The I-70 Teams seem to view their former players, managers, and traditions a bit differently.

I make now excuse or attempt to hide the fact that I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. I have been for a very long time. That being said, I do live in the Kansas City area and have an affinity for the Kansas City Royals. What has happened this past week is surprising to me.

The St. Louis Cardinals have two former players that are up for election to the Baseball Hall Of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York this year. Tim McCarver, once a catcher for the Cardinals, is currently a national broadcaster. Mike Shannon, former outfielder for the Redbirds, is the voice of the Cardinals radio booth currently.

Neither deserves the enshrinement, in my opinion.

That being said, Mike Shannon has been a part of the organization for a considerable amount of time. His announcing is passable, filled with long winded stories of yesterday that sometimes distracts him from describing the game action of today. His speech is sometimes hard to understand and he tends to leave fans exasperated at times.

But you know what? He is part of the Cardinal family. The team respects what he does for the franchise and the amount of time he has given to the club. They know that Mike Shannon deserves respect.

Frank White was part of the construction crew that broke ground on Royals Stadium. He spent his entire career in Royal blue, giving everything he had to a franchise that surrounded him with quality personnel. He wears a World Series Ring, the only one in history to bear the Royals logo, from 1985. He has coached, announced, and been a part of numerous celebrations for the Royals over the years.

Recently, he was fired.

Now White was not horrible as a television analyst. By no means am I claiming he was great, but he added something to the broadcast that gave it a better feel. He made it feel like “home” for the Royals fans. Like him as an announcer or not, just the mention of Frank White allowed fans to talk about one of the greatest Royals in the history of the game. There is a reason you keep guys like that around.

I am not a fan of Mike Shannon as an announcer. I was a fan of Frank White as one. I was a fan of the tradition and respect that both men brought to the franchises that supported them over the years.

The Royals sacrificed the respect and tradition for reasons unknown and unexplained.

Maybe the Royals front office should drive across Interstate 70 and take some lessons in tradition and respect from the other team in Missouri. Even though they don’t have the perfect man for the job, they have the perfect formula.

Respect those that have supported you.

Kansas City, you’re doing it wrong.

It is the time of year for the Hot Stove to get stocked up and the Rumor Mill to fill to the brim.

When you are the World Champions, those rumors are a bit fewer and far between. The Cardinals have a few needs this off-season, all of which begin with the retention of their superstar, Albert Pujols.

News broke last week that the Marlins met with Albert in Florida and took him on a tour of the new stadium. Rumor is circulating now that the offer made from Miami to Pujols is a nine year offer. No financial information has leaked as of yet. Albert has repeatedly said that a franchise that is built to win is a primary interest, leaving some to wonder how serious he is considering an offer from Miami.

It is a bit surprising that the game’s top free agent has only been linked to one team so far this year. Cardinal general manager John Mozeliak is set to meet with Dan Lozano, Pujols’ agent, face to face during the GM meetings being held this week in Milwaukee.

Also on the Cardinals rumor front this week is the coaching staff, which seems to be a mixture of rumor and news at this point.

It has been widely reported that Memphis manager Chris Maloney has been promoted to the major league coaching staff, though no one knows what role that is for as of yet and the team is officially not commenting on the move. Subsequently, rumor is also circulating that Springfield manager Ron “Pop” Warner will be taking over the Memphis helm, much like he took over Springfield from Maloney in the past.

A veteran managerial name has surfaced in regards to the bench coach position opened up by the rumor that Joe Petini is no longer a part of the Cardinal family. Grady Little, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the man that Terry Francona replaced in Boston, has been rumored to be in discussion with the team. Again, no official word on this, but Little comes with a bit of a controversial background, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for this announcement.

The Cardinals will be looking to solidify the middle infield this season and hope to be able to retain late season acquisition Rafael Furcal. Furcal has put himself into a good position by having a healthy showing in Cardinal red down the stretch run and is now rumored to be seeking a three year deal or, at least, a two year deal with an option year. No word on the money the shorstop is looking for, but our friends at MLB Trade Rumors feel that he has limited his suitors drastically. The Brewers have interest in him, but no word if they have interest in meeting his demands.

John Mozeliak, when asked about Furcal’s situation, stated: “I’m not going to base our reaction on rumors or innuendo. But if I woke up tomorrow and he was signed I’d be a little disappointed.”

Finally today, the Cardinals are planning to hold a “Red Carpet Screening” of the 2011 World Series Film next week in St. Louis. Fans can be a part of the premier by attending the event on Tuesday, November 22 at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at WorldSeries.com. Download the official announcement (PDF) by clicking here.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

There are few names that cause a hush to fall over a group of long-time Cardinal fans the way this one does. Eyes glaze over momentarily. Conversation comes to a pause. Thoughts turn to memories of that day. Eventually someone murmurs that they never would have seen it coming.

No one did.

June 22, 2002. The Cardinals were in Chicago to play the Cubs in a matchup of division rivals. As gametime approached, the stadium was buzzing with confusion. Warmups were not going as planned. Whispers throughout the stadium wondered what was happening.

Then, a microphone appeared. Various members of the Cubs took the field. The Cubs’ players association representative, Joe Girardi, walked solemnly to the mic with tears in his eyes.

“I thank you for your patience. We regret to inform you because of a tragedy in the Cardinal family, that the commissioner has canceled the game today. Please be respectful. You will find out eventually what has happened, and I ask that you say a prayer for the St. Louis Cardinals’ family.”

Players left the field. Fans quietly filed out of the stadium. No one knew what had truly happened. No one could understand. Slowly news spread. Even slower came reasons. The answers never came for the question on everyone’s mind.

Why?

In 1987 the Houston Astros selected Darryl Kile in the 30th round. While obviously a low-end pick, Kile nevertheless fought his way up the ranks, breaking into the majors in early 1991. During his first career start he had a no-hitter through six innings before being pulled. His career in Houston was bright, making his first All-Star team in 1993 and pitching a no-hitter against the Mets in September of the same year. A few years later in 1997 Kile went 19-7, again making the All-Star team, and making the postseason with the Astros.

After that ’97 postseason appearance, Kile signed as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies. As many pitchers found out, pitches in Colorado don’t do the same things they do in other parks (pre-humidor, that is). Kile’s pitching suffered dramatically, and his two years in Colorado produced ERA’s of 5.20 and 6.61. His career was spiraling, until he was traded to the Cardinals.

As one of many that felt the apparent healing powers of pitching coach Dave Duncan, Kile’s career felt a resurgence wearing the birds on the bat. In 2000, his first year in St. Louis, Kile was the first 20 game winner for the Cardinals since John Tudor and Joaquin Andujar in 1985. Over the next few years he emerged as the team ace, shepherding several of the younger Cardinal pitchers and being a strong leader both on the field and in the clubhouse.

Darryl’s wife Flynn, twins Sierra and Kannon, and youngest Ryker, were all fixtures at the ballpark, from Family Day on the field to a little catch pregame in the clubhouse with father and son. His family was important to him, and they were held in high esteem by the Cardinals community. The Kile’s were close friends with Matt Morris and his family, among others.

On June 18, 2002, Darryl Kile strode off the mound in Busch Stadium to a standing ovation. He had pitched 8 strong innings, giving up only one run against the Anaheim Angels. The Cardinals won the game 7-2, and with that win, took over sole possession of first place in the National League Central. Sadly for the Cardinals, the joy of victory was short in lasting, as news spread that night about Hall of Fame broadcaster and longtime voice of the Cardinals Jack Buck’s passing away. The team all wore patches for the rest of the season bearing the initials JFB (as seen on Kile’s sleeve in the above picture).

It was a great victory for the team, a sad loss for Cardinal Nation, and the last victory of Darryl Kile’s career. Four days later, Kile did not show up to Wrigley Field on time for the day’s game. Teammates began to wonder. Messages were sent. Calls were made. The news finally broke – Darryl Kile had passed away in his sleep of a heart attack.

The game that Girardi had tearfully informed the Wrigley faithful about being cancelled was made up over two months later, on August 31. Jason Simontacchi was the starter, and looked visibly emotional throughout the game. Kile had been a teammate, a supporter, and a friend. The team added a second patch to their jerseys, and a matching symbol on the wall in the bullpen of Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals seemed to be a team of destiny. They overcame so much, dealt with emotional trauma, and yet responded with resiliency. After their fallen ace pitched them into first place, they never looked back, and the team finished as the winners of the Central Division. As the team ran onto the field to celebrate their division clinching win, rookie outfielder and third baseman Albert Pujols grabbed a hanger from inside the dugout to take with him into the celebration. He eventually handed it off to teammate and best friend of Kile, Matt Morris.

Kile’s jersey never left the dugout throughout the rest of 2002, and his locker remained untouched for years. The Cardinals did not want to forget their teammate and friend. His fans never will.

To find my memories of this story, head over to Diamond Diaries.

Angela Weinhold is an executive editor and covers the Cardinals for i70baseball.com. She also writes writes for her own site Cardinal Diamond Diaries. You may follow her on Twitter here or follow Cardinal Diamond Diaries here.