RetroSimba

Cardinals helped Chuck Carr shift into fast lane

May 16, 2018 by retrosimba

(Updated Jan. 23, 2025)

Chuck Carr, a switch-hitting speedster who appealed to the Cardinals but didn’t fit into their plans, found a home with the expansion Marlins.

On May 14, 1993, the Cardinals played the Marlins in a regular-season game for the first time. The first batter they faced was Carr, whom the Marlins selected from the Cardinals in the Nov. 17, 1992, National League expansion draft.

Carr developed into a productive player with the 1993 Marlins. He led the National League in stolen bases (58) that season, tied with Jeff Conine for the team lead in runs scored (75) and was second on the club in hits (147).

In a special edition magazine, “Marlins! Top of the First,” Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald wrote, “If Marlins center fielder Chuck Carr hadn’t been born, Walt Disney would have created him. The cocky Carr, part cartoon and part character, added a flash of fluorescence to a game capable of being as black and white as its box scores.”

For instance, according to Le Batard, after winning a game for the Marlins with a bunt, Carr gave his interviews while staring into a mirror. He also wanted to name a son Sports _ as in, Sports Carr _ but his wife wouldn’t allow it. They settled on Sheldon instead.

The Cardinals would like to have kept Carr, but they had outfielders such as Ray Lankford, Bernard Gilkey and Brian Jordan who rated ahead of him.

Learning to hit

Carr entered pro baseball in 1986 when he was drafted and signed by Reds scout Ed Roebuck, a former big-league pitcher. After a year in the Reds’ system, Carr was released, joined the Mariners, spent two seasons in their organization and got traded to the Mets.

On Dec. 13, 1991, the Cardinals, acting on the advice of player development director Ted Simmons, got Carr from the Mets for minor-league pitcher Clyde Keller. Carr had a reputation for being a good fielder and weak hitter. “We signed him primarily as a defensive player,” Simmons told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Cardinals assigned Carr to Class AA Arkansas to open the 1992 season and sent minor-league hitting instructor Johnny Lewis to work with him.

“Chuck was just slapping at the ball … I took him aside and showed him ways he could hit the ball harder,” Lewis told the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Said Carr: “Johnny wants me to shorten my swing and put the ball in play more, just like Jose Oquendo and Ozzie Smith. It made sense to me.”

Carr hit .261 at Arkansas and was promoted to Class AAA Louisville on May 12. He batted .308 with 53 stolen bases in 96 games for Louisville.

“Carr is stirring memories of Vince Coleman,” wrote Courier-Journal columnist George Rorrer. “He’s fast enough to steal a base nearly any time he wants.”

Said Louisville manager Jack Krol: “Chuck has done more than we thought he could do … He can make it to the big leagues.”

Building block

Carr was called up to the Cardinals in September 1992 and they gave him a chance to play. He made 15 outfield starts. “His disruptive speed and defensive skills make Carr intriguing,” Dan O’Neill of the Post-Dispatch wrote.

Carr hit .360 in his first 25 at-bats and had five stolen bases. “Initially, he stirred excitement with the Cardinals,” wrote O’Neill. “Then he started hitting fly balls and his average deflated.”

In 22 games for the Cardinals, Carr hit .219 with 10 stolen bases.

After Carr was drafted by the Marlins, Cardinals manager Joe Torre said he “would have benefited us as a player coming off the bench” in 1993. “We were kind of hoping he might sneak through” the draft without being taken, Torre said.

The Marlins saw Carr as a possible cornerstone for building a lineup. “He can steal 50 bases in the major leagues,” said Marlins scout Cookie Rojas.

Run generator

Scott Pose was the Marlins’ starting center fielder and leadoff batter in their first Opening Day, April 5, 1993, but Carr took over the job on April 16 and kept it the remainder of the season.

A couple of more anecdotes from Dan Le Batard about Carr:

_ During 1993 spring training, Carr approached Lou Brock, then an Expos instructor, and asked for tips on how to be a better base stealer. “Listen, son,” Brock said to Carr, “what I’ve done can’t be taught in 15 minutes.” Carr got an autograph instead.

_ In a regular-season game against the Cubs, Carr was called out on a close play at first, taunted umpire Jeff Kellogg by pointing at his eyes and said to him, “If you are blinded by the speed, don’t make the call.”

