The Cardinals won their second World Series of the decade; their first baseman, Orlando Cepeda, won the MVP. He is one of the few winners to be a unanimous choice. This strikes me as odd, because there is no way that Cepeda was the National League's best player. You can decide for yourself.

        Roberto Clemente was the best hitter in the league, and was peerless defensively in right field. There is no way Cepeda could have been better than Clemente, and I think Hank Aaron was a better player, too.
        This was probably Clemente's greatest season. He had three distinct phases to his career; he was a 20-year old rookie in 1955, and wasn't much of a hitter his first five years. The young Clemente had no power and no patience, and did not produce many runs. Starting in 1960, Clemente took a couple of giant leaps forward as a hitter. He became a dangerous line drive hitter who won four batting titles, spiked with good numbers of doubles, triples and homers. From the very beginning, Clemente was also the best defensive right-fielder in the league; his throwing arm is legendary, and is considered by many to be the best outfield gun that any player has ever possessed.
        He won the MVP in 1966, and was even better this year. But this was the end of Clemente's most productive phase a hitter; the next five years he played extremely well, but his playing time was significantly reduced by constant injuries. He was probably a year away from retirement in 1972, when, tragically, he died in a plane crash; the last hit of his career was number 3000. Baseball had some incredible right-fielders in the 1960's, including Clemente, Aaron, Frank Robinson and Al Kaline (not to mention Maris, Colavito, Allison, Callison, and later stars like Reggie Jackson). Clemente was a uniquely talented player, and I'm not sure if there has ever been a player quite like him. He was one of the greats in the game.

