Robert Charles Nieman was an American professional baseball player and scout. An outfielder,he spent all or parts of a dozen Major League Baseball seasons with the St. Louis Browns (1951–52),Detroit Tigers (1953–54),Chicago White Sox (1955–56),Baltimore Orioles (1956–59),St. Louis Cardinals (1960–61),Cleveland Indians (1961–62) and San Francisco Giants (1962). He also played one season in Japan for the Chunichi Dragons (1963). He threw and batted right-handed,stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 195 pounds (88 kg).
Donald Lee Blasingame,nicknamed "Blazer",was an American professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1955–1959),San Francisco Giants (1960–1961),Cincinnati Reds (1961–1963),Washington Senators (1963–1966),and Kansas City Athletics (1966). Blasingame threw right-handed,batted left-handed and was listed as 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall and 160 pounds (73 kg).
Benigno Ayala Felix is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball player who had a 10-season career from 1974 to 1985. He played outfield,first base,and designated hitter. He played for the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals both of the National League and the Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians both of the American League.
Michael Jorgensen is an American former professional baseball first baseman and outfielder who currently works in the St. Louis Cardinals' front office. The New York Mets drafted him in the fourth round of the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft. In a 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) playing career spanning from 1968 to 1985,he played primarily with the Mets and Montreal Expos and had brief stints with the Cardinals,Atlanta Braves,Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics. He also has served as a manager for the Cardinals. Jorgensen is the only major league baseball player to have been born the day Babe Ruth died.
Eduardo Atanasio Pérez Pérez is an American former professional baseball player,coach,and current television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional Baseball league as a first baseman,third baseman,and outfielder from 1993 to 2006. After his playing career Pérez became a baseball analyst with ESPN,ESPN Deportes,and ESPN Latin America as well as a host on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio.
John Alban Edwards is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1961–67),St. Louis Cardinals (1968) and Houston Astros (1969–74). Known for his excellent defensive skills,Edwards was a three-time All-Star and a two-time National League Gold Glove Award winner. He batted left-handed,threw right-handed,and was listed as 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and 220 pounds (100 kg).
William Allen Stein is an American former professional baseball player and manager. His playing career spanned 17 seasons,14 of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the St. Louis Cardinals (1972–1973),the Chicago White Sox (1974–1976),the Seattle Mariners (1977–1980),and the Texas Rangers (1981–1985). Over his career in the majors Stein batted .267 with 122 doubles,18 triples,44 home runs,and 311 runs batted in (RBIs) in 959 games played. Stein played numerous fielding positions over his major league career,including third base,second base,first base,left field,right field,and shortstop. He also spent significant time as a pinch hitter.
The St. Louis Cardinals 1981 season was the team's 100th season in St. Louis,Missouri and the 90th season in the National League. 1981 was a season of two significant anomalies:A change in the playoff format,which created the first-ever NLDS with a qualification variant that existed only for that season,and the players' strike,which truncated the regular season. Despite finishing 59-43,good for the best overall record in the National League East,the strike set up the scenario where the Cardinals actually missed the playoffs. The regular season was split into halves to tally teams' records separately in each half of the season,and because the Cardinals finished in second place in each half,they did not qualify for the 1981 playoffs. Major League Baseball reverted to the previous playoff format the following season,and the Cardinals qualified for that postseason.
The 1977 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 96th season in St. Louis,Missouri and its 86th season in the National League. The Cardinals went 83–79 during the season and finished third in the National League East,18 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.
Benny Joe Edelen is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds and was touted as one of the all-time great high school athletes in the state of Oklahoma. A recipient of the Jim Thorpe award,Joe excelled in basketball and baseball receiving All-State and All-America honors in both sports. The Cardinals drafted him in the 1st round of the 1973 amateur draft and he debuted for them on April 18,1981,against his future team,the Reds. During the 1981 season he was traded by the Cardinals with Neil Fiala to the Reds for Doug Bair. His major league career was brief as he pitched his final game the next year. He now teaches art and coaches golf at Washington Oklahoma.
The 1981 Cincinnati Reds season consisted of the Reds finishing with an overall record of 66–42,giving them the best win–loss record in all of Major League Baseball. However,due to a split-season format caused by a mid-season players' strike,they failed to make the MLB playoffs because they did not finish first in either half of the season;they finished in second place in both halves by scant margins. The Reds finished the first half of the season in second place with a record of 35–21,just one-half game behind the eventual world champion Los Angeles Dodgers,and one-and-a-half games behind the Houston Astros in the second half,in which the Reds were 31–21,good for second place,again. Before the final game of the season against the Atlanta Braves,the team unveiled a banner which said "Cincinnati Reds:Baseball's best record 1981". The Reds were managed by John McNamara and played their home games at Riverfront Stadium.
Neil Martin Andrew Walker is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current broadcaster. He played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates (2009–2015),New York Mets (2016–17),Milwaukee Brewers (2017),New York Yankees (2018),Miami Marlins (2019),and Philadelphia Phillies (2020).
Clarence Nottingham "Chuck" Churn was an American professional baseball player. The native of Bridgetown,Virginia,was a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who appeared in 25 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates,Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers between 1957 and 1959. He threw and batted right-handed and was listed as 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and 205 pounds (93 kg).
Ellis Ferguson "Cot" Deal was an American pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball. Listed at 5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m),185 lb (84 kg),Deal was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. A native of Arapaho,Oklahoma,he grew up in Oklahoma City and was nicknamed "Cot" for his cotton-top hair color.
Danny Ray Godby is an American former professional baseball player who appeared in 13 games played for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball during the 1974 season. An outfielder who threw and batted right-handed,Godby stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg).
Evon Daniel "Denny" Williams was a professional baseball player whose career spanned eight seasons,three of which were spent in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Cincinnati Reds (1921) and Boston Red Sox. Over his MLB career,Williams batted .259 with 46 runs scored,85 hits,four doubles,three triples,and 18 runs batted in (RBIs) in 120 games played.
Ray Solomon Shearer was a professional baseball player. He played in two games in Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Braves in 1957,one as a left fielder and the other as a pinch hitter.
Mack Edwin Burk is an American former professional baseball catcher,who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1956 and 1958 Philadelphia Phillies. Of his 16 big league game appearances,13 were as a pinch runner,two as a pinch hitter,and only one inning as a catcher.
Harvey Alfred Branch is an American former professional baseball player. He was a left-handed pitcher who had a seven-year career in minor league baseball,but whose Major League tenure consisted of a single game in the uniform of the St. Louis Cardinals on September 18,1962.
James Robert Campbell is an American former professional baseball player whose ten-season career included appearing in 13 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1970 St. Louis Cardinals,exclusively as a pinch hitter. A first baseman during his minor league career,Campbell batted left-handed,threw right-handed,stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 205 pounds (93 kg). He was born in Hartsville,South Carolina —also the hometown of Bobo Newsom,a renowned MLB pitcher of the middle 20th century —and entered pro baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies' system in 1962.