When the Marlins came to St. Louis for the first time in a regular-season game, their lineup was Chuck Carr in center, Junior Felix in right, Dave Magadan at third, Orestes Destrade at first, Benito Santiago at catcher, Jeff Conine in left, Alex Arias at second, Walt Weiss at short and pitcher Chris Hammond.

The Cardinals’ lineup: left fielder Bernard Gilkey, shortstop Ozzie Smith, center fielder Ray Lankford, first baseman Gregg Jefferies, right fielder Mark Whiten, third baseman Todd Zeile, second baseman Geronimo Pena, catcher Erik Pappas and pitcher Bob Tewksbury.

The Cardinals won, 7-2. Carr contributed to both Marlins runs.

In the fourth, Carr got the Marlins’ first hit, lining a single to center. He swiped second _ “The throw was pretty good,” said Pappas. “He just beat it.” _ advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Magadan.

In the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs, Carr was grazed on the arm by a Tewskbury pitch, forcing in a run. “The ball was close to being a strike,” said Tewksbury. “He’s just diving into the pitch.” Boxscore

Carr batted .263 with six stolen bases against the Cardinals in 1993. The Cardinals won nine of 13 games against the expansion Marlins.

In eight major-league seasons with the Mets (1990-91), Cardinals (1992), Marlins (1993-95), Brewers (1996-97) and Astros (1997), Carr batted .254 with 144 stolen bases.

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How Jose Oquendo came to rescue of Cardinals bullpen

May 13, 2018 by retrosimba

With a pitching performance as entertaining as it was admirable, Jose Oquendo impressed teammates, frustrated the Braves and earned a spot in Cardinals lore.

On May 14, 1988, at St. Louis, Oquendo was asked by manager Whitey Herzog to relieve in the 16th inning because no one on the pitching staff was available. Oquendo shifted from first base to the mound and shut out the Braves for three innings before yielding two runs in the 19th. Though he lost, Oquendo surprised most by doing as well as he did for as long as he did.

Another surprise was the performance of Jose DeLeon, a Cardinals pitcher who played the outfield in the final four innings.

Limited options

The Saturday night game matched starting pitchers Cris Carpenter, making his major-league debut for the Cardinals, against Zane Smith. The Cardinals led, 5-4, before the Braves tied the score with a run in the seventh.

Oquendo, a utility player, entered the game in the ninth as a replacement for first baseman and ex-Brave Bob Horner. In the bottom half of the inning, Oquendo and Tony Pena were on base, with one out, when Vince Coleman hit a grounder past pitcher Jose Alvarez. Second baseman Ron Gant dived, stopped the ball and started a double play, sending the game into extra innings.

In the 12th, former Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons led off for the Braves. Facing his friend, Bob Forsch, Simmons pulled a pitch hard on the ground. Oquendo ranged to his right, snagged the ball and threw to Forsch, covering first, in time to nip Simmons.

In the 15th, Herzog brought in his last available pitcher, Randy O’Neal, whom the Cardinals acquired from the Braves the year before. O’Neal had experience as a starter and Herzog figured to let him finish the game, no matter how many innings it took.

However, after retiring the Braves in order in the 15th, O’Neal said his arm hurt. Herzog had used all his pitchers except three: DeLeon, Larry McWilliams and John Tudor. All were deemed unavailable. DeLeon had pitched 8.2 innings the previous night, McWilliams was scheduled to start the next game and had been sent home by Herzog in the 10th inning, and Tudor had a tender shoulder.

Herzog turned to Oquendo, who’d made one big-league pitching appearance, a 1987 mop-up role during a blowout loss to the Phillies.

Serious business

Selecting Oquendo to pitch, Herzog needed someone to play first base. He moved Duane Walker from left field to first and brought in DeLeon to play left.

DeLeon hadn’t played a position other than pitcher since entering the big leagues in 1983. Asked how Herzog broke the news to him, DeLeon told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “He said, ‘Can you play outfield?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ I didn’t mind.”

