The St. Louis Cardinals Rushmore Project
TOWER GROVE — I watched Bob Costas’ interview with Willie Mays and Hank Aaron the other day, and while the whole of the interview is brilliant there was a line from it I couldn’t shake. Costas said if there were a Mt. Rushmore for baseball — and why isn’t there, already? — Mays and Aaron would both be on it. Presumably Babe Ruth would be riding shotgun.
That leaves a fourth, the Teddy Roosevelt spot.
Does Teddy Ballgame fit? Stan the Man? What about Cy Young, Barry Bonds or, from sheer impact on the game, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis or Marvin Miller? For every one you settle on, three more bubble-up as possibilities.
The question has followed me for a few days, creeping in while I’m watching the ALCS. The upstart Tampa Bay Rays’ Rushmore would be … certainly Carl Crawford, definitely Joe Maddon (imagine those Buddy Holly glasses carved out of stone), maybe Evan Longoria or Carlos Pena and what about Danys Baez? I’m working on an all-time 40-man roster from a fusion of Colorado Rockies’ and Arizona Diamondbacks’ histories (more on that later this week), and the Rushmore Question infiltrated that thought process. The Rockies Rushmore: Larry Walker, Todd Helton, Andres Galarraga and Eric Young, for his opening-day homer, or … Ryan Turner, for what he respresented if not how he did.
A Redbird Rushmore? Four Cardinals and Hall of Famers.
The St. Louis Cardinals’ Rushmore …
Well, that’s the purpose for this blog.
Back in May 2004, tied to the departure of Kurt Warner from the Rams, The Post-Dispatch attempted to put together a St. Louis Sports Rushmore. A poll was conducted online. Articles written. An illustration drawn.
The STL Rushmore was: Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Warner and Mark McGwire. That monument might not be as permanent as imagine. Columnist Bernie Miklasz argued that any STL Sports Rushmore must include Bob Pettit. P-D writer Dan O’Neill captured the plight of the project:
The Mount Rushmore theme begs for specificity and direction. As defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, the word “icon,” used in this context, pertains to “one who is the object of great attention and devotion; an idol.” The explanation leaves plenty of room for interpretation.
That is precisely what makes it so fun to throw around.
… Another way to construct the foursome — and create more debate — would be to ask for the four “most popular” players in St. Louis sports history. The answer is a little more subjective, the list not as burdensome. Musial makes every list, unless it excludes icons of Polish descent. You could make a case for Warner, less so for McGwire. Ozzie Smith and Brett Hull, again, are strong.
But names like Willie McGee, Red Schoendienst, Jackie Smith, and Whitey Herzog deserve serious airtime. Why, you might even cast a write-in vote for John Mabry.
Coming up with one for Major League Baseball is a Sisyphean task. I came upon a few sites that have taken polls — Ruth is running away with a spot, of course. It would have to be constructed in stages.
With the blog’s new power of polls, there’s the technology to try and the offseason offers the time to
Four Hall of Famers and the current Franchise Player
experiment. Found a few attempts out there to put a Cardinals Rushmore together. Most, like the P-D’s Rushmore, starts with Musial and the consensus scatters from there. (For example, I mentioned it on the Bird Land@Facebook page and got some excellent suggestions; some surprising omissions, too.)
So, let’s start. Below is a list of 15 people from Cardinals history, and you can select four for a Cardinals Rushmore. The floor is open for additions, too. If, for example, you think Enos Slaughter, Dizzy Dean or Ken Boyer deserve a spot on the cliff’s wall, then make the case in the comments. The poll below isn’t by any means set in, um, stone. There is a good argument to be made for Bing Devine.
If nothing else, this poll will distill the discussion and serve as a good conversation starter …
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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. 
I tried to pick the 4 who put the best possible face on cardinal baseball and meant a great deal locally and being an ambassador for the city. They would be Musial, Smith, Buck, and Busch.
Stan will always be The Man, Gibby is the best competitor and pitcher ever to wear a uniform, and Albert is a magnificent combination of baseball player and humanitarian. The fourth was tough but here’s my call: Jack Buck brought the game alive in the pre-TV era, and made Cardinal fans loyal with his talent even when the on-field product was less than stellar.
If we just discuss players then Hornsby, Musial and Gibson are carved in stone. Brock or Smith can be on for awhile but soon the dynamite will replace one of their likenesses with that of Pujols. I am always amazed how even sportswriters often overlook Hornsby. He is the only Cardinals’ player who merits much discussion when picking an all time starting nine. Most people don’t include him because they never saw him play. Its is a shame he did not play his entire career for the Cardinals.
If we consider non-players then Branch Rickey joins Hornsby and Musial with Pujols likely to replace Gibson one day.
Rickey’s development of the farm system and his part in breaking baseball’s color barrier earn him a spot on the all time baseball Mt. Rushmore for executives and other leaders.
Mt. Rushmore is for people no longer active.
My vote is for Musial, Gibson, Schoendienst and Ozzie Smith. Each brought something special to the game which engaged the fans and their teammates.
My vote is for Stan, Bob, Lou, and Ozzie. I don’t think Albert is there just yet, but in another 5 or 6 years he would replace either Lou or Ozzie.
jmho
An even 1,400 voters as I check in here. Excellent response. Excellent comments. Clearly the work can begin to chisel the likenesses of Musial and Gibson into the monument. Completely agree. For the other two spots, I would probably go with Red Schoendienst for longevity and excellence — Hall of Fame player and until recently the winningest manager in franchise history. And Jack Buck. He was the Johnny Appleseed of Cardinals Nation, spreading the words that took root and grew several generations of Cardinals fans.
As for Pujols: There is little doubt he belongs in the conversation and potentially on the cliff. But here’s a question to ponder and debate:
If he retired today, would Albert Pujols be a Hall of Famer?
Send your answers to PostCards@post-dispatch.com. I’ll feature the best answers in the next mailbag.
dg
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Obviously a tough decision after each person has their immediate first 2 choices. For me those were Hornsby(If you are unsure of the case for Hornsby, take a look at his career numbers and incrediable years of batting prowess) and Musial(The Man!, ‘nough said). With this being the Cardinals Mt Rushmore and not Cardinal Players, it was fairly easy to go with Red over Kissell. Great point of views for both, with Red I see Player, Manager, Coach, All-Around Great Cardinal, with a winning history. Pujols is the only tough choice for me, due to playing time. If he continues on this path, having already done something in .300/30/100, never seen before, he will end up in the discussion for best player in history, plus what if he cont. to win Gold Gloves?
Love the discussion Derrick.
First off for the Rockies Mount Rushmore, wouldn’t you place Matt Holiday on there instead of Eric Young? I think he’s definitly deserving to be on there already.
For my votes I put Musial, Gibson, Brock and Jack Buck
If the Cardinals’ Mount Rushmore is based on importants and impact to the St. Louis Cardinals then I feel that “Robert William Patrick Broeg, Bob Broeg” should be added to the list. With his gift in writing and what he did for the team, Cardinals history, and for individual players he deserves it.
I am following the historical analogy perhaps too far. Therefore, I am voting for Albert to go in the Roosevelt spot. The only reason TDR got on Mt. Rushmore was he was president when it was bulit. S0, I think it is fair we put the current star of the Cardinals on the wall. Luckily, our current star really has a shot to be one of the best ever.