuer caused me to be late getting to our rec-league volleyball match. It didn't matter that much to me, because I was just the coach, but the others couldn't understand my excitement. Another one that sticks in my memory is one that Drew hit off Danny Graves. The Cards were down 8-0 after 2, and came back to win 10-8(Stechschulte got the win). Come to think of it, that game may have been the beginning of the end for Graves. Another pitcher's career killed by the Cardinals...

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

by cardsrul on Jan 21, 2008 12:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I read that

And it brought back good memories. Looking at the boxscore, I found they were conflated with this game, that put Graves career permanently on ice.

by liam on Jan 21, 2008 7:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Fun Post, LB

And everybody else's choices are great fun too. Lotsa beautiful memories. For me, the most memorable HR's are among the first I recall seeing in person --ole #20 during the '67 season. I don't recall any of them being dramatic game-changers (though I'm sure a few were), but that was the year Lou became the first player to have a 50 stolen base/20 homerun season (I'm pretty sure about that, anyway). He became a god in my eyes. Seems like he hit at least one dinger in every game my folks took me to that year. Made me a Brock fan(atic) for life.

by rockin redbird on Jan 21, 2008 12:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

7/28/02

Cards rally for 6 in the 9th to beat the Cubs with a walk off by Renteria.

Cheeseburger in paradise.

by joker24 on Jan 21, 2008 12:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i was at that game...

...and had great seats in the field boxes down the right field line. we were going to leave early b/c the cubs were shelling morris but decided to stay and get drunk b/c we had nothing better to do. by the time that game ended there were maybe 10 people left in our section and maybe 10K left in the stadium.

by indakind on Jan 21, 2008 2:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It wasn't important...

and the guy is now a known juicer....but Gary Bennett's walk off Grand Slam against the Cubbies was beautiful.

Also, Pujols 3rd homerun versus the Reds that was a walk off winner.

Miller sucks.

by Ankiels Missing Curveball on Jan 21, 2008 1:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

RE: Bennett

I don't care all that much about the juicing stuff w/ Bennett considering he's pretty bad. That series he had vs. Chicago that season was amazing. I think he had walk-offs in 2 out of the 3 games, maybe even all 3, I don't remember exactly. That granny in the last one was wild.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Jan 21, 2008 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oddly enough,

I saw every home run that you rated with the exception of the Whitey Kuroski one in '42. With me, the Boyer and Mc Carver home runs in '64 series would rank 1 and 2, with Jack Clark's Ozzie's and Pendelton's close behind.

In the '64 series game that Boyer hit his shot, there was a greater hero than Boyer in that game (IMHO}. The yankees jumped on starting pitcher Ray Sadecki for 3 runs in the 1st inning before you could blink and eye. They were shelling everything he threw. I do not remember if he got an out or not, but with runners on, Keane went to the mound and wisely took him out and brought in Roger Craig. Craig was near the end of his career and Keane has used him as a spot starter and long reliever all year.

Craig pitch out of the first inning jam and litterly shut the Yankees down for seven innings. I mean masterfully shut them down. Craig pitched the game of life. After Boyer hit his home run, Ron Taylor came on for the 8th with a good inning and I believe Joe Hoerner finished 9th but not sure. The Home run got all the attention, but I just thought Craig's feat should be remembered.

I also saw the Bobby Thomson, walk off .home run in the '51 playoff win. For years, it was referred to as the "shot heard round the world." and to me it would have to rank all time number 1, but that is another story.

by ridgesee on Jan 21, 2008 1:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Non-Cardinal hr memory...

