2009 Bud Selig announces the establishment of a special committee, composed of managers and longtime executives who will explore “on-field matters”, that the baseball commissioner will chair. The 15 panel members include four owner representatives – Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Dave Montgomery (Phillies), Chuck Armstrong (Mariners), and Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), three current managers – Tony La Russa (Cardinals), Jim Leyland (Rockies), and Joe Torre (Dodgers) along with Mike Scioscia (Angels), Orioles president for baseball operations Andy MacPhail, Indians GM Mark Shapiro, Braves president John Schuerholz, former Twins GM Terry Ryan, political columnist George Will, and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson.
Trading History and Transactions
- The St. Louis Browns purchased Ray Pepper and George Puccinelli from the Cardinals in 1933.
- In 1955, the Cardinals signed Walker Cooper as a free agent.
- The San Francisco Giants in 1959 traded Daryl Spencer and Leon Wagner to the Cardinals for Don Blasingame.
- The Cleveland Indians traded Jack Kubiszyn and Ron Taylor to the Cardinals for Fred Whitfield in 1962,
- Cardinals purchased Tito Francona from the Cleveland Indians in 1964.
- 1964- The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Earl Francis and Ted Savage to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ronald Cox (minors) and Jack Damaska
- Cardinals traded Randy Wiles to the Chicago White Sox for Tony La Russa in 1967.
- In 1983, the St. Louis Cardinals released Jeff Doyle.
- The Cardinals signed Jerry White as a free agent in 1985.
- The Cardinals signed Willie McGee as a free agent in 1995.
- The Cardinals, in 19991 signed Mike Matheny as a free agent.
- 2001- The Boston Red Sox traded Rick Asadoorian (minors), Dustin Brisson (minors) and Luis Garcia (minors) to the Cardinals for Dustin Hermanson
- The San Diego Padres traded Brett Tomko in 2002 to the Cardinals for a player Mike Wodnicki and Luther Hackman.
- Cardinals drafted Hector Luna from the Cleveland Indians in the 2003 rule 5 draft in 2003.
- The Cardinals signed J.C. Romero in 2011 as a free agent.
Birthdays
Art Howe (1946) – a former infielder, coach, scout, and manager, who appeared as a player in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1974–1975), Houston Astros (1976–1982), and St. Louis Cardinals (1984–1985). Howe managed the Astros (1989–1993), Oakland Athletics (1996–2002), and New York Mets (2003–2004), compiling a career managerial record of 1,129 wins and 1,137 losses. He played for the Cardinals in the 1984-1985 season.
Mike Proly (1950) – a pitcher that was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 9th round (213th overall) of the 1972 MLB June Amateur Draft from St. John’s University in Queens, NY. He finished is career with a 22-29 lifetime record.
Jimmy Sexton (1951) -Sexton signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on August 15, 1983, and played for both the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds of the American Association, and the major league Cardinals. Between the Redbirds and the Bears in 1983, Sexton batted .300 with 4 doubles, 1 triple, and 5 home runs. With the Cardinals, Sexton batted .111 in 6 games. The next season, Sexton played with the Triple-A Louisville Redbirds, and batted .217 in 9 games. That season, 1984, would prove to be Sexton’s last season in professional baseball.
Aaron Miles (1976) – Miles was traded by the Rockies to the St. Louis Cardinals on December 7, 2005 (with Larry Bigbie) for Ray King. He won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2006. On August 4, Miles threw a perfect 8th inning in a 12–1 loss to the Washington Nationals. Of Miles’ nine pitches, six were for strikes. It was the first time he had pitched since he was 14 years old. Miles pitched during the game when Cardinals’ manager Tony La Russa asked his pitching coach, Dave Duncan, “Who’s our shortest reliever?” The tongue-in-cheek answer was Miles, at 5′ 8″. His pitching career took a turn for the worse later that season. On September 20, he pitched the 9th inning against the Houston Astros and was touched for three hits, including a two-run home run by J. R. Towles. It was Towles’ first career major league home run. On June 13, 2008, Miles would make his third pitching appearance, this time against the Philadelphia Phillies. With the Phillies leading, 20–2, Miles came in to finish off the game with a perfect 9th inning while striking out Jimmy Rollins.
On August 31, a foul ball hit by Miles struck teammate Juan Encarnación in the face while he was in the on-deck circle, and effectively ended Encarnación’s career. Encarnación suffered multiple fractures to his left eye socket and an injury to his left eye and missed the remainder of the 2007 season. The injury was regarded by the Cardinals’ head team physician, Dr. George Paletta, to be the worst injury he’d ever seen to the face on a baseball player. Paletta said the eye socket was essentially crushed on impact, comparing the injured area to the disintegration of an egg shell or ice cream cone, and that the optic nerve had sustained severe trauma. Paletta also said the eyeball had not been ruptured. Miles re-signed with the Cardinals for a one-year deal on January 4, 2008, after a non-tender and short free-agency status in December 2007.
Former Cardinals Deaths
Dummy Hoy 1961
Eddie Kazak- died 1999
Kazak enlisted and fought in World War II. He was injured in the Normandy invasion by a bayonet and shrapnel that entered the bone. He spent 18 months in the hospital and was told he could never play baseball. He defied the odds and made his major league debut with the Cardinals on September 29, 1948 as a third baseman. He played in the major leagues until his last game on July 1, 1952. In his career he batted .273 with 165 hits and 11 home runs.