Roller coaster success?  It means lots of ups and downs, aptly describing Reggie Cleveland's MLB career.

Up: The Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year (1971)

          Down:  mid-season automobile crash- 15 stitches around an ear, 8 inside his mouth

Up: Canadian Hall of Fame

          Down: gained 30 pounds during one season

Up: Pitched in the World Series (first Canadian to do so)

          Down:  Over trained to the point of injury prepping for the strike-interrupted 1981 season

This episode details Reggie's pendular MLB adventure that spanned 30 years.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

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Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stlcards-beyondhof.bsky.social

Email address: [email protected]

Your Ride to Work Doesn't Have to be Boring

It's a 2-fer episode in which we spotlight two unsung heroes of Cardinal past.  One of the Cardinals contributed to the '67 and '68 championship teams while the other just missed being remembered as a hero in a weird finish to the 1973 season.

Production note:  As explained in this episode, we curtailing our production of episodes from twice a month to once a month.  We'll continue to publish a Cardinal salute on the fourth Monday of each month.

You might think that a typical professional baseball player’s early experience might include lessons from a paid instructor, inclusion on an exclusive travel ball team, or carefully guided support from a parent.  That’s not even close to Danny Sheaffer’s experience.  While enjoying over 40 years in professional baseball, Sheaffer played three seasons for the Cardinals (1995, 96 and 97).  It is a hilarious beginning to a long baseball journey. 

Sheaffer is the author to his new book Keep Digging: Discovering the Greatest Story Ever Told, Through the Greatest Game Ever Played.   You can find it an Amazon or wherever fine books are sold.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: [email protected]

What a career in baseball!!

• Four World Series rings
• Member of Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
• At 35, pivoted to a medical degree and became team physician for Toronto Blue Jays

With the recent passing of Dr. Taylor, we are recasting one of our early episodes that saluted his career.  We start with giving additional information not included in the original episode.

Diminutive Al Jackson, nicknamed "Little Al", twice took on the formidable Bob Gibson and beat him 1-0, both complete game victories.  This occurred just before the Cardinals traded for Jackson in 1966.  Jackson went on to help the Redbirds win a pennant and World Series championship as a starter and a reliever.  Via phone interview,  teammates Dick Hughes and Larry Jaster share their memories of Al while we also give you the highs and lows of Jackson's exploits with the woeful Mets.

Also, enjoy another edition of a regular feature "Redbird Recall," where our listeners share memories about their run-ins with players or memories of games or other Cardinal moments.  Ricky Carroll of Little Rock, Arkansas, tells us about his elevator run-in with Lars Nootbaar and Victor Scott II.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: [email protected]

Jaster, an integral member of the Cardinals success in the late ‘60s, spent an hour with Jon and I, talking about the World Series and pennant championships he helped to secure.  You’ll hear more about Eucker and his antics along with anecdotes about Tom Seaver, Willie McCovey, and others.  This is part II of our conversation with our salute to Larry Jaster.   Check out part I to learn how he earned the nicknames of “The Creeper” and “The Dodger Killer” along with other highlights from his 40 plus years in baseball.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: [email protected]

When a Clemente line drive broke Bob Gibson's leg in '67, "The Creeper" stepped up. 

With ace pitcher Gibson out of commission for a large part of the '67 season, the Redbirds had their wings clipped, but on the arms of his teammates like Larry "The Creeper" Jaster, they persevered, not only winning the pennant but ultimately taking the World Series trophy.

In part 1 of our interview with 82-year-old Jaster, he shares his memories of that championship season, including how he earned his two nicknames, The Creeper and The Dodger Killer.  He also reminisces about the many legends he interacted with such as Ted Simmons, Red Schoendienst, George Kissell, and others.  Be a part of yesteryear baseball as he talks about what it was like to be a part of the inaugral season for the Montreal Expos.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: [email protected]

Larry Jaster's exploits in MLB earned him not one, but two nicknames: The Creeper and The Dodger Killer.  This spotlight of an unsung hero covers Larry's five decades in baseball as a player and coach.  He shares his recollections of helping the Cardinals win the pennant in '67, being the first person to pitch in Canada for the Expos, shutting out the Dodgers five times in a row, and rubbing elbows with legends like Willie McCovey, Ted Simmons, and George Kissell.

His story about Bob Eucker is not to be missed.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: [email protected]

"No-Chin" Willis kept his chin up as he worked his way through the minor leagues and into a position to help the St. Louis Cardinals win the WS in '67 and the NL pennant in '68.  His adventures include being on fire in the Cardinal dugout and being among the league leaders in saves in '67.

This episdoe also includes an interview with a guard at Busch Stadium in the late '60s who recounts his duties and interactions with various players.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: [email protected]

What former Cardinal, while pitching a minor league game, collapsed on the mound and was taken to a hospital where he was issued his last rites?  Surviving this near fatal experience, years later he provided key pitching for the Redbirds in their championship seasons of ’67 and ’68.

The answer is the unsung hero of this episode: Joe Hoerner.

An All-Star reliever, Hoerner had an interesting life full of peaks and valleys.  Consider these examples:

• Wins a state championship.  Then almost dies in a hospital with heart problems.  

• Wins Rookie of the Year in the minors, then is stuck there for many years, moving 35 different times.  

• He earns a WS ring.  Then he is involved in a tragic boating accident that killed two different people.  

Enjoy the ups and downs of professional baseball life during the late 60s and 70s in this spotlight of Joe Hoerner.

The Essential links:

Website: https://stlouiscardinalsbeyondthehof.libsyn.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRx0bBfd2KyDcY9MEvdPaPhli56Ou4Ow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559227930441

Email address: t[email protected]