Dizzy Dean
Cardinal nation
[Contributing writers and editors: Joe Hoppel ... [et. al.]].
St. Louis, Mo. : Sporting News, c2006.
Also, here is the catalog copy for the title Updated to include the 2006 season and World Series "Cardinal Nation 4th Edition "details all of the great moments, the great performances, the great players in St. Louis Cardinals baseball history in a special commemorative hardcover. From the new stadium and most recent Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Sutter to the unbelievable pennant race and phenomenal underdog win to become World Champions "Cardinal Nation" is the most complete and detailed book available for the ultimate Cardinal fan. The baseball bible, "Sporting News" bring s to life Cardinal history from the Gashouse Gang to Big Mac, from Sportsman's Park to Busch Stadium, from Harry Caray to Jack Buck, Cardinal Nation celebrates everything that makes the Cardinals a special franchise.
Cardinal nation
by Rob Rains.
St. Louis, Mo. : The Sporting News, 2002.
All of the great moments, the great performances, the great players in the history of St. Louis Cardinals baseball history comes together in this special commemorative book from The Sporting News. From the Gashouse Gang to Big Mac, from Sportsman's Park to Busch Stadium, from Harry Caray to Jack Buck, Cardinal Nation celebrates everything that makes the Cardinals a special franchise. Includes a special foreword Mr. Cardinal himself, Stan Musial.
The I-55 series : Cubs vs. Cardinals
George Castle, Jim Rygelski.
Champaign, IL : Sports Pub., c1999.
Between the baseball-rich cities of Chicago and St. Louis lies a stretch of highway, known as Interstate 55, that has been the battleground for the hearts and minds of baseball fans for generations. 1-55 bridges the 294-mile gap between these two great midwestern hubs. The 1-55 Series offers baseball fans the opportunity to recall one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, the Cubs vs. the Cardinals. From Hornsby vs. Tinkers to Evers to Chance, to Musial vs. Banks, to Gibson vs. Jenkins, to McGwire vs. Sosa, many of baseball's greatest players have served as catalysts to spark this intense rivalry.
St. Louis has often defined itself by its sports teams, and the Depression-era Cardinals' Gashouse Gang remains the standard by which local teams are measured.
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The Dean brothers
Dizzy's younger brother Paul was a good pitcher too. In 1934, Dizzy had 30 victories, Paul 19. The 49 victories were the most ever by a pair of brothers.
On September 21st Dizzy threw a three-hit shutout, allowing no hits until the 8th inning. In a second game, Paul threw a no-hitter. Dizzy was regretful: "If'n Paul had told me he was gonna pitch a no-hitters, I'd of throwed one too." And maybe he would have. |
On the Gashouse Gang's roster of legendary baseball players, Jay Hanna 'Dizzy' Dean was the poster child, the embodiment of what fans thought baseball could be. He pitched superbly and had a great time doing it.
Dean was born in backwoods Arkansas, on the edge of the Cardinals' sphere of influence. He pitched briefly for them as a twenty-year-old, then hit his Hall of Fame stride in 1933, at the age of twenty-three. For the next five years he averaged 24 victories a year and almost 200 strikeouts.
In the 1934 World Series, he got half of the Cardinals' four victories; (his brother, Paul, won the other two). He may have been entirely accurate when he asserted "Anybody who's ever had the privilege of seeing me play knows that I am the greatest pitcher in the world."
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In Dizzy's words
Dizzy's broadcast career was colorful but occasionally controversial. The liberties he took with the English language--"he slud into third"--annoyed those charged with teaching proper grammar.
Dean remained unrepentant. In the Depression's hard times, he noted, "a lot of people...who say 'isn't'...ain't eating." His final thoughts on the subject: "Let the teachers learn the kids English. Ol' Diz will learn the kids baseball." |
| (other memorable Dizzy Dean quotes) |
In the 1937 All-Star Game, a line drive off his toe forced him to change his pitching motion, which damaged the arm he thought was indestructible. Dealt to the rival Chicago Cubs the following year, Dean never returned to his original form.
When his playing career ending in 1947 with the St. Louis Browns, he was able to make a very successful switch to broadcasting for CBS and NBC. He spoke as he had pitched, with a prodigious native talent, unlimited gusto, and complete unpredictability.
Dean was not shy and he was not humble, but he was GOOD. As he pointed out: "It ain't braggin' if you can back it up."
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff.
