Few and Chosen: Defining Cardinal Greatness Across the Eras

Picking an all-time Cardinals team — the top five players at each position and the top five managers in Cardinals history — is an enormous task, but one which Tim McCarver is uniquely qualified to attempt. Few teams in professional sports can equal the on-field success or match the fan loyalty of the St. Louis Cardinals, whose roots date back to 1876.<P>Citizens of Cardinal Nation have seen, and cheered for, some of the greatest and most colorful players and teams in baseball history, from Stan the "Man" Musial, the greatest Cardinal of them all, to Dizzy Dean; from Rogers Hornsby to the "Fordham Flash, " Frank Frisch; from the "Gashouse Gang" of Pepper Martin to Enos "Country" Slaughter, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and home-run king Mark McGwire.<P>From boyhood to the broadcast booth, McCarver has been following Cardinals baseball for almost 60 years. Still, picking an all-time Cardinals team was no slam dunk for McCarver. McGwire or Johnny Mize? The "Wizard of Oz" Ozzie Smith or the "Octopus" Marty Marion? Lou Brock or Joe Medwick? Gibson or Dean? Ted Simmons or Walker Cooper?<P>Few and Chosen has it all and then some — a foreword by current Cardinals broadcaster Joe Buck, son of legendary Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck; McCarver's love-hate relationship with Bob Gibson; his experiences as Steve Carlton's "personal catcher"; his insights into the state of the game today; and the personal reminiscences and anecdotes that can only derive from a lifetime association with the Cardinals.