Cardinals Hall of Fame Weekend

Over the weekend the Cardinals inducted their 5th Hall of  Fame class that included 3 members.  Harry Brecheen was selected by a committee of writers and some former players/managers/team executives.  The fans voted in Vince Coleman and Ray Lankford.  I don't know how many times I voted for these two earlier in the year.   They both received over 60,000 to beat out other players such as Scott Rolen, John Tudor, and Lee Smith.  If you read the blog at all, you know Lankford is my all time favorite player while Coleman was my first player collection as a kid.

My daughter made the trip to watch the ceremony held across the street from Busch Stadium at Ball Park Village.  It started at 3:00.  We arrived around 1:00, 2 hours after the doors opened.  We should have left sooner as there were no tables open and people were standing 2-3 deep.  We did find a decent spot upstairs that allowed me to take some decent pictures.

There were quite a few member of the Hall of Fame that attended the ceremony.  Top row is Mike Shannon, Bob Gibson, Bruce Sutter, Tony LaRussa, and Chris Carpenter.   Bottom row is Lou Brock, Whitey Herzog, Ozzie Smith, and Vince Coleman.

The gentleman in the dark suit is Brecheen's son who gave a short induction speech.  Coleman was the first to receive his red jacket.  He gave a great speech that last 20-30 minutes.  My favorite part was his saying " Be fast, kick ass". 

Lankford's speech was pretty short and sweet.  During his playing days he was know as being quiet.  Nothing has really changed.   Both him and Coleman did get choked up during their speeches.  Both stated they are most happy to be Cardinals for life.

All 3 members received plaques that will be displayed in the Cardinals Hall of Fame.

To go along with Hall of Fame Weekend, a card shop in Belleville, IL held an autograph signing with Coleman and Lankford on Sunday morning.  I had Coleman sign a 1987 Topps card that was sent off to William at  Foul Bunt .  Lankford signed a 1997 All-Star ball.

1997 was his only All Star year.  The ball has aged somewhat with some toning, but it still looks great to me.

The second item I had Lankford autographed may look familiar from this post.  I managed to erase the upside down signature using rubbing alcohol and hair spray.  The new signature looks perfect.

Not sure how this will get displayed yet, but it will have a prime spot.  Lankford inscribed Busch 2 HR King.  His 123 home runs were the most hit at the stadium before it was torn down after the 2005 season.  I had a chance to talk to him for a few minutes about his great career and the Normal softball game.  He plays in a 50 and older league down in Florida to stay in shape when he is not busy golfing.  He is also active in the Cardinals fantasy camps held after spring training.  One of these days when I have $5000 extra laying around I will make it to one of those.