        This year was probably the greatest season in the career of Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock. His year started with a bang when he hit five home runs in his first four games; he wasn't the type of player that could keep up that pace, but he finished with 21 homers, a career-high. By the end of June he was batting over .350 with 13 homers; he slumped during the summer but finished hot. His Cardinals easily won the pennant, giving Brock his second chance to star in the postseason.
        Brock terrorized the Red Sox in the World Series. In Game One he had four hits, two steals, and scored both St. Louis runs. He had five multi-hit games in the Series, batting .414 overall. He set a record by stealing seven bases; he tied marks for stealing three bases in a game, and two in one inning. He also tied a Series record by scoring eight runs. The Cardinals triumphed in seven games; though he finished only seventh in MVP voting, Brock was widely regarded as the most exciting player in the game.
        Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas, one of three brothers who played baseball at some level. In high school he was a switch-hitter, but then stuck with batting from the left side. He attended Southern University on an academic scholarship; he also played baseball and hurt his throwing arm. He then played in the Pan Am Games, and in 1961 began his first and only year in the minors. A Cubs prospect, he batted .361 with St. Cloud in the Northern League, then starred in the Arizona Instructional League; in spring of 1962, the Cubs gave him the starting job in centre field.
        His arrival in the big leagues was not a smooth one. He began the year 1-for-18 and lost several balls in the sun. Brock had the speed to play centre field, but not good instincts, plus he still had the poor throwing arm. He was a free swinger with the bat; he showed some power potential, even hitting a ball into the centre field bleachers at the Polo Grounds, becoming only the second player to do so. He also had the great speed, but didn't have a good year stealing bases, again due to weak fundamentals.
        Brock later admitted that he had been rushed to the majors. In 1963 he began the year well, but slumped in the second half, batting only .258 without improvements in his power or base stealing. In 1964 he continued to struggle, and was batting just .250 when in June he was traded to St. Louis. The Cubs, needing pitching, sent him to their rivals in for veteran pitcher Ernie Broglio. Many wondered why the Cardinals, in a race for the pennant, would trade one of their starting pitchers, and why they didn't get more than Brock.
        "The Cardinals couldn't have won it if Lou hadn't replaced me in left field."
        In St. Louis, Brock formed a speedy outfield with Curt Flood and Julian Javier. He took over in left field just a couple of months after Stan Musial had retired. In 103 games wth the Cardinals that year, Brock hit .348, while also mashing 12 homers and stealing 33 bases. On the final day of the season, he hit a double that helped clinch the pennant, and capped an amazing comeback for a team that had trailed most of the year. In the World Series, he hit .300 and had a home run in Game Seven as the Cards defeated the Yankees.
        Manager Johnny Keane had allowed Brock to run on his own; he stole many more bases but was also thrown out more often. Keane left the team after the season; his replacement, Red Schoenedienst, also encouraged Lou to run more. In the spring of 1965, Brock set 60 stolen bases as his target; he met it, setting a Cardinals record with 63 and also improving his success rate. He had a decent season with the bat, batting .288 but not matching his success from the year before; he also survived a scary moment when Sandy Koufax hit him in the elbow.
        He remained inconsistent at the plate; in 1966 he struggled in the first half, batting .257 at the break with too many strikeouts. He did better in the second half, finishing with a .285 average and also stealing 74 bases. He had busy offseasons; while working on his baserunning skills, he also studied business management, did some post-graduate work, sold cars and worked in public relations. In the winter of 1966, one of his brothers died from a brain edema; Brock dedicated his outstanding 1967 season to him.
        He liked to use good charms, usually foodstuff like milkshakes or rare steaks; by the end of the season he was taking his wife's lemon pies on the road with him. Katie Brock was also involved with Lou's fundraising activities, including supporting the Lou Brock Boys' Club. In 1968, Brock started slowly, but set career highs with 46 doubles and 14 triples in the Year of the Pitcher. He also stole 62 bases and was caught only 12 times, the best success rate of his career; he was already using film and video to study pitchers and their moves.
        Brock and the Cardinals returned to the World Series; he was again an October star, though this time his team lost in seven games to the Tigers. Brock homered and stole a base in Game One, had three more steals in Game Three. In Game Four he doubled, tripled, homered, and in Game Five he had three more hits. But he was also thrown out at home, on a play in which he was criticized for not sliding. And in Game Seven, he was picked off first base by Mickey Lolich. Brock hit .464 in the Series, and tied a record with 13 hits; he also tied his own record with seven stolen bases, though he was also thrown out twice.
        The Cardinals expected to win their third straight pennant in 1969, but both Brock and the team got off to a slow start and never recovered. He was 30 years old and would play another 10 years in St. Louis, but the Cardinals never again returned to the postseason with Brock in uniform. Brock finished his postseason career with a .391 average in 87 at bats.
        "They named me captain because they knew I refused to accept Torre as my leader."
        Torre, apparently, didn't get the hint.
        Brock continued to run; in 1971, he stole his 500th base and set a career high in runs scored. He introduced the "Lou Brock sneaker", which he conceived and helped design himself. He had stolen at least 50 bases in every season since 1965; but rather than slow down, he started running more often as he entered his mid-30's. At age 34, he stole 70 bases, the second time that he had reached that milestone. He continued to make adjustments; after being terrorized for more than a decade by a new generation of base stealers, catchers now had stronger arms than before, and pitchers had better moves to first.
        "If you aim to steal 30 or 40 bases a year, you do it by surprising the other side. But if your goal is 50 to 100 bases, the element of surprise doesn't matter. You go, even though they know you're going to go. Then each steal becomes a contest, matching your skills against theirs."
        In 1974, Brock got off to a hot start with the bat. He was thrown out trying to steal on opening day, but was successful in his next 28 attempts. On June 18, he stole two bases on his 35th birthday, giving him 42 for the season. In early August, he stole eight bases in a four-game series against Philadelphia, and set a career high. Brock took short leads at first, relying on his quick acceleration to get him safely to second. He ended each steal attempt with his famous popup slide. His described his technique as "11 strides and a slide."
        He decided to go after Maury Wills' record, and took more chances on the basepaths. He stole 29 bases in August, but was also thrown out 11 times. He stole his 105th base of the season on September 10, breaking the record. The game was then halted, and Brock was presented with the bag by Negro League legend Cool Papa Bell. He finished the year with 118 steals; the Sporting News selected him as the league's Player of the Year, and a minor uproar was caused when the BBWAA picked Steve Garvey as the league MVP.
        "The only records I want to tie are Satchel Paige's record for still sticking in the majors - what was it, 65 years of age? - and Hoyt Wilhelm's record for longevity."
        In 1976, "Larcenous Lou" stole 56 bases at age 37; his streak of years with at least 50 stolen bases ended at twelve in a row. In 1977 he stole the 893rd base of his career, breaking Ty Cobb's record. In 1978, he hoped to pass the 3000-hit milestone, but slumped badly at the plate; he hit just .221 and was benched while the Cardinals tried out some younger outfielders. In 1979, he rebounded to hit over .300; in August he got his 3000th hit. He was named Comeback Player of the Year, and retired after the season.
        I am a little surprised that I have never seriously considered Brock as an MVP candidate; the controversy in 1974 was much ado about nothing, as neither Brock nor Garvey deserved the award. The truth is, Brock wasn't that kind of player. He had limited power, never threatened to win a batting title, didn't walk much and struck out a lot. He was a fine base stealer, but was never as good as Henderson or Raines. He was a corner outfielder, and his defence was nothing special. He was durable and consistent, but was never a true MVP candidate. The BBWAA recognized this; only three times in his career did Brock lead his own team in MVP votes.
        Brock was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. This was no surprise; he had 3000 career hits, plus he had retired with several stolen base records. And while he was never recognized as one of the very best players in the league, he was certainly one of the most popular and exciting. But does he belong in the Hall of Fame? His induction was, I think, a bit of an anomaly. Among his contemporaries, Brock was most similar to players like Vada Pinson and Willie Davis, neither of whom received serious consideration. And it's not clear that Tim Raines will be inducted when his turn comes.
        But Brock had the milestone and the records. And then there was the postseason. Brock never won a World Series MVP; Bob Gibson was the winner in '64 and '67, while Mickey Lolich was the winner in '68. But it's obvious that Lou could easily have won the award all three years. He was one of the greatest performers in World Series history; his team won two championships, and came within a few outs of winning a third. Is that worth the equivalent of an MVP Award? It probably is. Put the total package together, and I think that Lou is a borderline candidate. But if never one of the greats, he was awfully good for a long time, and changed the way the game was played. That sounds like someone who belongs in the Hall.

        Tim McCarver has one of the most recognizable faces (and voices) in baseball. He worked as a broadcaster for the Mets for 16 years; the rest of the nation knows him from the countless playoff games he has worked on television. Before he got into broadcasting, McCarver was a catcher for 21 years. He was a regular for the Cardinals in the 1960's, when the team won two World Series; the second half of his career was spent as a backup, mostly with the Phillies. In 1966, McCarver led the league in triples, the only 20th century catcher to do so.
        This year, McCarver was runner-up to Cepeda in the award voting. It was the best year of his career, and he was the best catcher in the league. But though he was a good player, I don't think that McCarver can be considered a strong MVP candidate, in the same class as Clemente, Aaron, or Ron Santo. Santo had another big year at the plate, and won his fourth straight Gold Glove. I'm picking him as the best of the glovemen.
        Obviously, everybody's goal is to win. I can see why the voters would want to see two Cardinals lead the MVP vote, since the Cardinals dominated the league. But Cepeda and McCarver simply were not among the top three players in the league, and they weren't really close, either. I'm putting Cepeda in the fourth position, but that's as high as I can go.