By IAN WILSON
The Calgary Cardinals helped professional baseball take flight in the southern Alberta city.
Arriving in 1977, the club offered Calgarians their first ever Pioneer League franchise, and with it, a rookie-level, minor league affiliate.
It was a first for Cowtown, the result of years of hard work by team owner Russ Parker.
While the starting spot for St. Louis Cardinal prospects only operated for two seasons, the Pioneer League continued on in the Stampede City when the Calgary Expos moved into Foothills Stadium in 1979.
The Triple-A Calgary Cannons, with Parker still at the helm, came to town in the mid-1980s.
Let’s turn back the clock and focus on the Cardinals.
The following are some of the best players to suit up at each position for the team during their two-year run.
The roster consists of the following: manager, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, designated hitter, utility/bench players, middle relief pitchers, a closer, and five starting pitchers for the rotation. A lineup card and a rotation will be revealed after we go through the selections.
MANAGER
Johnny Lewis wins this role by acclamation, as he was the team’s only manager over the course of their brief time in Calgary.
The former outfielder with the big-league Cardinals and New York Mets had spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach under Red Schoendienst in St. Louis.
“I look for a most enjoyable season and I hope the Calgary people will be able to identify with the St. Louis Cardinals in two or three years, fellows who started their professional careers in Calgary,” Lewis told reporters in January 1977.
“I hope to have players who are enthusiastic, have a lot of hustle and desire, and are going to work hard to get the job done.”
Lewis guided the team to a record of 71 wins and 68 losses over two seasons. The Alabama native continued managing in the minors until he was hired on as the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals from 1984 through 1989.
Nicknamed “The Gunner” for his strong throwing arm, Lewis gained notoriety as a player with the Mets in the summer of 1965 when he hit a game-winning homer in the 11th inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds. The blast spoiled a no-hit bid by pitcher Jim Maloney, who suffered a 1-0 loss after striking out 18 batters over 10 hit-free innings.
CATCHER
We select Dennis as our starting catcher … ah, but which one?
Dennis Cirbo of Denver, Colorado provided some offensive punch to the Cards in their opening season. In 54 games, the right-handed batter recorded 18 doubles, nine home runs, 51 runs batted in (RBI) and 46 runs scored, while batting .365 with a .476 on-base percentage (OBP). His slugging percentage (.635) and OPS (1.111) were tops in the six-team league.
Taking over the backstop duties from Cirbo was Californian Dennis Delany. A Pioneer League All-Star in 1978, the 12th-round pick suited up in 60 games with Calgary. He batted .333 with a .468 OBP and generated 52 walks, 46 RBI and 37 runs. The UCLA grad made it as high as Double-A before he hung up his cleats.
It’s a competitive battle, but we’re going with Cirbo behind the plate. He’s got a little more pop in his bat and that gives him the edge.
FIRST BASEMAN
It’s a two-man tussle for first base duties, as well.
Lefty batter John Perlongo turned in 227 at bats over 66 games for Calgary in 1978. In that time, he had a .269 batting average, 42 RBI and 43 runs.
Joseph DeSa joined the Cardinals as a 17-year-old out of Honolulu, Hawaii. The third rounder was excellent in Calgary’s inaugural season, batting .272 with a .392 OBP over 70 games. DeSa produced 65 runs, 55 RBI and 50 walks that season. The lefty batter, who also spent some time in the outfield, was on track for a job in the big leagues. DeSa played seven games for St. Louis in 1980 and another 28 for the Chicago White Sox in 1985. Of his 11 MLB hits, two were homers.
We’re giving the nod to DeSa here. He put up better numbers in Calgary and was able to get to the majors.
SECOND BASEMAN
Jeff Doyle holds a special place in franchise history. He launched the first home run for the team as part of a solid 1977 season. The Oregon State University (OSU) product played 36 games and batted .313 with a .442 OBP. Doyle, who was born in Havre, Montana, also scored 37 runs and belted 28 RBI. The switch hitter climbed the minor-league ranks and ultimately broke through with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983. He had 37 at bats in 13 games for the big-league Cards that year, his final season of pro baseball.
Despite the strong showing from Doyle, we’re handing the keystone keys to Ray Rivas, who played 69 games for Calgary in 1978. The lefty batter out of Santa Clara University had a keen eye at the plate. He led the Pioneer League in bases on balls, getting 64 free passes while striking out just 18 times over 242 at bats. Rivas led the Cardinals in runs (55) and RBI (49) and he also had a .322 batting average and a .462 OBP.
