Name the Cardinals’ All-Time 3 Stars
DOWNTOWN — Back in my early days at the P-D covering hockey, the selection of the “Three Stars” at each game was, loosely, my responsibility. Toward the end of the game, a quick straw poll was taken of the other writers in the box. Sometimes the selections were obvious. Sometimes they weren’t. Sometimes they drew compliments. A few times they sparked debate. My name was on the box score, so I took it seriously.
(Ask Chris Kerber about Jean-Sebastien Giguere sometime.)
Tonight ESPN takes hockey’s “Three Star” tradition and applies it to baseball, with a broader, historic range of candidates.
According to a paragraph in Saturday’s Cardinals’ games notes, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight’s panel of experts will begin a monthlong debate on the “top three players all-time for each francise.” The discussion begins tonight and as prelude to the Cardinals-Phillies telecast from Busch Stadium, the Cardinals are the first to get the three-star treatment.
A poll of fans conducted at ESPN.com will help augment the experts’ selections.
But why wait?
During Saturday’s game, we kicked around the three-star concept. Would Evan Longoria already rank in Tampa Bay’s Fab 3? Certainly Carl Crawford is No. 1. How do you pick three New York Yankees? I mean after Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, that is. Is there a modern player who will crack the top-three lists of the historic franchises — the 18 who were around in 1961, for example? Two candidates: Barry Bonds, obviously, and, in LA, Mike Piazza.
To settle on a Cardinals’ “Three Stars”, we started on the wall.
Out in left field at Busch Stadium, there’s a good shortlist of candidates for the top-three list: They are the retired numbers. With Ducky Medwick and Albert Pujols as, arguably, the only exceptions, the retired numbers will provide the Cardinals’ top three. They are:
1 — Ozzie Smith … 2 — Red Schoendienst … 6 — Stan Musial … 9 — Enos Slaughter … 14 — Ken Boyer … 17 — Dizzy Dean … 20 — Lou Brock … 42 — Bruce Sutter … 45 — Bob Gibson. … STL — Rogers Hornsby.
This is the starting place for any ranking of the top three all-time players in Cardinals history. The online poll is likely to reflect its times, heavily weighing toward modern players or living legends. That said, as Hall of Famer Rick Hummel and I discussed the “Three Stars” from Cardinals’ history and wondered who should skate away with those honors, there appeared to be two locks and a few candidates for No. 3.
Offer up yours in the comment area below. Mine? Mine:
- Musial
- Gibson
- Hornsby
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
The 2 obvious are Musial and Hornsby, who hit .400 3 times as a Cardinal, unbelieveable numbers by todays standards. The third I am not quite so sure about, mayber its Ozzie
agreed - funny you mentioned how many would lean toward living legends, only to have so many comments picking others over Rogers Hornsby, one of the greatest baseball players of all time. If Pujols ends his career with a .358 average like Hornsby, then he’ll get the nod.
Now - what about the Phillies??
1) Schmidt
2) Carlton
3) Ashburn?
Pujols
Gibson
Musial
No Brainer
Musial, Gibson, and Hornsby are absolutely correct. Nobody else even close. Albert isn’t in the top five(Ozzie and Brock)
Hornsby HAS to be in there - he AVERAGE .400 over FIVE seasons….FIVE SEASONs!!! STAN has to be in there - no justification required…..
I love Gibby - but Dizzy was Gibby before Gibby so I am torn on # 3…
the good news is there is a number of these guys to choose from…:)
What about Frankie Frisch? Marty Marion? Jesse Haines (19 years - 210 wins), Jim Bottomley?? Steve Carton - oh wait…..nevermind…
Speaking of Bottomley - How bout the BROWNIES - prior to O’s???
1.
1. Musial 2. McGwire 3. Hornsby
This is a hard choice, only 3? Well here goes; Every St. Louis boy from my generation grew up on the stories of Stan “The Man” Musial. My father saw him play and as a child, I attended his last home game at the old Busch on Grand. His records are those others wish to attain. In fact, if Stan had played in any other city than St. Louis, i.e., New York, no one would have ever heard of DiMaggio. In fact the only thing Joe D. accomplished was a 56 game hitting streak. So CArdinal #1 is #6.
I have to agree with Bob Gibson. I live in Central Illinois now, CArdinal Country over the hated Cubbies, and the concensus is that when you needed one game, had to have that game, Gibby was the man. He backed down from no hitter, in fact, unlike todays prima donnas, he refused to let a hitter get comfortable in the batter’s box. He would associate with other pitchers during All-Star competition, and focussed on the opposing players as the enemy. The best of a CArdinals nation in pitching.
I’m tied up over the 3rd member, I can see Dizzy, Rogers, Lou and Enos, but I go towards the Wizzard. Ozzie was the man on defense, became an offensive threat and was the thread that kept the Cardinals as a perennial threat and World Series Champion during the 80’s. Forget the flip on opening day, look at the only homer he ever hit left handed agfainst the Dodgers in the 85 playoffs. The Wizzard.
I think Musial & Gibson as numbers 1 & 2, respectively, are no-brainers. As for #3, I’m not sure how Derrick gave Hornsby the nod over Brock, because estimating the value of each against the other is something of an apples-to oranges comparison. And no numbers cruncher could better measure the importance of Brock than my Cardinal red soul! The same sentiment, I’m sure, goes for those who witnessed Hornsby. To me, these two share the number 3 slot…for now. As many have suggested (and presumably hope), Pujols may well eventually have to be listed in the top 3. If the Yankees don’t lure him away, Albert may even challenge for the near-sacred top spot, don’t you think?
I agree, DG. Musial was the greatest, Gibby the best competitor and Raja was the most balanced in a tough era.