Dizzy Dean
High-flying birds : the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals
Jerome M. Mileur.
Columbia, Mo : University of Missouri Press, c2009.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Game of my life Cardinals : [memorable stories of Cardinals baseball]
Matthew Leach.
Champaign, IL : Sports Pub., c2008.
Dating back to the Gas House Gang of the 1930s, through the great Schoendienst-Musial teams of the 40s, to El Birdos in the 60s, Whiteyball in the 80s, and all the way up to the clubs most recent world championship, being a Cardinal connotes a style of play, a level of dedication, and a pride in being a member of a special group. This book allows some of the men who have worn that uniform tell the stories of their most memorable moments in Cardinal red. From the greats to the lesser known to the present day, these chapters represent not always the best game of someones career, but rather the moment that stands out the most. Fans can read about the game in which utilityman Jose Oquendo pitched four innings and almost picked up the win. Broadcasters Al Hrabosky and Rick Horton, who now make a living telling stories, share some memories of their own days in the game; and Adam Wainwright, the newest Cardinal hero, tells of his experience closing out the memorable 2006 NLCS.
El birdos : the 1967 and 1968 St. Louis Cardinals
Doug Feldmann.
Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Company, c2007.
In 1953, August A. Busch purchased the St. Louis Cardinals for nearly four million dollars. His dream included not only the best players money could buy but a brand new downtown stadium. By May 1966, when the new Busch Stadium was opened, the Cardinals were on the cusp of greatness. A world championship would follow in 1967, and in 1968 the Cardinals battled the Tigers in a classic seven-game series, narrowly losing their bid for back-to-back titles.
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.
