Cardinals Tidbits

Cardinals Owner Erects Statue- Of Himself

In 1885, Cardinals owner Chris von der Ahe, had a very large (larger than life) statue erected of himself at placed it just outside Sportsman’s Park. The fans and sportswriters made fun of this but he had the project completed. Upon his death in 1913, he was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis and the statue was moved as a marker for his grave.

Batting Champion Chick Hafey Traded

Chick Hafey played for the Cardinals as an outfielder from 1927 to 1931. During that time period, he batted .228 and could hit to all fields with power. He was liked by GM Branch Rickey due to the fact that he as an early product success of Rickey’s brainchild farm system.

He had a problem staying healthy due to sinus issues and had surgery in 1926 just before joining the Cardinals. He was the first baseball star (not the first player) to wear eyeglasses on the field. The specs didn’t appear to hinder his work as he finished his Cardinals career with a 4.2 WAR and was on three pennant-winning teams for St. Louis.

But it all came down to money. Hafey didn’t like the contract offer from Rickey in 1932 and decided to hold out for more. This irked the GM and he traded his star to the Reds for two players and cash. Those players didn’t pan out, therefore, the deal was essentially for cash.

He was selected by the Veterans Committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971. In 2014, the Cardinals inducted him into their team Hall of Fame.