I love The 80s - 1981 St. Louis Cardinals

This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!

In 1980, the Cardinals finished 4th in the NL East with a 74-88 record. The following season, despite having the best overall record in the National League East, the team missed the playoffs entirely. The strike split the season into two halves, but the Cardinals finished 2nd in both halves, thereby being shut out of post season play. It could, should and did leave a bitter taste in their mouths, but it would be fleeting as the team would win the World Series in 1982. 

The Cardinals in the 1980s were the result of the painstaking architecture of Whitey Herzog. As General Manager and field Manager, Herzog oversaw the transactions that nearly completely overhauled the roster in just two seasons, while also being the main on-field decision maker in games. Herzog stressed defense and speed, both due in no small part to the playing conditions on the fast Astroturf found all over National League stadiums at the time. While the team was not known for power hitting, they were rarely hurting for offense.

The Cards' Cards:

Topps #420 Keith Hernandez - Hernandez won a Gold Glove in 1980, and deservedly so. It was his 3rd straight fielding award, and he'd win 11 over the course of his 17 year pro career. He was coming off an MVP season in 1979, and in 1980 led the NL in OBP and Runs Scored. He was the team leader in Hits, doubles, Avg, and obviously Runs and OBP as well. 

Donruss #427 Leon "Bull" Durham - By the time this card was printed, the trade sending Durham to the Cubs for Bruce Sutter had already taken place. He would have several solid seasons with the Cubs, hitting over 20 homers a season 5 times. Before converting to 1B, he was a fleet footed outfielder as well, stealing 20+ bases 3 times in the early 80s. Durham was best known to me for his role in the film "Little Big League" which was filmed in MN in 1993, while Durham was playing Independent League ball for the Saint Paul Saints. I attended one of the games that was used for crowd footage in the film, but good luck finding me in the nosebleeds of the upper deck!

Topps #353 Terry Kennedy - The four time All-Star for the Padres, Kennedy was still a young utility player in St. Louis in 1980. Kennedy would be dealt to San Diego in the trade that netted Whitey Herzog the relief ace Rollie Fingers, who would be flipped to the Brewers in a mover that greatly bolstered both franchises. His first season with the Padres in 1981 would see him become the team's primary catcher. He responded by hitting a career high .301 and making his first All-Star squad as a 24 year old. In 1982, he became the first catcher in MLB history to hit 40 doubles. 

Fleer #456 Silvio Martinez - I really dig the bokeh effect of the background in this photo, which is why it made the cut instead of some more prominent St. Louis players. Silvio had a very good season in 1979, going 15-8 with a 3.27 ERA and 2 shutouts for the Cardinals. His 1980 campaign was a hard luck mirror image, with a 5-10 record and a bloated 4.81 ERA. He was part of a three team deal that sent Lonnie Smith to the Cardinals in time for the 1982 World Series run. 

Donruss #71 Bobby Bonds - This is the infamous "986 Career Home Runs" error card. If you make the case that Bobby was responsible for all of Barry's career homers, then you would actually be able to go a little higher - the duo accounted for 1,094 MLB home runs. They also teamed up for 975 career stolen bases, which is the highest father son combo as well. 

Fleer #545 Keith Hernandez - In 1981, the strike broke many player's streaks for milestones like 100 hits or 200 innings pitched, but Keith actually kept a streak going. It was his 3rd consecutive season with a batting average above .300 and an OBP above .400. It was also his 4th straight season with double digit stolen bases. He would finish his career with over 2,100 hits, over 1,100 Runs scored, over 1,000 RBI and a .296/.384/.436 career slash line. The 5 Time All-Star was a World Series Champion with the Cardinals in 1982 and with the Mets in 1986. 

Topps #563 Jim Kaat - I mostly enjoyed this card for the very fine print on the back. We thought Joe Niekro was getting up there in 1981, but Jim Kaat was pitching in his 4th decade in the big leagues. He debuted with the Washington Senators in 1959, and moved to Minnesota with them in 1961 where he spent the bulk of his career. In 1980, Kaat was the main weapon used by Whitey Herzog out of the bullpen, leading the relief corps in innings pitched. He also started 14 games for the Cardinals, but it was his bullpen contributions that made the big difference for the ball club. He made 4 appearances in the 1982 World Series, his first World Series action since the 1965 Series against the Dodgers. 

Coca-Cola Topps #7 Darrell Porter - The 1982 NLCS and WS MVP came to the Cardinals in 1981, and was stuck as the back up to future Hall of Fame Catcher Ted Simmons. Porter had 3 All-Star games under his belt already as the Royals' primary backstop in the late 70s, and had led the American League in walks while driving in 112 runs for the club in 1979. Herzog created the logjam only to quickly resolve it by dealing Simmons and Rollie Fingers to Milwaukee. In the 1982 NLCS Porter had a .714 OBP thanks to 5 walks and 5 hits over his 14 plate appearances. He was the MVP though he only drove in 1 run in the series. During the World Series, he hit a key Homer and drove home 5 Cardinals over the 7 game marathon. At the time, he was just the 2nd player to win both LCS and WS MVP honors in the same post season. I also liked that this Coca-Cola card featured Porter's iconic "Coke Bottle" glasses.

Fleer #548 Bobby Bonds - By 1980, the best days of Bonds' playing career were behind him. He would play one more season in Chicago in 1981, but was out of baseball for some time after that. His 1980 season was hampered by an injury sustained when he was hit by a pitch on his hand in  April, though he would not go on the injured list until July. In his prime, few could equal Bobby's combo of power and speed. He was the league leader 9 times in a stat called "Power/Speed" which takes the following formula : 2X (Homers X Steals) / (Homers + Steals). He ranks 5th All-Time in that category, behind his son, Rickey, Willie Mays, and ARod.