THIRD BASEMAN
Fourth-round pick Tye Waller was a beast for the Cardinals in their first season. The Californian led the league in at bats (300), runs (77), hits (96) and RBI (77). He also belted eight homers, smacked 15 doubles and swiped five bags on his way to earning a Pioneer League All-Star selection. Waller, who also played in the outfield, appeared in a total of 63 MLB games with the Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. He went on to serve in numerous coaching and player development roles with the San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics.
Switch hitter Jim McKnight was a consistent presence on Calgary’s 1978 squad. He led the Cardinals and the Pioneer League in games played (70) and at bats (286) while scoring 51 runs, contributing 43 RBI and swiping 13 bags. The Arkansas native, who spent time at shortstop as well as third base, also batted .311.
McKnight was dependable but Waller is a lock at third.
SHORTSTOP
Leroy Grossini has the job plucking baseballs out of the dirt between second base and third base. The eighth rounder from California adds some speed to the lineup. He had a team-best 18 stolen bases in 1977 and a .420 OBP that put him in position to steal even more during his 62 games of action. In addition, Grossini had 54 runs, 30 RBI, 16 doubles and was a Pioneer League All-Star.
OUTFIELDERS
There are four players fighting for three outfield positions.
UCLA alum Larry Silver led Calgary’s 1977 team in home runs (10), doubles (24), total bases (143) and extra base hits (36). He was also an offensive driver with 74 RBI, 17 stolen bases, a .374 batting average and a .465 on-base percentage in 61 games.
Silver’s teammate, Jim Reeves, was tops on the club with a .376 batting average, .493 OBP and 52 walks. The lefty hitter from Illinois had 70 runs, 18 doubles, nine long balls, 51 RBI and 132 total bases in his 61 Pioneer League contests.
Alvin Bush appeared in 74 games over two seasons with the Cardinals. In that time, he batted just .207 but Bush did steal 16 bases and score 36 runs.
Switch hitter Dennis Caira – from Burbank, California – had a .288 batting average, 33 runs, 30 RBI and eight base thefts during 55 games for Calgary in 1978.
Silver and Reeves are locks here, so the final outfield spot is a choice between Bush and Caira. We’ll give it to Caira, who was a better hitter.
DESIGNATED HITTER
Jim McKnight, who lost the third base job to Tye Waller, slots in at DH with his .311 batting average. He was chosen as the Cardinals top hitter in 1978.
UTILITY/BENCH PLAYERS
There are lots of good depth pieces on this team.
Hard-hitting Dennis Delany – who was the team MVP in 1978 – is available as the backup catcher and a pinch hitter.
Other possible bench options include Paul Tomini, Patrick Proulx and Timothy Burzette.
Tomini was an outfielder who played 53 games for the Cardinals in 1977. The lefty batter put up 40 runs, 27 RBI and a .425 OBP.
Proulx was a middle infielder who batted .257 in 51 games with Calgary in 1978. The Californian scored 43 runs while smacking 11 doubles and stealing 11 bases that season.
Burzette had a Swiss army knife profile. The switch hitter from San Diego could gear up as a backstop, roam the outfield or handle first base responsibilities, if needed. In 46 games with the Cards in 1978, Burzette had 21 runs, 24 RBI, a .261 batting average and a .412 on-base percentage.
We’ll stash Delany, Proulx and Burzette in our dugout as late-inning subs and injury replacements.
STARTING PITCHERS
A half-dozen starting pitchers are being considered for rotation spots.
Righty Axel Vega was a Pioneer League All-Star with Calgary in 1978. The 6-foot-3 hurler made 13 starts and went 3-4 with three complete games and a 4.05 earned run average (ERA). Vega also had a team-high 71 strikeouts over his 80 innings of work.
Curtis Coward was on the same pitching staff with Vega and put up better numbers. During 13 starts and 93 innings, the righthander went 7-3 with three complete games, 68 Ks and a 3.19 ERA. He was named Calgary’s top pitcher at the end of the season. Coward – who signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization after attending an open invitation tryout – was one of the first African-Nova Scotians to play professional baseball. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to injuries, but he was later inducted into the Maritime Sport Hall of Fame.
A couple of other pitchers from the 1978 rotation – Jeff Orville and Richard Hay – were also reliable moundsmen.
Orville, a 19th-overall draft pick, turned in a pair of complete games and made 12 starts, going 4-3 with a 5.14 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched. Despite being a first rounder, his season in Calgary was the righthander’s lone year as a pro ball player.
