RetroSimba

After sitting out the 2003 baseball season, Ray Lankford worked on his hitting with the help of outfielders Carlos Beltran of the Royals and Moises Alou of the Cubs. At 36, Lankford was plotting a comeback to the big leagues.

Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty, who traded Lankford to the Padres in August 2001, was looking for a left-handed batter to bolster the bench in 2004. He called Lankford and liked what he heard.

“A couple weeks ago, I was asking anybody if they’d seen or heard from Ray,” Jocketty said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “He’d just dropped out of sight. I got a call from his agent and was told (Lankford) missed playing. I talked to (Lankford) a while and got the sense he had a desire to come back home to St. Louis. I think he’s highly motivated.

“He’s had a year away from the game. Sometimes that will change a guy’s outlook toward things to the positive.”

On Jan. 9, 2004, the Cardinals signed Lankford to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training as a non-roster player with no guarantee of earning a job.

Lankford, a prominent part of the Cardinals’ lineup from 1990-2001, was grateful for the opportunity. He hit .224 in 81 games for the 2002 Padres. “Weight issues and complications from knee surgery conspired to sap his productivity,” the Post-Dispatch reported.

Be a man

When Lankford was dealt to the Padres for pitcher Woody Williams on Aug. 2, 2001, his attitude toward the Cardinals, particularly manager Tony La Russa, was negative. “Lankford had voiced displeasure over what he termed La Russa’s lack of communication about his limited playing time,” wrote Rick Hummel of the Post-Dispatch. “La Russa wondered if Lankford’s dedication had waned in the midst of a multiyear deal that paid him $35.5 million over five years.”

Said La Russa: “Ray got comfortable more than anything else.”

In the Jan. 21, 2004, Post-Dispatch, in a story headlined “Lankford is eager to show he still has something left,” Hummel asked, “Will we see a different Lankford from the one who left the Cardinals bitter at manager Tony La Russa?”

Lankford responded, “I’ve moved on. What’s in the past is in the past. Kids hold grudges. Grown men move forward. I’m moving forward. I’m sure Tony’s doing the same thing. I want to win. He wants to win.

“I’m going to camp with eyes wide open and try to make the team. I’ve never been in a situation where I had to try to make a team.”

Back in business

The improbable turned into the remarkable. Lankford made the team and was named the 2004 Cardinals’ Opening Day left fielder.

He hit .280 in April and remained the Cardinals’ starter for the first three months of the season in an outfield with Jim Edmonds in center and Reggie Sanders in right. Lankford’s batting average through June was .266.

In July, though, he developed a sore right wrist and it hurt his swing. Lankford batted .154 in July and the Cardinals placed him on the disabled list on July 25. Three weeks later, they acquired slugger Larry Walker from the Rockies.

Walker took over the right field job, with Sanders moving to left. Lankford sat out all of August. When he returned in September, he was ineffective, hitting .083 in a reserve role.

Still, his surprise contributions in the first half of the season helped the Cardinals start strong on their way to a 105-57 record and first-place finish in the National League Central Division.

Lankford played more games in left field (66) and made more starts at that position (43) than anyone else on the 2004 Cardinals. In 92 games, he batted .255 with six home runs.