I never got to an MLB game until ST of '99, but I've seen hundreds of minor league games here in my hometown. At one time, almost the entire Mets '86 team played here, mostly together, and Izzy even came through here(as did other pitchers like Roger McDowell). But before the Mets were here, Lynchburg was the White Sox A-team(back before they did away with the B, C, and D classifications). Anyway, the most impressive home run I ever saw hit here at City Stadium was by Lee May's little brother, Carlos. It went over the RF fence, out of the stadium grounds, and landed in the cemetery across the street, some 500 feet away. Remember this was back in the late 60s, before any PEDs(that we know of, at least), and this kid was a five-tooler, without a doubt. He had star written all over him. Unfortunately, Carlos' career was never as great as he had hoped it would be, because in his rookie year(August 11, 1969, to be exact), while serving a short stint in the Marine Reserves, he lost most of his right thumb(his non-throwing hand) when a mortar he was cleaning misfired. After several skin graft surgeries and physical therapy, he managed to play 10 more years in the bigs, but his homer into the cemetery is what I'll remember most about him.

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

by cardsrul on Jan 21, 2008 2:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

immediate reward

my first live game in St Louis, circa 1962 in old old Busch (aka Sportsman's Park): bottom of the first, four straight singles by Flood, Javier, White and Boyer. (sadly, Musial hitting in the 5 hole, popped up)
But the bookend was... bottom of the 9th, trailing by a run... Bill White led off with an HR to tie the game and then Ken Boyer homered to win it.

I was destined to be a life-long Cardinal fan anyway, but THAT sealed it.

by the Tewk on Jan 21, 2008 2:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of Kenny Boyer..........

My dad got in a car wreck with Boyer a long time ago LOL it was my dads fault too.........lol
Kenny was stopped at a stop sign and my dad was turning and my dad didn't turn wide enough and he hit his car......LOL

by Calhoun on Jan 21, 2008 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A couple of my faves

I'm 38, and started following the Cards in the late 70's. Here are some of my personal favorites since then, none in any particular order:

The "Holy Shit, THAT GUY?!?!" Division

-Tom Lawless in 87
-The Wizard off Niedenfuer
-Yadi off Heilman
-So off of Wagner

The MV3 Division

-Pujols off of Lidge.
-I went to Rolen's first game here in 02 and he hit an absolute pissrod off of the bottom of the stadium club. I think it got out in about 1/3 of a second. After hitting a ball that hard, he still just put his head around and busted around the bases. He became my favorite player on the team as of that day.
-Rolen off Clemens in the 04 NLCS
-Edmonds off Miceli in 04.
-I don't recall the exact date, but I was at a restaurant up in Iowa in 04 when Jimmy Ballgame took Zambrano out and stared it down, causing Zambrano to snap and hit him twice. I like to think that game crushed the souls of the Cubbies for that season. I was around a LOT of Cubs fans for that one too, watching them squirm was AWESOME!

The Big Postseason Homer Division
-Clark off Neidenfuer
-Brian Jordan in game 4, 1996 NLCS.
-Gaetti's GS off of Maddux in Game 2 of that season.
-Willie McGee in game 3 of the 82 series. That one stuck in my head b/c he pretty much took over that game.

Big Mac Division
-Band-Aid shot. I was at that game, and everyone around me literally stopped what they were doing and stared. I'm not sure that one has landed yet.
-#62
-#70
-That moonshot he hit off of Wagner in extras. The ball went about 15 rows behind Big Mac land.

I have another Big Mac one that I didn't exactly witness. I was at a game in 2001, and my daughter and I were there, along with my older sister and my neice. My neice decided she wanted some Dippin' Dots, and my sister was in the bathroom, so I went with her, even though I told her that McGwire was leading off the next inning. She didn't care, she just wanted some damn Dippin' Dots. So we went and got the suckers, and on the way back from the stand a big roar went up. Of course, Mac had hit a home run, a pretty long one too, and I missed it. I didn't get to another game that year, and he retired after the season. I missed the last McGwire homer I'd ever see in person, which was a bummer b/c he single-handedly made the Cards interesting while he was here.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Jan 21, 2008 3:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Damn

That post was long as hell.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Jan 21, 2008 3:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's ok if it's long,

you thought it was worth telling; I thought it was worth reading.

by ridgesee on Jan 21, 2008 8:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Edmonds vs. Zambrano

The date of that game was July 19, 2004 and Edmonds was hit by a pitch his first AB. Edmonds homered the next time up and then later during the game Zambrano plunked him again.

by DizzyDean17 on Jan 21, 2008 4:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, that's right

I forgot the first plunkage happened before the HR. That was an awesome night, mainly b/c I was in Cub country in Iowa City.

"Your Holiness, I'm Joseph Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal."-Joe Medwick, to Pope Pius XII.

by redbirdnation8206 on Jan 21, 2008 9:33 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yadier signed

4-year deal, with club option for a 5th. Buys out 1-2 years of FA too.

Can vote on deal here...
http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/21/cards-sign-yadier-molina-to-new-4-year-deal/

by ET90210 on Jan 21, 2008 3:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts on Molina

The article announcing it on the Card's site had these quotes:

"You look at what he's done with our pitchers and our pitching staff over the last few years, and when you look at what he's done as a pure catcher, he ranks up there at the top if not in the top two," said general manager John Mozeliak.

Does he mean defensively, or catcher's overall? I hope he means defensively.

Also:

"I do think this is a very positive move for the Cardinals," Mozeliak said. "It's one that, when you look at some of the moves we've made this offseason, I think this sends a great message to our fan base and to our young players."

I'm sure Bryan Anderson thinks this sends a great message.

As a fan, I wonder home many players with an OPS under .700 we'll field in the regular lineup next year. Probably three (C, 2b, SS).

by tarakas on Jan 21, 2008 4:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

As I said on Matthew Leach's blog

I don't think this is bad for Anderson at all. He still needs one or two years of touch-up work at Memphis before he's ready, and he'll still be young when he does arrive. A couple more years job sharing with Molina, and he'll just be coming into his own when Yadi's contract is up. That looks good for all concerned to me.

by StanTheManFan on Jan 21, 2008 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

lboros

oddly enough, i too was in st. louis for a mitzvah the night tatis hit the two grannies, and i remember my cousin (the bar mitzvah boy) saying how much he hated tatis, and i defended tatis arguing that he wasn't so horrible, and then he hit a grand slam, and then another. backed up my arguement nicely.

by mdarshan on Jan 21, 2008 3:51 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Some of my personal favorites...

I am only counting the games in which I was present at Busch Stadium, in NO particular order.

August 4, 1993 - I was 13 years old heading to the park with "Straight A" tickets from middle school. The Marlins scored on the Cardinals in the top of the first to go up 1-0. The Cardinals scored one on a Gilkey homer in the bottom of the first, but that is not the one I remember. In the bottom of the third inning, the entire stadium got incredibly bored, yet excited at the same time. Gilkey walked to lead off the inning. After an Ozzie strikeout, the Marlin pitchers continued on to walk Lankford, Zeile, Whiten (to score a run), and Jordan (to score another run.) Then, Luis Alicea, he of 47 homers during the midst of the steroid era, came up and hit the 5th home run of his young career. A grand slam that made it 7-1 and out of reach for the young Marlin squad.

August 7, 1996 or June 25, 1997 - Yes, I am a bad person...I cannot remember which game it was.

by stlfan on Jan 21, 2008 4:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ignore this...

See below. I don't know why this posted. I never left the page where I was typing it.

Sorry!

stlfan

by stlfan on Jan 21, 2008 4:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

All Hail the Power of Lboros!

He names Yadi's homer as the best of all time, and the Cards give him a new contract.

by Archaeopteryx on Jan 21, 2008 4:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Some of my personal favorites...

I am only counting the games in which I was present at a Busch Stadium.

August 7, 1996 or June 25, 1997 - Yes, I am a bad person...I cannot remember which game it was. All I remember from the game is that it was a slow moving game (although it did not last long.) The August 7th game was a 0-0 game going into the bottom of the ninth (vs. SD) and the June 25th game was a 1-1 game going into the bottom of the ninth (vs. the Cubs). Anyway, Gary Gaetti came up in both games with one on and one out. He ended up (in whichever game I was at) hitting the first ever walk-off home run that I had seen in person. It was fantastic.

Random Mid-Summer Day 1998 - Who knows which of the 70 home runs I saw by Big Mac this wonderful summer of 1998...I don't remember (which means it was NOT 61, 62, or 70.) I remember more the batting practice before the game. I saw him hit probably 15 home runs in batting practice that day, but I was standing near the very top of the bleachers in left-center field when, in his last swing of the BP he launched one over our heads into the second deck of Busch Stadium and you could clearly hit the manual scoreboard upstairs. The best part, though, was that a man was holding his two children in his arms and his wife came running over from the bathroom (because the crowd ERUPTED an hour and a half before first pitch) and said "What in the world is going on?" His actual response was: "McGwire just hit one over our heads, up there [pointing to the upper deck], and it NEVER CAME DOWN."

July 28, 2002 - In front of a packed house at Busch Stadium, the Cardinals started to get blown out by the Cubbies. I was sitting in the second to last row at the top of the stadium in left-center field and watched the Cubs score two in the first and four more in the third. The Cards stormed back in the 6th with four of their own and the crowd started to get behind them a little bit. Immediately after that, though, the Cards gave up two more in the 7th and one in the 8th. By the time the bottom of the 8th rolled around and the 5th, 6th, and 7th hitters went down 1-2-3, the stadium had nearly cleared out as it was now 9-4 and the Cards had the bottom of the order up in the 9th against the hapless Scrubs. Well, guess what...my buddy also wanted to leave and I said no...we're moving closer. As the Cubs batted in the 9th, we moved down as close as we could behind home plate (just down the first base line a section or two so that we were looking straight towards the visitor's bullpen.) What happened next? Vina singled to lead off the 9th, then Cairo doubled - one run in. Edmonds singled in Cairo - 2 runs...only down by three now. They walked Pujols (1st and 2nd), then Drew struck out on a horrible called third. Martinez (yes, Tino) followed with a base hit scoring Edmonds (down by two!) Edgar Renteria came up and hit a line drive to left-center. It was going straight out from where we were sitting...we could not see how far it was going. We're innocently cheering Tino around second, hoping he can score on a double if it hits the wall...and it does hit A wall...the wall in the back of the bullpen. Renteria capped off a 6-run 9th inning with a walk-off homer facing the 6-fingered Antonio Alfonseca. YES! Eat that, Cubs.

June 20, 2007 - Tied 6-6 in the bottom of the 14th inning in the last of 6 games between the Cardinals and Royals that I had seen in 9 days, Ryan Ludwick launched a 2-2 pitch from Jorge de la Rosa into the bleachers just 15 rows or so in front of where I was practically lying (because we were so exhausted) in the bleachers with my wife, brother, and good friend at 1:31 AM after we had gotten to the park around 6:15 for batting practice. After over 7 hours at the ballpark, my wife (a Kansas Citian and Royals fan) exclaimed, "Yes! Now we get to go home and sleep!" even though her team had lost. It was quite amusing, and quite a game in the interesting season that was 2007.

There's my top five in chronological order.

stlfan

by stlfan on Jan 21, 2008 4:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Magic of childhood

Dick Allen, he of one of the greatest power strokes ever, hitting a "clothesline" to the grass in center that, upon impact, created a divot. I have no way of confirming this. And, it may be the mythology created by a child, but that's how I remember it.

by Yadier on Jan 21, 2008 4:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

what about sno cones?

I know this probably doesn't count, but since it was against the cubs.....? I was at the Saturday night game, summer of '06, the night AFTER GB won it with, I believe, a double in the bottom of the 9th. So on sat. night we're down by 2, bottom of the 9th, and sno cones comes up with the bases loaded. The whole place is chanting GARY GARY and he actually did it, walk-off GS. My dad & father-in-law looked like 7 year olds. PRICELESS

by proudpapa on Jan 21, 2008 5:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

couple of thoughts...

I was born the day Hendrick hit the home run mentioned on the list.
I think anytime we mention the Puljos homer off of Lidge, there has to be a lead in to include both Eck's and Jimmy's at bat...I listened to the game on the radio and I couldnt move. I just sat, listened, and prayed...Shannon was great...all of that tension cut with the shortest homerum call in history.

By the way, does anyone have links to any of the homerun video clips...particularly the Lawless homerun.

by birdsonbat on Jan 21, 2008 5:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yadi @ #1 makes sense to me.

It was a magic homerun. We were on the road, game 7, about to go into sudden death, when the worst hitter in baseball goes yard off of one of the Mets best relievers. One of the most unlikely things I've ever seen in baseball. I have no idea how it happened.

by JI on Jan 21, 2008 5:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

July 15, 2005, 4-3 over Houston in 13 innings

Walk-off two run HR by Pujols

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN200507150.shtml

My fave of the HR I personally saw at Busch. Cards blew a 2-1 lead in the top of the 9th, then both teams did absolutely nothing for three innings. The stadium emptied out a bunch, so we got to sneak down from the upper deck to sit about a dozen rows behind the 3B dugout. Houston scored in the top of the 13th, but in the bottom of the inning Eckstein walked, Jimmy struck out, and Albert hit a high fly ball that just got over the wall into Houston's bullpen. The front page of the Post-Dispatch the next day had a great pic of Albert just about to jump onto home plate and get mobbed by the team; he's pumping his arms and yelling his head off. I think that was the last game I got to see at Busch II.

by BTown Birds fan on Jan 21, 2008 5:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Boyer homerun

excellent list, thanks for the memories...

the game Ken Boyer hit his homerun is my first MLB/Cardinals memory. needless to say the Boyer & Gibson heroics made me a Cardinal fan. the WS games were broadcast on a local radio station; bu this was the first game i could listen, thanks to the explanations of a friend. at the time most people down here used to be Yankee or Dodger fans. i had been playing baseball for a short time, so i didn't know much about the game, but i was thrilled i could look all those Yankee fans in their face.

"bury the dead, feed the survivors and rebuild the city" (marques do pombal, 1777)

by Johnny64 on Jan 21, 2008 6:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Boyer HR

I put together this video of the Grand Slam. Just follow the link. I'll only leave it up for a few days because MLB doesn't allow any content of theirs on YouTube.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vj2z5L04hqI

I will be boxer briefs

by Hardcore Legend on Jan 22, 2008 1:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That was

awesome, Hardcore. Thanks!

by cardsgirl95 on Jan 22, 2008 9:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks HL

that video makes the day!

"bury the dead, feed the survivors and rebuild the city" (marques do pombal, 1777)

by Johnny64 on Jan 22, 2008 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My HR was when I was

about 12 or 13 (1989?), sitting in the bleachers at the old County Stadium with a bunch of kids from school.

Bo Jackson was playing in front of us. He looked so goddamn big...I swear, he looked superhuman g - looked like he was wearing shoulder pads.
He cranked one, and it was on...kids everywhere going for the ball.

I didn't come up with it. But damn, Bo Jackson.

