coolhandgopher
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One of the things I love about the Immaculate Grid is how it brings me down rabbit holes that I otherwise would not have discovered. To whit, when the Cardinals appeared on the board the other day, I was struggling to put together who was on the mid/late '70s squads, so I did a bit of digging. Reminded that Terry Kennedy started his career in St. Louis, I wondered how he made it over to San Diego, and then I found out that Rollie Fingers was in the trade that brought the mustachioed fireman to St. Louis.
But hold on-I don't recall Fingers with the Cards? Turns out, he was flipped four days later to the Brewers, after Whitey Herzog acquired Bruce Sutter from the Cubs and didn't feel the need to have both Fingers and Sutter in the bullpen. How did that trade go down? Well, Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich where shuttled to Milwaukee with Sixto Lezcano, David Green, Dave LaPoint, and Lary Sorenson shipped to St. Louis. Two future Hall of Famers, consecutive Cy Young Award winners (Fingers in '81, Vuckovich in '82) and an MVP year from Fingers in '81 for four journeymen--an all time fleecing, right? Just imagine if the Cards hadn't made that trade, why they might have. . .
Won the World Series in '82 over the Brewers. After a year in St. Louis, Lezcano was part of the trade that brought Ozzie Smith to the Cardinals, while Sorenson was jettisoned in a three team deal that brought Lonnie Smith into the fold for the Cardinals. The Cardinals ended up defeating the Brewers in 7 games with Fingers missing the WS due to an arm injury, which also kept him out the entirety of '83. While Simmons had a string of solid years for the Brewers, Vuckovich went down with an arm injury early in '83 which knocked him out the entirety of '84 and he was never the same. Fingers had one solid season left in him ('84) but '85 was a washout and he retired afterwards.
In the meantime, Ozzie Smith went on to become synonymous with the St. Louis Cardinals, their most popular player since Stan Musial and Lonnie Smith was one of the speedy catalysts for Whitey Herzog's squads until he went down the interstate to help the Royals defeat the Cardinals in the '85 World Series. And yet, "Skates" will be most remembered (at least in MN households) for being deked in the '91, Game 7 series by Chuck Knoblauch and Greg Gagne.
AND THAT...is a mofo'ing great rabbit hole.
But hold on-I don't recall Fingers with the Cards? Turns out, he was flipped four days later to the Brewers, after Whitey Herzog acquired Bruce Sutter from the Cubs and didn't feel the need to have both Fingers and Sutter in the bullpen. How did that trade go down? Well, Fingers, Ted Simmons, and Pete Vuckovich where shuttled to Milwaukee with Sixto Lezcano, David Green, Dave LaPoint, and Lary Sorenson shipped to St. Louis. Two future Hall of Famers, consecutive Cy Young Award winners (Fingers in '81, Vuckovich in '82) and an MVP year from Fingers in '81 for four journeymen--an all time fleecing, right? Just imagine if the Cards hadn't made that trade, why they might have. . .
Won the World Series in '82 over the Brewers. After a year in St. Louis, Lezcano was part of the trade that brought Ozzie Smith to the Cardinals, while Sorenson was jettisoned in a three team deal that brought Lonnie Smith into the fold for the Cardinals. The Cardinals ended up defeating the Brewers in 7 games with Fingers missing the WS due to an arm injury, which also kept him out the entirety of '83. While Simmons had a string of solid years for the Brewers, Vuckovich went down with an arm injury early in '83 which knocked him out the entirety of '84 and he was never the same. Fingers had one solid season left in him ('84) but '85 was a washout and he retired afterwards.
In the meantime, Ozzie Smith went on to become synonymous with the St. Louis Cardinals, their most popular player since Stan Musial and Lonnie Smith was one of the speedy catalysts for Whitey Herzog's squads until he went down the interstate to help the Royals defeat the Cardinals in the '85 World Series. And yet, "Skates" will be most remembered (at least in MN households) for being deked in the '91, Game 7 series by Chuck Knoblauch and Greg Gagne.
AND THAT...is a mofo'ing great rabbit hole.
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