Herzog approached umpire Bob Davidson to inform him of the lineup switches. Recalled Davidson: “Whitey said he was bringing in Oquendo to pitch and he said, ‘Can I forfeit?’ ”

When catcher Steve Lake went to the mound to review the pitch signals, Oquendo told him he had three pitches: fastball, slider and split-finger. “I started chuckling,” Lake said. “Then I see that he’s dead serious.”

Ken Griffey Sr. led off the 16th against Oquendo and doubled. After Gerald Perry was walked intentionally, Ozzie Virgil Jr. hit a single to right. In a decision the Atlanta Constitution described as “a blunder,” third-base coach Willie Stargell sent Griffey to the plate, where Lake awaited with the ball after fielding a strong peg from right fielder Tom Brunansky. Griffey was out by 10 feet.

“I’ve got to thank Stargell because he didn’t hold the guy (at third),” Herzog said. “The game should have been over then.”

Mix and match

As the game moved along through the 17th and 18th, Herzog continually shifted DeLeon and Brunansky in an effort “to put DeLeon where the batter was least likely to hit the pitch,” according to the Constitution. DeLeon and Brunansky switched spots in right field and left field 11 times.

DeLeon had two fly balls hit to him and he caught both. “I was a little nervous,” DeLeon said. “My knees were shaking.”

In the 18th, with Cardinals runners on first and third, none out, Lake grounded out to third. After Luis Alicea walked, loading the bases, Walker hit a broken-bat liner that was caught by shortstop Andres Thomas and resulted in a double play when Brunansky was unable to get back to the bag at third.

“I didn’t get the job done,” said Walker. “All I had to do was hit a fly ball to end the game.”

Said Herzog: “We should have won in the 18th.”

The Cardinals stranded 21 on base in the game.

Staying alive

In the 19th, Griffey hit a two-run double against Oquendo with two outs. Rick Mahler retired the Cardinals in order in the bottom half, completing eight scoreless innings of relief and sealing a 7-5 Braves victory. Mahler “pitched the best he has in three years,” said Braves manager Chuck Tanner.

Oquendo finished with a pitching line of four innings, four hits, two runs, six walks and one strikeout. “He threw a lot of sliders and a lot of split-fingers,” said Lake. “I never knew where his fastball was going. I didn’t know if he was going to drop down (sidearm) or throw overhand.”

Oquendo became the first non-pitcher to receive a decision since outfielder Rocky Colavito won a relief stint for the Yankees against the Tigers in 1968.

“I’m glad I got a chance to pitch and I’m glad nobody got hurt,” Oquendo said.

Said Braves slugger Dale Murphy, who was hitless in seven at-bats: “It wouldn’t have looked very good if we had lost. It didn’t look too good anyway, but we won.” Boxscore

Herzog said utility player Tom Lawless would have relieved Oquendo if the game had gone to a 20th inning. “That would have been brutal,” said Lawless. “I’d already thrown batting practice.”

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | 3 Comments »

Moe Drabowsky, Stan Musial: Special connection

May 10, 2018 by retrosimba

Sons of Polish fathers, Stan Musial and Moe Drabowsky reached the major leagues, played central roles in a baseball milestone and honored their heritages by helping others learn the game they loved.

On May 13, 1958, Musial got his 3,000th career hit, a double against Drabowsky at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The feat forever linked Drabowsky with Musial.

The relationship didn’t end there. In September 1987, Musial and Drabowsky went to Poland together to instruct men and women in their fathers’ homeland how to play baseball.

Land of opportunity

Miroslav Drabowski, later known as Moe Drabowsky, was born on July 21, 1935, in Ozanna, Poland. His father was Polish and his mother was American. In 1938, when Miroslav was 3, the family moved to the United States and settled in Connecticut.

In America, Miroslav took the name of Myron Walter Drabowski, though nearly everyone called him Moe. He was a natural as a baseball player. In school, his name often was misspelled as Drabowsky and he stuck with that, according to a biography by the Society for American Baseball Research.

After earning an economics degree from Trinity College in Connecticut, Drabowsky signed with the Cubs and made his big-league debut with them in 1956.

Musial, whose father immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1910, entered the 1958 season needing 43 hits to become the eighth player to reach 3,000. On May 12, against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Musial got his 2,999th hit and indicated he’d prefer to achieve No. 3,000 before the fans in St. Louis.

Work day

Cardinals manager Fred Hutchinson told Musial to sit out the May 13 game at Chicago and prepare to return to the lineup May 14 against the Giants at St. Louis. Musial went to the bullpen along the right-field line at Wrigley Field and watched the game.

In the sixth inning, with the Cubs ahead, 3-1, Gene Green led off for the Cardinals and doubled. Hal Smith was up next, with pitcher Sam Jones on deck. As Smith batted, Hutchinson motioned for Musial. After Smith grounded out, Musial walked from the bullpen to the dugout, picked out a bat and went to the plate to hit for Jones. The Tuesday afternoon crowd of 5,692 cheered in approval.

Drabowsky, 22, was glad Cubs manager Bob Scheffing showed confidence in letting him pitch to Musial. Drabowsky won 13 for the Cubs in 1957 and was considered one of their best pitchers in 1958.

“I thought, ‘Here’s a guy who deserves No. 3,000.’ A nice guy,” Drabowsky told David Condon of the Chicago Tribune. “Then I remembered our 3-1 lead and that I was trying to preserve a victory. So I told myself, ‘Sure, he’s a nice guy, but he’ll have to earn No. 3,000.’ So I bore down.”

Hugs and kisses

Working methodically, Drabowsky alternated curves and fastballs. Musial fouled off three pitches to left and watched two others go wide of the strike zone.

With the count at 2-and-2, Drabowsky threw a curve. “Outside corner, higher than intended,” Drabowsky said.

In his book “Stan Musial: The Man’s Own Story,” Musial said, “I picked up the spin of the pitch, strode into the ball and drove it on a deep line into left field. I knew as soon as it left my bat that it would go between the left fielder, Walt Moryn, and the foul line.”

Musial’s No. 3,000 was a run-scoring double. “I don’t mind him getting 3,000 off me,” Drabowsky said, “but when I had two strikes, I thought I had him _ not for a strikeout, but I figured he’d hit it in the ground.” Video

As Hutchinson ran onto the field to congratulate Musial, he was followed by a pack of photographers. Umpire Frank Dascoli retrieved the ball and handed it to Musial, who was lifted for a runner, pitcher Frank Barnes.

Before leaving the field, Musial went to the box seats next to the Cardinals dugout and kissed his wife, Lillian. A photographer asked, “Say, Stan, did you know that blonde?” Musial laughed and replied, “I’d better. That’s my wife.”

Sparked by Musial’s hit, the Cardinals scored three more runs against Drabowsky in the inning and won, 5-3. Boxscore

Polish pride

Musial, who retired after the 1963 season, batted .405 with two home runs, four doubles and six walks against Drabowsky in his career.

Drabowsky pitched 17 seasons in the major leagues with eight teams: Cubs (1956-60), Braves (1961), Reds (1962), Athletics (1962-65), Orioles (1966-68 and 1970), Royals (1969-70), Cardinals (1971-72) and White Sox (1972). His best years were as an Orioles reliever. In Game 1 of the 1966 World Series, Drabowsky struck out 11 Dodgers, including six in a row, and earned the win with 6.2 innings of scoreless relief. Boxscore

In two seasons with the Cardinals, Drabowsky was 7-2 with 10 saves.

In 1987, Musial and Drabowsky reconnected, going to the town of Kutno in Poland to teach baseball to men and women in the Polish Baseball Union. It was Drabowsky’s first visit to Poland since he left when he was 3.

With equipment provided by baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, Musial and Drabowsky gave out enough bats, balls, gloves and catchers’ gear to supply 12 men’s teams and six women’s teams, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“We’re here to help get them going and maybe we can invite some of their coaches to the U.S. next year to see how we train so they can come home and teach the kids more,” said Musial.

The effort by Musial and Drabowsky led to Kutno, Poland, becoming home to the Little League Baseball European Leadership Training Center.

Posted in Games, Hitters, Opponents, Pitchers, Records | 2 Comments »

How Harry Brecheen handcuffed Cardinals opponents

May 7, 2018 by retrosimba

Harry Brecheen came close to being perfect for the Cardinals.

Brecheen began the 1948 season with three consecutive shutouts, including a one-hitter.

A left-hander, Brecheen followed consecutive shutouts versus the Cubs with a nearly perfect game against the Phillies. His scoreless streak reached 32 innings before the Pirates broke through with a run in the sixth inning of Brecheen’s fourth start of the season.

Hot start

Brecheen, 33, made his first start of 1948 on April 23 against the Cubs at Chicago. He yielded nine hits and a walk, but the Cubs stranded nine and the Cardinals won, 1-0. Boxscore

A week later, on May 1, Breechen got his second start, against the Cubs at St. Louis, and again held them scoreless. The Cubs got six hits and a walk, stranded seven and the Cardinals won, 4-0. Boxscore

Facing the Phillies in his third start on May 8 at St. Louis, Brecheen was extra sharp. Using a mix of screwballs, curves and fastballs, he retired the first 20 batters in a row.

With two outs in the seventh, rookie Johnny Blatnik, starting in place of slumping left fielder Harry Walker, was the batter. Brecheen got ahead on the count, 0-and-2, and decided to waste a pitch.

“I threw one in there high, above his head,” Breechen told The Sporting News.

Decisive call

Blatnik, a right-handed batter, swung at the ball and hit “a high, slow bouncer” along the third-base line, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Third baseman Whitey Kurowski fielded the ball on the foul line and fired across the diamond to first baseman Nippy Jones. “I thought I made a good throw,” Kurowski said.

First-base umpire Babe Pinelli called Blatnik safe, an infield single that ended Brecheen’s bid to pitch the first perfect game in the big leagues since Charlie Robertson of the White Sox did it against the Tigers in 1922.

“I was aware Brecheen was pitching a perfect, no-hit game when that play came up, but if I had to call it again, it would be the same,” said Pinelli. “Blatnik was safe at first. There was no doubt about that in my mind when I called the play.”

Difference of opinions

Though the Cardinals didn’t challenge the call on the field, they were united in their belief Blatnik was out.

_ Harry Breechen: “I thought Blatnik was out at first, but, of course, I’m prejudiced.”

_ Whitey Kurowski: “From where I was standing, my throw appeared to have beaten Blatnik by a good margin.”

_ Nippy Jones: “I felt the ball hit my mitt while the base runner was still in the air. I was surprised when the umpire called him safe. In fact, I didn’t think the play was even close.”

_ Eddie Dyer, Cardinals manager: Jones “was positive in his statement when he told me Kurowski’s throw had the runner by a good half-step.”

_ Red Schoendienst, Cardinals second baseman: “I was satisfied the base runner was out.”

Throwing strikes

Blatnik was the only Phillies batter to reach base. Breechen retired the last seven in a row and the Cardinals won, 5-0. Boxscore

Brecheen exhibited pinpoint control. Richie Ashburn was the only Phillies batter who worked a count to 3-and-2, and he struck out.

After the game, Pinelli met Brecheen in a runway leading from the Cardinals’ dugout to the locker room and consoled the pitcher on missing out on a perfect performance, according to The Sporting News.

A week later, on May 15 at St. Louis, Brecheen made his fourth start, against the Pirates, and held them scoreless until, with two outs in the sixth, Frankie Gustine singled and scored on Johnny Hopp’s triple. Brecheen pitched a complete game and got the win in an 8-3 Cardinals victory.

Brecheen finished the 1948 season with a 20-7 record and led the National League in ERA (2.24), shutouts (seven) and strikeouts (149).

Posted in Games, Opponents, Pitchers | 2 Comments »

How Stan Musial went to bat for Robert Kennedy

May 4, 2018 by retrosimba

Seeking help in the heartland in his bid to win the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York turned to a family friend, Stan Musial of the Cardinals.

On April 24, 1968, Musial was selected to lead National Sportsmen for Kennedy, a committee of sports figures recruited to boost the national candidacy of the younger brother of the late President John F. Kennedy.

Though Musial disliked controversy, and usually took every precaution to avoid getting embroiled in the kind of conflict politics naturally created, he waded with eyes wide open into the tumultuous 1968 presidential campaign because of his loyalty to the Kennedys.

Ties that bind

The relationship between Musial and the Kennedys began in Milwaukee in September 1959. Musial, still a prominent player at 38, was with the Cardinals for a series with the Braves. Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, 42, was in town, campaigning for the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination. “I was standing in front of the hotel, waiting for the bus for the game,” Musial told The Sporting News, “and a man came up to me and said, ‘You are Stan Musial and I’m glad to meet you. I’m Jack Kennedy.’ Of course I knew him. Then he said, ‘You’re too old to play ball and I’m too young to be president, but maybe we’ll fool ’em.’ ”

In 1960, when John Kennedy ran for president as the Democratic nominee against Republican Vice President Richard Nixon, Musial was part of the first National Sportsmen for Kennedy committee. Among those joining Musial on the 1960 committee were baseball’s Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Joe DiMaggio, Whitey Herzog and Willie Mays; football’s Sam Huff and Johnny Unitas; and basketball’s Bob Cousy.

Kennedy won the election and named his brother, Robert, to the position of Attorney General.

President Kennedy met with Musial at the 1962 All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. The next day, Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri arranged for Musial, wife Lillian and daughter Janet to receive a VIP tour of the nation’s capital.

While at the Department of Justice, the Musials were greeted by Attorney General Kennedy, who asked whether they wanted to go to the White House and visit the president. Though Musial didn’t want special favors, Robert Kennedy insisted on arranging the White House meeting, and the Musials were brought to the Oval Office to see President Kennedy.

A few days later, on July 26, 1962, a letter from Attorney General Kennedy arrived for Musial at his St. Louis restaurant. Robert Kennedy wrote, “Dear Stan, many thanks for your nice note. It was good to see you and your family when you were in Washington and I am glad you enjoyed the tour of the White House and your meeting with the president.”

Two years later, in February 1964, Attorney General Kennedy and his wife Ethel attended the swearing in ceremony for Musial at the White House when the retired ballplayer was named by President Lyndon Johnson to lead the nation’s physical fitness program.

Two months after that, on April 17, 1964, with Musial at his side, Attorney General Kennedy threw the ceremonial first pitch at the Red Sox home opener in Boston.

Open competition

By March 1968, President Johnson’s popularity waned because of the United States involvement in the war in Vietnam. On March 16, Senator Robert Kennedy announced he would seek the Democratic presidential nomination. Two weeks later, President Johnson declared he wouldn’t seek re-election.

With the president out of the running, the race for the Democratic nomination centered on Kennedy, Vice President Hubert Humphrey and Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy. The winning candidate would need to show strength in the remaining state primaries.

Kennedy first focused on the May 7 primary in Indiana, a state considered especially challenging for an East Coast liberal.

With an eye toward boosting his appeal among Midwesterners, Kennedy tapped Musial to lead the committee of sports figures who would campaign for him. In addition to his sterling reputation, Musial also was the senior vice president of the defending World Series champion Cardinals.

Among those joining Musial on the 1968 National Sportsmen for Kennedy committee were Hank Aaron, basketball’s Bill Russell and football’s Gale Sayers, Herb Adderley and Paul Hornung.

Help with Hoosiers

On May 2, 1968, Musial played a visible role in joining Robert and Ethel Kennedy on the campaign trail in the northern Indiana towns of Elkhart and Mishawaka. An article in the next day’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, “Musial perched on the back of Kennedy’s open automobile along with Mrs. Kennedy in a motorcade through Elkhart and Mishawaka.”

The sight of Musial stumping for Kennedy helped to counter the work of celebrities such as actor Paul Newman, who campaigned for McCarthy in Indiana.

Kennedy won the Indiana primary and followed that with victories in primaries in Nebraska, South Dakota, Washington, D.C., and California.

On June 5, hours after he won the California primary, Kennedy, like his brother five years earlier, was shot by an assassin. He died on June 6 at age 42.

The Democrats nominated Humphrey but he lost the election to Richard Nixon.

Previously: Stan Musial shared a special bond with JFK

Previously: While nation mourned RFK, Cards reluctantly played

Posted in Executives | 2 Comments »

The story of why Hawks took flight from St. Louis

May 1, 2018 by retrosimba

The St. Louis Hawks were a first-place NBA team in 1968, but they were also-rans in the hearts of hometown sports fans.

On May 3, 1968, club owner Ben Kerner sold the Hawks to a group that moved them to Atlanta. The departure occurred 10 years after the franchise won its only NBA championship in 1958.

