Stan McNeal - St. Louis Cardinals: Stories from the St. Louis Cardinals Dugout, Locker Room, and Press Box

For my parents, Jack and Joyce McNeal. Theres no one Id rather talk ball with than the Chief.

And to my wife, Colleen. I couldnt have done it without you.

Contents

Beating Kershaw Again, Wong Flips Out, Kelly Leaves and Then Comes Back Quickly, Jay the DJ, The Edge of A.J., Silent George Returns to St. Louis, Nesheks Number, Lance Lynn Grows Up, Big Citys Roller Coaster, The Taveras Tragedy

Carpenter Becomes a Leadoff Hitter, Shelby Nears Perfection, Historic in the Clutch, El Hombre Visits, Big Mac Returns, Molinas Mastery, Wacha! Wacha!, Young Guns, Wainwright: A Georgia Pitch, A Boston Bummer

A Cure for the Winter Blues, Matheny Rules the Roost, Kozmas Good Karma, Graceful Beltran and His Game 7 Woes

Holliday Overcomes Weird Injuries, Pujols Beats the Odds, Rasmus Moves On, The Cards Clutch Carpenter, Legend of the Rally Squirrel, Mottes Moxie on the Mound and Off, Hometown Boy Steps Up, Playing Through Pain, Berkmans Comeback, La Russas Last Run, Pujols Takes the Money and Runs

The 2014 Hall of Fame Class, The IntimidatorBob Gibson, Kissell and The Cardinal Way, Stan the Mans Royal Send-Off, Cardinals Red

Foreword by Dan McLaughlin

I have had the pleasure of being a Cardinals fan since birth. And, as someone who grew up rooting for the Cardinals, it has been a unique and unexpected blessing to broadcast their games for the last 18 years. It is both an honor and a great responsibility. Those who came before me are legendary, and Cardinals fans have come to expect the highest level of performance from their broadcast team.

The heightened expectations, of course, go not only to the broadcasters, but also to the entire organization. With that in mind, as a fan my impression was that the Cardinals were one of the organizations that got it. They honored their tradition, treated their fans with respect, and always competed on the field. That impression has been confirmed now that I am able to peek behind the curtain. The Cardinals do get it. St. Louis fans should be proud of their organization not just for its winning tradition, but also because it is known throughout the league as one of the true first-class organizations in professional sports.

As any fan of the team knows, we are currently enjoying another Golden Age for the Cardinals. The team is on a sustained run of success that is truly remarkable. Players have changed, the manager has changed, but the success has remained. Team ownership deserves credit for allowing flexibility to improve the team where it makes sense, all the while without mortgaging the future. John Mozeliak and his talented front office team should get a ton of credit for putting the machine in place for this continued success. Mike Matheny deserves credit for taking the mantle from Tony La Russa and not missing a beat. Tony, of course, was instrumental in starting this Golden Age. And, finally, team leaders like Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, Yadier Molina, and others deserve credit for maintaining a clubhouse that thrives on professionalism and competition.

Think of the names in that last paragraph. Tony La RussaHall of Famer. Albert Pujolscertain Hall of Famer. Jim Edmondsarguable Hall of Famer. Yadier Molinaon the path to being a Hall of Famer. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwrighttwo of the most dominant starters of their eras, a Cy Young Award winner and a perennial Cy Young contender. And the roster continues to be stacked with players who can pick up and meet that tradition. As I said earlier, we are in a Golden Age for Cardinals baseball and I honestly do not see an end in sight.

Against that backdrop let me now talk about this book. Stan McNeal gets it, too. From his vantage point as a journalist covering the team, he has access to the kind of stories that do not make the news accounts of the games. He has taken that access and delivered an eye-opening and revealing account of some of the biggest games and moments of the Cardinals past few years. This book will not just help you relive some of the great moments of the past few seasons (which are numerous), it also will put those games and moments in a new light for you. You will hear from the key players and coaches about what it was like to be in those games, to play in those moments and you will come away with an even greater appreciation for them, the game, and the organization. You will learn about the game from an insiders perspective, which is why this book is a must-read not only for any Cardinals fan, but also for any fan of the game of baseball.

Dan McLaughlin

Cardinals play-by-play broadcaster

Introduction

B ill DeWitt Jr. stood inside the Cardinals clubhouse at Busch Stadium, basking in another celebration. A steady flow of players, coaches and staffers, their family members, media members, and anyone with access to the clubhouse looked to shake hands with and offer congratulations to the chairman of the club.

Its a scene DeWitt has become quite familiar with since he took over the team in 1995, and never more than in the past four years. Since 2011, watching the Cardinals spray champagne has become as much a part of October in St. Louis as trick or treating. The Cardinals have reveled in eight of these postseason parties in the past four yearsmore than any team in the majors. During that time they have won a World Series, two pennants, and become the first team in the 21 st century to make it to a league championship seriesthe final four of the major leaguesin four consecutive seasons.

Their farm system has been lauded as one of the best in the game, a development that has allowed the Cardinals to maintain a reasonable payrollby baseball standards, of courseas they enjoy all this winning. No team has won more games in the past four years either. The Detroit Tigers lead the majors in regular season wins since 2011 with one more than the Cardinals, but include the postseason, and St. Louis is No. 1 with an average of a remarkable 99 wins a season.

As I stood in the clubhouse, trying to stay dry, I rattled off some of these superlatives to DeWitt and asked him, Is this the greatest era in the history of the Cardinals franchise or what?

He paused, long enough that I started to think my question was so obvious he didnt need to answer. Ill leave that up to others to decide, he said. I will say that we have a good thing going and I hope we can keep it going.

Im not that surprised he didnt answer me more directly. He had no reason to boast and, besides, comparing eras is difficult. But from the smile on DeWitts face and the twinkle in his eyes, I could tell my question was one he did not mind hearing. And if this isnt the best stretch in franchise history, it has to be tied for first, as Tony La Russa might say. Lifelong St. Louisan and noted TV announcer Joe Buck, who knows a little about baseball, doesnt remember seeing the Cardinals enjoy a greater run. I can remember back to the 1970s and I cannot recall a time when they were anywhere close to where they are right now at the major league level and with the guys they keep bringing up, Buck told me in 2014. They are the envy of baseballthe way they have built this system.

Longtime catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who spent the second half of the 2014 season with the Cardinals after spending 16-plus seasons on other teams, offered the perspective of one who has seen the Cardinals success from both sides. Its almost the Cardinals birthright to get in the playoffs and win a World Series, he says. Its pretty cool to be a part of.