"Dude, we're running out of stadium" - said on the way to our seats in Section 428.

by bukowski on Jan 21, 2008 6:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

bo

my favorite bo moments include leading off the all-star game with a homer; pegging a throw home from the wall, on the fly to get a guy at home; making a catch in left, then running up and back down the wall (you would have to see it to believe it); his homer after hip replacement surgery

but the best bo moment was him taking his right hand off the bat, in an attempt to call time, the ump not granting him time, bo put the hand back on the bat, and hit a homer

Pujols is the greatest Cardinal in my lifetime.

by bigcardsfan5 on Jan 21, 2008 6:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not anything related to STL

But, the HR Bo hit in the game in 1993 when the White Sox clinched their division was the most towering home run I've ever seen. That ball stayed in the air for what seemed like a full minute. Bo was a big, strong man.

by raisin on Jan 21, 2008 7:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bo was

one of the strongest athletes I ever saw. It's too bad his career was cut short, because he sure was fun to watch.

"The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the arguments against it."

by cardsrul on Jan 21, 2008 8:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

article

here's a recent article on the guy. He sounds intriguing yet enigmatic.

I'd rather my sister become a prostitute than my brother become a Cub fan.

by _pistol_ on Jan 22, 2008 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

great list lb

what about mabry in cincy?

Pujols is the greatest Cardinal in my lifetime.

by bigcardsfan5 on Jan 21, 2008 6:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It was meaningless but...

The recent one that comes to mind in Rolen's grand slam on opening day '06 in Philly. I was living in D.C. at the time, and a friend and I drove up for opening day. It was 45 and raining and the game was in hand, but watching Rolen hit that in a hostile environment was awesome.

Jimmy steps in to lead off the bottom half of the inning... with nobody on base... It could happen... just not tonight.

by Hollywood15 on Jan 21, 2008 10:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

great job again LB

jimmy's, albert's, YADDA's, Edgar's, ECKS, & Wild Turkey's home runs stick out to me big time probably because they are the most recent.

Wild Turkey single handedly won that series vs the flubs. what an amazing weekend.

Edgar's vs the flubs was flat out nails. damnit i really miss that guy.

ECK's was awesome. as usual, the ohio big FOX wasn't showing the Cards saturday day game. but the clunker that was on ended early so they cut to the action right as the little fella walked to the plate. when he hit that i swear dad almost jumped right out of bed. it was incredible.

jimmy's & YADDA'S are so amazing, that i simply dont have the vocab to give them justice. the call on jimmy's by thom brennaman sounds a awful lot like jack's call when kerby puckett hit his walk off vs the breaves in the WS. "and we'll see you tomorrow night!" simple,yes. but that simple phrase said so much.

i'll never forget the look on YADDA'S face as he rounded the bases. the reaction in the dugout is priceless. i'm getting chills just thinking about it.

when albert ruined lidge's career, only thing i could scream was YYYEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH. over & over & over & over again till the stros come to bat in the bottom of the 9th. sitting beside my sick dad watching the Cards have so much success these past 5 years will stay with me forever. it's been so freakin amazing you all really have no idea.

btw, i'm in the mother land for next two weeks. i think i'm just going to go walk around Busch for the entire time. once i get there, i just know i'm never going to want to leave.

I'm going to go try to find a puppy and kick it. - Brad Thompson And That's A Winner!

by gdm426 on Jan 22, 2008 3:01 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Willie Mcgee

As a personal favorite, I would add (probably around #13 or so) Willie Mcgee, July 20th 1982, off Ken Dayley. Willie's first Cardinal HR, a grand slam in the bottom of the first. I was 12 years old, we were late getting to the game, and John Stuper had given up 5 runs to the Braves in the top of the first. By the time I got into the stadium, we had scored two, the bases were juiced (the players weren't, although it was Hernandez, Hendrick, and Porter so they might have been on something) and Willie was up. I stopped in left field to watch his at-bat, and he knocked it over the wall, almost right to me. Later that week, I saw myself on "This Week In Baseball" jumping around like a fool out in the outfield (this was back in the dark ages before Sportscenter). Unfortunately, they wound up losing the game, or I may have ranked it higher, but still a big homer for Willie fans. Glory days...
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN198207200.shtml

What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs. ~Harry Caray

by Tupelo on Jan 22, 2008 8:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs