Four Cardinals We’d Invite To Dinner
The latest United Cardinal Bloggers project — "Four Cardinals You’d Invite To Dinner" — is our shortlist of people, current or past, who spent any part of their careers in St. Louis — both those who played the game and worked behind-the-scenes. We’re not known for following the rules (see our first contribution to the UCB), and we fudged a little on this one, too (read on and you’ll see why). Dinner’s served!
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Keith Hernandez: Anyone who has followed this blog over the years will not be surprised that Hernandez is the first person that we would invite to the party. We’d love to find out more about the Herzog years, given the time that has passed since Mex first wrote about them in his book "If At First." We could chat about everything from the Civil War (he’s a buff, you know) to his friendship with Jerry Seinfeld. And we suppose we’d have to drive him to the airport. The question we’d most want him to answer? Why did you do that dang Just for Men’s tv commercial?
Eagle Eye Jake Beckley: One of the most colorful baseball players in the early 20th century, the Hall of Fame Beckley was born on August 4, 1867, in Hannibal, Mo., and ended his career with the Cardinals. Having played in a vintage baseball match in Hannibal with the St. Louis Perfectos, we’d want to know what it was like growing up playing baseball with no glove. We’d ask him what was it like to hit against Christy Mathewson’s fadeaway and how to pull off the hidden-ball trick, which he tried on every new player who came into the league. Both Hernandez and Beckley could share their thoughts on facial hair: Beckley "kept his impressive mustache long after all but a handful of players had relinquished theirs. At the time of his retirement he was one of only three men in the majors who still sported facial hair — just like Keith! We’d give him an extra helping of dessert if he’d yell "Chickazoola!" for us.
Satchel Paige: The Hall of Famer never was a Cardinal but played for the St. Louis Browns from 1951–1953. Paige would probably provide as much entertainment as four people combined. Of course, we’d have to serve something healthy, since one of Paige’s rules for staying young was to "avoid fried meats which angry up the blood." We’d ask him if, given a chance to do it over again, he’d have consented to being the first black player in the major leagues instead of teammate Jackie Robinson. We’d also find out how to throw a "bat dodger." And we’d tell him that, when our wife was pregnant with our first child, we planned to name him "Satchel Paige," if he were a boy. She had a girl.
Ring Lardner: We’ve always loved Lardner’s short stories (which, incidentally, are all he ever wrote), especially his "You Know Me Al" collection. Of course, Lardner is most closely associated with Chicago, but he spend some time in St. Louis as editor of The Sporting News. Here in the Lou, he wrote his column "Pullman Pastimes," which portrayed major-league life on the road and was the basis for those letters to that old busher, "Al." We’d love to talk about writing with him and hear his views on blogging. As well as his opinion on who has the better mustache, Beckley or Hernandez.
Be sure to read the other blogs participating in the “Four Cardinals Dinner Party” simul-post: