For more than 100 years, one of the country’s most respected newspapers could be found near downtown Kansas City on Grand Boulevard. Blair Kerkhoff, a sportswriter, would walk in in awe most days. The Kansas City Star, and the exterior walls fitted in brick, likely elicited similar reactions from many others. “Something that made an… Read more »
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Sport: Baseball
Dr. Vincent Key
There’s an old saying in sports that you best be ready when you’re number is called. And perhaps there is no better example in the sports medicine world than Dr. Vincent Key. From the 1990s and into the early 2000s, he simply paid attention as he tended to pro athletes when in residency in Los… Read more »
Marty Kilgore
In the late 1980s, Marty Kilgore was exploring a career change. His dad was a builder and his brother was a structural engineer. He had experience in construction and was working in the car business as a finance manager. “I went to my dad and told him I just wasn’t really that happy,” Kilgore said.… Read more »
George Kissell
Every person who has been associated with the St. Louis Cardinals organization during the past 63 years has had contact with George Kissell. One of the most respected people in the game of baseball at any level, Kissell is often referred to as “baseball’s grandfather” by St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. Kissell’s 63… Read more »
Darold Knowles
A veteran of 52 seasons in Major League Baseball, Darold Knowles has pitched for the Baltimore Orioles, the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Senators, Oakland A’s, Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and the St. Louis Cardinals. His southpaw curve was always in demand. Darold’s claim to fame came as a member of the three time World Champion A’s,… Read more »
Barry Koeneke
It’s often said that coaches are the sum of each of their most influential coaches. For longtime Hallsville High School baseball coach Barry Koeneke, that would be Warren Turner, Hi Simmons and Gene McArtor. In order, they are former Joplin Memorial High School and Missouri Southern State University’s coach (852 wins), the University of Missouri… Read more »
Karen Kornacki
Growing up as a young girl in Western New York, Karen Kornacki didn’t have many sports-related opportunities, on the playing field or off. “There were no sports for girls,” Kornacki said. “We had gym classes and if you were fortunate enough to pay for tennis, gymnastics, or golf lessons, you could be active that way.… Read more »
Tony La Russa
Few probably know this story about Tony La Russa. It’s when the past sees the future, says his thank-yous and, in the process, reminds everybody of why he was so successful. In essence, little details always mattered. In September 2012, almost a year after retiring as a big-league manager following 33 seasons in dugouts, La… Read more »
Larry Lady
Very few people get the opportunity to have three different impactful careers. Larry Lady, however, is one of those people. A college basketball referee for 40 years, Lady also enjoyed a successful career in the financial sector as an executive. When he retired from his day job with Waddell & Reed in 1992, little did… Read more »
Mark Lamping
With all eyes on baseball’s player strike of 1994, one of the game’s few late-season transactions made headlines, centered in the heart of the Midwest. The signing of an ace pitcher? A big bopper? No. But he became just as significant. Mark Lamping was hired as the President of the St. Louis Cardinals. “I was… Read more »
Dennis Leonard
Dennis Leonard was born in Brooklyn, New York and was a standout baseball player at Oceanside High School. He attended Iona College before being selected in the 1972 summer draft by the Kansas City Royals. Leonard enjoyed a twelve year Major League career with the Kansas City Royals. During his first full season with the… Read more »
Bob Lesslie
A multi-year all-star for Lutheran South High School, Lesslie and his team won the league championships in both 1968 and 1969. He would Lesslie attended St. Louis Community College-Meramac, leading his squad to the JUCO national tournament in 1970 and 1971. Lesslie was an All-Conference selection both seasons and was selected to the Junior College… Read more »
Ric Lessmann
Listening to old baseball stories never gets old, and veteran baseball coach Ric Lessmann likely has a million of them. Here’s one of the more memorable ones: Recruiting for his team at Meramec Community College and doubling as a scout for the Cincinnati Reds in the late 1980s, Lessmann got a tip about Brian Boehringer,… Read more »
1983-1989 Era Licking High School Baseball
In Texas County, where Highway 63 meanders through scenic countryside, there’s a baseball field that is no frills – which was just perfect for the blue-collar guys who once played there. Yes, the outfield fence and scoreboard are relatively new. Decades ago, however, dirt covered the entire infield. And some things haven’t changed: weather-worn bleachers,… Read more »
Mark Littell
His dad played catch with him only once, but only because his dad had been shot in the right arm and took on shrapnel from an explosive device during the Korean War. Years later, he was cut in tryouts for a travel ball team in his Missouri Bootheel hometown of Gideon. And yet Mark Littell… Read more »
Dr. Stan London
Dr. Stan London began working with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1956 and then became the head physician in 1968, after the death of I.C. Middleman. He remained in this position until 1997 when he became senior medical advisor for the team. He was also the team physician for the St. Louis Hawks from 1955… Read more »