It has been 10 years since we were all shocked to find out that Darryl Kile had passed away, in his sleep, in a hotel in Chicago.  The St. Louis Cardinals lost another member of the “family”, players lost a teammate, and the world lost an amazing man and father.

All of this is well documented and I do not feel I can bring more to the subject.  I admired him.  I enjoyed his career.  I mourned his loss.  I, much like other fans and pundits, have moved on.  Sooner or later you simply run out of words.

About a month ago, I was co-hosting a radio program on my network, pinch hitting for a host that could not make it.   The show featured former Cardinal reliever Dave Veres, a guy I had watched as I grew up and I was excited to interview.  Before the interview was over, the subject of Darryl Kile was raised, and I could tell there was a bond.

When the United Cardinal Bloggers decided that the June project this year should be to look back at Jack Buck and the man many of us now know as “DK57″, I was not sure what to write.  I sent a few emails and some requests but ultimately was denied or met the common “I’m not sure what more I can say”.  My email to Dave Veres, however, was answered kindly.

 I did reach out to former Cardinal beat reporter, Matthew Leach, for his thoughts.  He told me that he would be running them on his blog, but he did not have a “favorite memory” of Darryl Kile.  Leach has said many times that Kile was “hard to cover” and explained why.  He did come up with a memory, and you can read that story over at Obviously, You’re Not A Golfer.

I asked Veres two questions: 1 – what is your favorite memory, on or off the field, of Darryl Kile and 2 – What can you tell me about that fateful day ten years ago.  What I got back but funny, beautiful, inspiring and sad.

On his favorite memories of Darryl Kile, Dave Veres shared the following
As you have most likely heard about Darryl and his on the field accomplishments and how he was such a great teammate and competitor. My favorite memories of Darryl were more off the field since we spent more time in the winter together with our wives and kids being so close.

One was when we were in AAA with Tucson and I think we were playing Tacoma and we would go fishing in the mornings. So one morning we are out and being in the Northwest they had plenty of rain, so we were hiking back to get to a fishing hole and instead of going through a couple inches of water I decided to go across a muddy area instead because I didn’t want to get my shoes wet. Well, needless to say, what looked like a little bit of mud turned out to be about a 4 foot mud hole. I remember as I was sinking and was asking Darryl to help. He basically said “I’m not going in there”.  Luckily, for my sake, I finally hit the bottom. Then he held out his fishing pole for me to grab onto. Of course then it was funny and, needless to say, I went into the water anyway to rinse of the mud.

So, now we are in the big leagues and both live in Houston and Darryl and I would golf or play “mortal combat” and the wives would go shop or whatever. Of course it was only fitting that they were both pregnant at the same time, too. So on Jan 15th 1997 my wife and I are going to the dentist and I get a call from Darryl and he says he and Flynn are going to the hospital and wants me to go by the store and pick up a camcorder so they can record it. Nothing like going into your best friend’s wife’s room and setting up a video as she’s getting ready to give birth to twins. Thank goodness since it was twins and a high risk delivery there were plenty of doctors in there.  I could set up without having to “see” anything. Later that evening we are at home and my wife is feeling some labor pains, I think it’s just because she watched Flynn deliver. Well about 8 hours after their twins were born we had our daughter. And when Darryl signed with the Rockies the next year they traded for me a few weeks later and we all moved to Denver. So we spent nearly every Christmas and birthday’s together for the 4 years.

On June 22, 2002 – The day Darryl Kile was found in his hotel room
Well, I can say that morning may be the worst day I have ever been through. Since Darryl and I usually lockered by each other and he was always one of the first guys at the clubhouse, it was pretty clear when I arrived at the ball park he wasn’t there yet. So I tried calling him and, when I couldn’t reach him, I called my wife to go to his room and try and wake him up. I knew his brother came to town and just figured he over slept. So she banged on his door and there was no answer.  So she asked one of the maids to open the door since he was late for the game. Luckily for my wife’s sake he had the security latch on,otherwise she would have found him. But, that’s when we knew he was in his room. So they had to get security and I think they called the Cardinals and let them know something was up. As we were out at BP the clubhouse guys came and got me and said there was a “family emergency”.  It was my wife on the phone and told me that Darryl had passed away in his sleep. I didn’t know what to do or say,I just kind of went numb or in a daze. A little while later Tony came in with the team and that’s when they told everyone else.

Those next few days were so exhausting. The emotional drain on us, if anyone watched the game the next day against the cubs on ESPN it was like a bunch of zombies. I’m not really sure why they aired that game. I think being a father my first thoughts went out to Flynn and the kids,I couldn’t imagine them not having their father any longer.

I still think about him pretty much daily, usually a DK or 57 will pop up or a story will remind me of him. We ran into Flynn and the kids last year in Anaheim at a volleyball tournament that our girls were playing in. Even though we don’t talk as much it was still we hadn’t missed a beat when we saw them,except there was no Darryl in person.

We appreciate Dave sharing such personal stories with us.  After the stories, he included one quote that stuck with me:

He was truly one of the nicest and genuine people you could have ever had the privilege to know. Also one of the greatest competitors, I don’t think he missed a start in 10 years,so that why when Tony got us together and we realized that Sunday night game would have been Darryl’s start,we needed to play it in his honor.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.
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Before we get started here, I want to make one thing clear: I am not giving up on this team in 2010. I still hope this team can succeed and move forward, hopefully deep into October. That being said, there are some things that are becoming evident as this team chugs along up and down a roller coaster that has fans reaching for the Tums, Alka Seltzer, and Pepto Bismol.

While hosting the weekly radio program I-70 Baseball Radio, the subject came up: how do you fix the Cardinals prior to 2011? There are some simple things, some complex issues, and some long term decisions facing Mr. Mozeliak. I cannot say that I am envious of his position, but I also do not think this team needs a major overhaul. Here are the ideas that I have for the Cardinals that will take an off season to ensure they are implemented correctly.

Return Skip Schumaker To The Outfield
I, much like most Cardinal fans, really like Skip Schumaker. He is a solid player that benefits the team on and off the field. He is that scrappy player that Tony LaRussa likes to have on the field. He is not, however, a second baseman.

Honestly, I am proud of Skippy and the strides he has made to improve at the position, I really do. But when it comes down to it, I would rather have a natural second baseman and Skip as the team’s fourth outfielder next season. A starting outfield of Matt Holliday, Colby Rasmus, and Jon Jay with Skip Schumaker getting some time in the various positions as the utility type player that LaRussa likes to trot out on the field and get 400+ at bats throughout the year. He can even be allowed to play second during some mop up work if that is what the team desires.

Sign Or Trade For A Legitimate, Sturdy Third Baseman
I have said it over and over this season, Flip Lopez at third base magnifies a problem in this team. He is fine for a game or two to give a break to the starting third baseman, but he simply cannot be the answer at that position on a daily basis. David Freese, for all of his production, seems to be fairly fragile. Zach Cox, the newly signed draftee, is the future for this team at third base, but someone has to get the team there. I do not feel that person is a part of the franchise currently. Matt Carpenter is an interesting name that comes up in these discussions, but he is not ready for the big leagues, nor will he be in 2011, in my opinion. What player, from what team, and for how much, is the real question that I simply do not have an answer to at this point. I hope Mo does.

Keep Felipe Lopez
Lopez has a legitimate spot on this team, just not at third base. He is a solid option for the Cardinals as the player we all were told he would be this season. A back up second baseman, shortstop, and corner outfielder who may see some time at third base as well. The same type of player that I suggest Skip Schumaker should be next season, grabbing a large amount of at bats at various positions for the team. I feel he has a place on this roster, and hopefully the Cardinals will identify that prior to Spring Training next year.

Find Someone To Play Second
This one may be answered within the organization. The name Daniel Descalso jumps off the page as a guy that may finally be ready to take that jump to the big leagues. A young player that has struggled at times with his defense, he is a solid professional that provides a cheap option to a spot on the roster that has not seen much production this year anyway. Bring him up, give him the time to prove himself, knowing that there is Lopez to fall back on if necessary from time to time and give the team a boost in a much needed area.

Keep Jake Westbrook Or Bring In Someone Of Similar Talent And Price
This one may be a bit premature, but Westbrook has impressed me long before he came to St. Louis. If he can be had for a legitimate price, say in the range of $7 to $10 million, he is a excellent option as a number three or four starter. If the team wants to plug a rebuilding project pitcher in at the number five spot in the rotation, so be it, but solidify the top four spots with good arms that are not a crap shoot of a fix. While we are at it…

Cut Ties With Kyle Lohse
He has been bad. I’m not talking about since his injury or recently, but with the exception of 2008, he is not a solid pitcher. His inability to bounce back from the injury has simply added to that frustration level. He built a contract off of a positive season in 2008, but it is time to acknowledge that this team has young pitchers, veteran pitchers, and other options that have made his necessity on this team obsolete at best.

Finally, And Most Important, Make Albert Pujols A Lifetime Cardinal
Notice that nothing that I have suggested points to an extreme increase in payroll. This off season is the time for this team to sit down and acknowledge the fact that the best player on the planet is playing first base at Busch Stadium III and wearing the birds on the bat throughout the season. Letting him even get a whiff of free agency, more than he already has, is borderline irresponsible. It is time to sit at a table, hand number five a blank check, and tell him to fill out the amount to his liking. Once the contract is done, then the team can evaluate the amount of money left to build a roster and figure out the next step accordingly.

On that subject, let me say the words that no one wants to hear: If you cannot afford Albert Pujols, it is time to evaluate what you can get in a trade for Albert Pujols. I do not want to see Albert put on another uniform in his career, but if he is pricing himself out of the range the Cardinals feel they can afford, then they have to do the responsible thing and move him for half of some team’s roster. Let us all take a moment and hope this never happens.

There you have it, nothing profound or extreme, just some minor adjustments that will take an off season to put together.

Don’t agree with me? I would love to hear your comments below.

Bill Ivie is the founder of I-70 Baseball, the host of I-70 Baseball Radio, the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com, and a proud member of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance.