A Look at December 29 in Cardinals History
1937– The Philadelphia Phillies selected Al Smith off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals.
1960– The St. Louis Cardinals released Marv Grissom.
1969– The New York Times reports Curt Flood will challenge the reserve clause by suing major league baseball. The Cardinals’ outfielder’s case, which will ultimately be appealed unsuccessfully in the U.S. Supreme Court, will pave the way for the players to overturn baseball’s reserve clause in their attempt to gain free agency.
1981– The St. Louis Cardinals signed Joaquin Andujar as a free agent.
2007– The St. Louis Cardinals signed Cliff Politte as a free agent.
2009– Mark DeRosa, a veteran .275 hitter, signs a $12 million, two-year deal with the Giants. The 34 year-old versatile infielder, who was traded by Cleveland to the Cardinals at the end of June, will most likely play first or third base and hit fifth behind cleanup batter Pablo Sandoval.
Birthdays
Jason Pearson 1975 He pitched in four major league games. In June 2002, he made two relief appearances for the San Diego Padres, pitching a total of 1+2⁄3 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out three batters. In August 2003, he made two relief appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching a total of one inning while allowing seven runs on four hits and three walks while striking out one batter.[Overall, Pearson pitched 2+2⁄3 innings in the major leagues while allowing seven runs, for a 23.62 earned run average (ERA).
Jimmy Journell 1977 –He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 4th round of the 1999 MLB Draft,and was selected for the US team in the 2002 All-Star Futures Game.He was once a highly regarded prospect in the Cardinals’ minor league system (even considered the team’s best prospect according to Baseball America), but had control and injury problems in the Major Leagues. After posting an earned run average (ERA) of 6.00 in seven games in 2003, Journell suffered a right shoulder injury in 2004, forcing him to undergo season-ending surgery. In 2005, he was 0–1 with a 10.38 ERA in five appearances for the Cardinals. On December 1, 2005 he signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds