Ronaghan's Redbirds: A Tale of a General Manager and the 1960s St. Louis Cardinals

[CTSoxFan]

The year is 1962. The St. Louis Cardinals are coming off of a mid-table finish in the National League in 1961.

The Cards finished with an 80-74 record, 13 game behind first-place Cincinnati, who would go on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees.

St. Louis hired a new manager, Johnny Keane, who replaced Solly Hemus mid-season and led the Cards to a 47-33 record down the stretch. New General Manager Thomas Ronaghan, an East Coast transplant and former minor leaguer who was hired in the off season, promises a top half finish for St. Louis in 1962 and World Series victories in the near future.

"Ronaghan's Red Birds," as they would later come to be known, are led by young ace Bob Gibson, veteran basher Stan Musial and a strong supporting cast.

What will the 1962 season hold for the Cardinals? Find out through the viewpoint of Thomas "Tommy" Ronaghan, as he tries to lead the St. Louis franchise to new heights.

[CTSoxFan]

Memo to Cardinals' front office:

Here's the pitching staff we settled on for the start of the season...

Starting rotation:

RHP Bob Gibson, 26: The Omaha, Neb. native is the ace of our staff. Gibson finished last year, his first full season as a starter, with a 13-12 record and a 3.24 ERA, but he has the potential to be one of the game's best. Our scouts call him a "strike-throwing machine," and "pitching clinic." A former Creighton basketball player who toured with the Harlem Globetrotters for a year before joining our organization, Gibson is a guy we will build around. Has a great relationship with manager Johnny Keane, who coached him in the minors.

RHP Larry Jackson, 30: After a 14-11 season last year, Jackson has a firm grasp on a spot in our rotation. An Idaho native, Jackson starred in the California League before his Major League debut a few years back and we are hoping he can follow up last year's success and become a consistent guy for us.

LHP Ray Sadecki, 21: Despite his age, Sadecki has two years under his belt in the pros and like Jackson, was a 14-game winner last year. The lefty from Kansas City had a 3.72 ERA last year. He missed two weeks this spring with shoulder soreness, but should be ready to go for his first start. Sadecki, a "bonus baby," grew up in Missouri as a Cardinals fan and idolized teammate Stan Musial, so we know he's the type of guy we want on our squad.

LHP Gordie Richardson, 23: A rookie, Richardson surprised us all a bit in spring training and earned the third spot in our rotation. Our scouts think he could be a future all-star.

Bullpen:

RHP Ernie Broglio, 26: A 21-game winner 2 seasons ago, the California native won just nine games last year and after a lackluster spring performance, was beat by Gordie Richardson for the final rotation spot. Broglio will serve as spot starter and swingman. Broglio started his career in the PCL with Oakland and came over to us from the NY Giants a few years back.

RHP Harry Fanok, 21: Has earned the nickname "The Flame Thrower" for his blistering fastball, that often doesn't have the greatest control. If he can harness his power, he may be a starter one day. A New Jersey native, Fanok pitched last year in Atlanta.

RHP Bobby Locke, 28: A veteran arm out in our bullpen, Locke was 4-4 in Cleveland last year, his third pro season.

LHP Dick Ricketts, 28: Another veteran arm, Ricketts struggled last year finishing 1-6. His brother, Dave, is one of our catchers. Ricketts also played in the NBA and was the 1st pick of the 1955 NBA draft before leaving basketball a few seasons ago.

RHP Bob Sadowski, 24: Like teammates Fanok and Richardson, Sadowski is a rookie who earned his spot on the roster this spring. He was signed as a free agent in 1958 out of Pittsburgh, PA.

RHP Curt Simmons, 32: A tough lefty, Simmons is in his third seasons with us. He finished 9-10 last year, mostly as a starter, but wasn't impressive enough this spring to keep his starting spot. Simmons has 131 career victories and will be a solid presence in our bullpen. His best years came in Philadelphia, including a 17-8 season in 1950. We signed him as a free agent three years ago.

RHP Chuck Tayor, 19: Rounding out the bullpen is another youngster, a Murfreesboro, Tennessee native. Taylor was signed this offseason out of Middle Tennessee State and never played in the minors.

[deandean1998]

Go Redsox...... I mean Cards. Looks good lol.

[CTSoxFan]

Memo, pt. 2:

Here's the rest of our roster...

C Carl Sawatski, 34: He's had a solid career and is in his third season with us. Last season he hit .299 with 10 home runs in arguably his best year. He was on the 1957 Milwaukee Braves World Series winning squad.

C Dave Ricketts, 26: His older brother, Dick, earned a spot in the bullpen this spring. Ricketts also played basketball before joining the Cards, starring alongside Dick at Duquense. Ricketts comes to us from the PCL and will back up Sawatski.

1B Bill White, 28: He hit .286/20/90 last season and returns to anchor the middle of our lineup. White, a Florida native, is in his fourth year in STL and he has steadily improved every season. He is in his prime and has learned a lot from Musial. He's also fielding whiz who has won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards.

2B Red Schoendienst, 39: Also a coach for us, Red is a grizzly vet with a little juice left. In more than 2,100 games, he has hit .289, with 2,406 hits and 1,200 runs scored. He'll serve as a backup infielder.

2B Bud Bloomfield, 26: A rookie who impressed us with his work effort this spring and earned a starting role. An Oklahoma City native, Bloomfield attended University of Arkansas before signing here in St. Louis. He spent last year with the Tulsa Drillers.

SS Clete Boyer, 25: Half of the other brother duo on our squad, we acquired him this off-season from the New York Yankees along with outfielder Bob Cerv for catcher Gene Oliver and second baseman Julian Javier. He hit 11 home runs and drove in 55 with the Yanks last season. His brother, Ken, is our starting third baseman, Clete's natural position. His older brother, Cloyd, formerly played for the Cardinals and now works in our organization as a scout. Boyer started his career with Kansas City before he was traded to New York.

3B Ken Boyer, 30: Five years his brother Clete's senior, Boyer is in his seventh season with St. Louis. He has 170 career home runs and a .299 batting average. Boyer is also a superb fielder and an extremely key player for us.

SS Dal Maxvill, 23: A rookie who will be a strong fielder for us off the bench. He comes from local Washington University and signed with us in 1960.

LF Bob Cerv, 35: He played sparingly last season for New York. Cerv shared a house last year with Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris as they captured the country's attention on their home run chase. Cerv is from Nebraska and has a good power stroke. We hope returning to the midwest will rejuvenate him.

LF Minnie Minoso, 39: The Cuban superstar has aged a bit, but is still a strong hitter. He hit 14 home runs for the White Sox last year. He signed as a free agent.

LF Stan Musial, 41: Simply put, one of the greatest player's in our team's history and still going strong.

CF Curt Flood, 24: A talented fielder who hit .322 for us last season, and there's a lot of raw talent there. The Houston native, who was raised in Oakland, thrived under new manager Johnny Keane at the end of last season. We acquired him from Cincinnati in 1957.

CF Don Landrum, 26: A reserve outfielder, he played in only 28 games last season. Landrum signed with us as a free agent.

RF Bob Burda, 23: A local boy who will be entering his rookie season and will serve as a backup outfielder and first baseman.