Click each item to find a retailer.
| Gibson was a fierce competitor who rarely smiled and was known to throw close fast inside pitches to let batters know who was in charge (similar to his contemporary and fellow Hall of Famer Don Drysdale), although he had good control and hit only 102 batters in his career (fewer than Drysdale's 154). Considered to be the best pitcher in Cardinals history (along with Dizzy Dean), Gibson dominated with his fastball, sharp slider, and a slow, looping curveball. Dusty Baker received the following advice from Hank Aaron about facing Gibson: "'Don't dig in against Bob Gibson, he'll knock you down. He'd knock down his own grandmother if she dared to challenge him. Don't stare at him, don't smile at him, don't talk to him. He doesn't like it. If you happen to hit a home run, don't run too slow, don't run too fast. If you happen to want to celebrate, get in the tunnel first. And if he hits you, don't charge the mound, because he's a Gold Glove boxer.' I'm like, 'Damn, what about my 17-game hitting streak?' That was the night it ended." |
| During his career, Lou Brock helped the Cardinals to National League pennants in 1964, 1967, and 1968 and to World Series championships in 1964 and 1967, defeating the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, respectively, both times in seven games. Brock remained best known for base-stealing and starting Cardinals rallies. He was said to have disdained Maury Wills' method of base-stealing, instead shortening his leads and going hard into second base, thus inflicting punishment on opposing players rather than himself by having to dive back into first base frequently. He was also an early student of game films. He used an 8mm movie camera from the dugout to film opposing pitchers and study their windups and pickoff moves to detect weaknesses he could exploit. |
| Nicknamed "The Wizard of Oz", Ozzie Smith won the National League Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence at shortstop for thirteen consecutive seasons, a feat that, as of 2008, has not been equalled. A 15-time All-Star, Smith accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases over the course of his 19-year career, and also won a Silver Slugger Award in 1987 as the best hitter at shortstop for that season. Smith was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002, his first year of eligibility. Smith was a major contributor to the Cardinals’ 1982 World Series championship and 1985 and 1987 National League championships. He hit a dramatic game-winning home run (the impetus for broadcasting great Jack Buck's now-legendary "Go crazy, folks, go crazy!" play-by-play) during Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series and was named the 1985 NLCS MVP. |