Hay, a 6-foot-2 righty from Pennsylvania, took the mound in 11 games and nine of them were starts. He had a 3.83 ERA, and record of 3-5, two complete games, and 60 Ks in 54 innings. Hay split time between Calgary and the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League in 1978.
The most successful pitcher to emerge from the Calgary Cardinals was Jim Gott, who started the first game in franchise history when he was only 17 years old. His 1977 campaign was all over the map. The fourth rounder led Calgary in starts (14) and strikeouts (60), but he also topped the Pioneer League in runs allowed (82), earned runs (69) and walks (83). The Californian finished with a 3-4 record and a 9.55 ERA over 65 innings. The 6-foot-4 righthander ultimately sorted things out and ended up pitching in 554 MLB games with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. Gott, who taught Dennis Quaid how to pitch for his role in The Rookie, became a pitching coach after he retired as a player.
Another California kid putting in innings at Foothills Stadium was Andy Rincon, who came to Calgary as an 18-year-old. The 6-foot-3 hurler was excellent in his 40 innings with the Cardinals. He went 3-1 with a 2.93 ERA, two complete games, one save and 23 strikeouts. The fifth rounder ended up pitching 20 games for St. Louis between 1980 and 1982, going 8-5 with a 3.12 ERA in that time.
“Rincon potentially is the Cardinals’ best starting pitcher,” stated The Sporting News ahead of the 1982 MLB season.
The righthander had a spot in the rotation to begin that year and pitched a three-hitter to defeat Ferguson Jenkins in his first start, but he lacked command and made costly mistakes on the field after that, ultimately losing his roster spot in St. Louis.
Rincon continued to pitch in the minor leagues until 1989. He passed away in August of 2023.
Orville is the odd man out here.
MIDDLE RELIEVERS
Calgary had some effective bullpen arms in their two years as an affiliate of the Cardinals.
Dennis Morton led the club in innings pitched (79) in Calgary’s first Pioneer League season. The southpaw appeared in 20 games and made five starts that season, going 5-2 with a 4.56 ERA, 52 Ks and one save.
William LaRosa, David Picconi and Paul Wysocki were busy birds in 1978.
Wysocki, a 34th rounder out of Sacred Heart University, appeared in 24 games and went 7-2 with a 5.60 ERA, two saves, and 42 strikeouts in 45 innings.
LaRosa was 6-0 with a 3.38 ERA, one save and 53 Ks in 21 games and 48 innings. The righthander from Pennsylvania, a 16th-round pick of the Texas Rangers, pitched in the minors until 1981.
Picconi, a lefty from the University of Northern Colorado, logged 49 innings over 20 games. He had 52 strikeouts, two saves, a 2-7 record and a 6.80 ERA.
CLOSER
Seven different pitchers picked up saves for the Cards in 1977 and another three relievers closed out games in 1978. But only two pitchers collected more than a pair of saves.
Vaughn Yadao had three saves in his 18 appearances and 36 frames with Calgary in 1977. The southpaw from Honolulu, Hawaii combined that with a 2-3 record, a 4.50 ERA and 28 strikeouts.
That same season Gregory Shafer closed out four games in his 20 games of action. The 6-foot-1 righthander had a 1-2 record, 5.02 ERA, and 17 Ks in 43 innings.
Looking through our bullpen options, we’re going to make Yadao our closer and put Morton and LaRosa in middle relief roles.
BATTING LINEUP
- Leroy Grossini, SS
- Ray Rivas, 2B
- Dennis Cirbo, C
- Tye Waller, 3B
- Larry Silver, OF
- Joseph DeSa, 1B
- Jim Reeves, OF
- Jim McKnight, DH
- Dennis Caira, OF
Bench … Dennis Delany (C), Patrick Proulx (SS, 2B, 3B), Timothy Burzette (C, OF, 1B)
STARTING ROTATION
- Curtis Coward, RHP
- Andy Rincon, RHP
- Jim Gott, RHP
- Axel Vega, RHP
- Richard Hay, RHP
Bullpen … Vaughn Yadao (LHP), Dennis Morton (LHP), William LaRosa (RHP)
There it is – your Calgary Cardinals All-Time roster!
What do you think? Did we miss any any top players? Would you make any roster changes to the squad? Sound off in the comments.
A fun year! Beautiful countryside traveling 17 hours by bus from Calgary to Idaho Falls.
Hey, miss you. First roomie in pro ball.
My man Denny, it’s been too long! Great seeing a response from a 1978 teammate, especially from my roomie. Great times, great memories for sure. It would have been great hanging out for another 20 years. Hey, miss you. Let’s catch up! Email me a phone #