Though the Hawks were Western Division champions in 1968, finishing the regular season with a 56-26 record, their average home attendance was 6,288. Struggling to attract customers to St. Louis’ Kiel Auditorium, the Hawks played six of their home games in Miami during the 1967-68 season.

In 1955, when the Hawks relocated from Milwaukee, the baseball Cardinals were the only other major professional sports franchise in St. Louis. By 1968, the Cardinals and Hawks had been joined in St. Louis by the NFL Cardinals, the NHL Blues and the Stars of the North American Soccer League.

The baseball Cardinals were longtime kings in St. Louis, and the football Cardinals, as well as the Blues, who joined the NHL in 1967, surpassed the Hawks in popularity.

“Things have been going downhill slowly,” Kerner said to the Associated Press. “Since 1960, when the football Cardinals came here, people instead of buying eight season tickets from us split it four and four. The same thing happened again with hockey.”

Money ball

After beating the Boston Celtics in the 1958 NBA Finals, the Hawks had their peak home attendance years in the next three seasons, averaging 8,548 in 1958-59, 8,409 in 1959-60 and 8,561 in 1960-61, according to the Association for Professional Basketball Research.

The baseball Cardinals and the football Cardinals benefitted from the 1966 opening of Busch Memorial Stadium in downtown St. Louis. The Blues, who reached the Stanley Cup Finals in their debut season, played at St. Louis Arena.

“The Hawks, it developed, could stand everything except competition for the sports buck,” Bob Broeg wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Coached by Richie Guerin and bolstered by standout players such as Zelmo Beatty, Lenny Wilkens, Joe Caldwell, Bill Bridges, Paul Silas and Lou Hudson, the Hawks opened the 1967-68 season by winning 16 of their first 17 games, but ticket sales remained flat.

“When your team starts off with a 16-1 record and you have a hard time drawing crowds at home, you have to wonder,” Kerner said.

Facing the San Francisco Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, the Hawks played the first two games at St. Louis, drawing crowds of 5,018 and 5,810 to Kiel Auditorium, according to the Post-Dispatch. With the best-of-seven series tied at 2-2, Game 5 was played at St. Louis’ Washington University and attracted slightly more than 4,000.

“The crowds at the playoff games were very discouraging,” Kerner said. “This certainly was a factor in my decision to sell the club.”

Fast break

The Warriors, featuring players such as Rudy LaRusso, Nate Thurmond and Jeff Mullins, upset the favored Hawks, winning four of six games in their playoff series. Soon after, Kerner was approached by an Atlanta group, led by real estate developer Thomas Cousins and former Georgia governor Carl Sanders.

“Negotiations progressed rapidly,” Kerner said.

Cousins told the Atlanta Constitution a deal was reached quickly “because there were other cities who would have jumped in had we sat back.”

Kerner sold the Hawks for about $3.5 million, the Post-Dispatch reported.

“The attendance for the last four or five years has not been good,” Kerner said. “It appears that the interest is not there. If you have a product that people don’t want, you can’t make them buy it.”

Kerner said he tried to find a St. Louis group to purchase the Hawks, but didn’t find any.

Wrote Broeg: “Public apathy was apparent. The man was justified in selling, though it’s too bad he couldn’t have given St. Louisans one more chance or, because he’d become wealthy here, been willing to take a little less to keep it here.”

New South

Guerin told the Atlanta Constitution he was eager to coach in Atlanta because the city was “very progressive, fast-growing and, equally, fast-developing.”

“The only thing about the sale that I’m a little down about is the fact I’m parting company with such a fine man as Mr. Kerner,” Guerin said. “It has been more than just a coach-owner relationship between the two of us. Mr. Kerner is a man for whom I have the greatest respect.”

The Hawks became the third major professional sports franchise to come to Atlanta since 1965, joining the baseball Braves and the NFL Falcons.

In 1968-69, their first season in Atlanta, the Hawks played at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on the Georgia Tech campus and averaged 4,474 per home game.

The Hawks never have won a NBA championship since moving to Atlanta. St. Louis never has gotten a NBA franchise since the Hawks departed, though they did have the Spirits of the American Basketball Association from 1974-76.

Posted in Executives | 9 Comments »

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