Earlier this week, the Cardinals and Royals split two games at Busch Stadium. Neither team is having a stellar year. I’ll get into the details on that, but first, a remembrance of my friend Larry Ward.
Larry Ward – Lion of the Trial Bar (RIP): Last month, Larry Ward died at the age of 86. Service details and obituary here.
I met Larry soon after I graduated from law school in 1967. We worked for downtown trial firms with offices in the Commerce Bank Building. Larry was at Shughart, Thomson and Kilroy (9th floor), and I was at the Popham firm (13th floor). Although Larry preceded me by a few years at UMKC Law School, he was still a “young” lawyer being mentored by what we called “Lions of the Trial Bar.”
It was a golden age for trial attorneys because many cases actually went to trial rather than being settled. Attorneys from Shughart, Popham and other firms would line up in the halls of the Jackson County Courthouse for Friday docket calls. We then rolled into the courthouse on Monday to make last minute settlements or try everything from auto accidents (“and how far were you from the intersection when you first saw the other car?”) to bigger ticket items like product liability and commercial litigation.
One of Larry’s mentors was Jack Kilroy and one of mine was Tom Conway. Two revered Lions of the Trial Bar. I can’t resurrect a specific case in my mind, but a composite pre-trial hearing will give a flavor. Conway would have a plaintiff’s case and get misty-eyed telling the story of the horrible accident. Kilroy would strongly advocate, often correctly, that Tom had no admissible expert evidence that the defendant was at fault. Tom would be incredulous – his client had lost a foot – what more evidence did he need? The sparring was adversarial, but invariably respectful and professional. These guys loved what they were doing and being petty was just not in their blood.
We would finish our wrangling at the courthouse and walk together back to the Commerce Bank Building, leaving behind the courthouse arguments and instead kibitzing about family, sports, etc. Larry would be carrying Jack’s big trial briefcase, and I carried Tom’s. Larry and I were like kids in a candy store, soaking up the joy of trial work, dreaming of the day we would become Lions of the Trial Bar.
And that is exactly what Larry did. He soon moved from second chair to first chair. His career blossomed, and he became one of the primary “go-to” and “bet-the-company” lawyers for big cases. He got accolades as a young lawyer (the Lon O. Hocker award) and as a veteran lawyer (American College of Trial Lawyers). He served as president of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association and was the long-time chairman of the Shughart firm. And he received a ton of other honors befitting a Lion of the Trial Bar.
My story was different. After 11+ years at Popham, it became apparent that I was not going to become a Lion of the Trial Bar. So I changed direction and joined my law school classmate Jim Polsinelli at his law office on the Plaza in 1979.
Thirty years later (2009), the Polsinelli and Shughart firms merged. Larry Ward and I became law partners. And in the bargain, two sons of Jack Kilroy also became my law partners (Jack Jr. and Terry).
Larry and I retired several years ago, but kept in touch at monthly lunches with fellow retired lawyers. We were going to call ourselves “Old Timers” or “Old Farts,” but settled on the more dignified “Vintage Lawyers.” We tell war stories and talk about books, movies, politics and a lot of sports. Larry was our resident curmudgeon on the Royals, and I will miss his voice as the Royals again flirt with 100 losses. A big subject was his golf game. Below, from one of his spring training/golf trips to Arizona (from left, Larry, Jack Campbell (RIP), Harlan Stamper and Marsha Campbell).
RIP Larry Ward, Lion of the Trial Bar.
Cardinals and Royals – 2023: As spring training was ending in March this year, I wrote a hopeful note in Hot Stove:
“The Royals are in first place in the Cactus League. The Cardinals are in first place in the Grapefruit League. I-70 World Series? Hope springs (training) eternal.”
It’s happened before.
But spring training is famously an unreliable indicator for the regular season. And the Royals and Cardinals are proving that to be the case.
For most of the season, the two teams have been at the bottom of their respective divisions. This prompted Cardinals fan Chris Shanklin to pose a question – Have the Royals and Cardinals ever finished a season when both were in last place in their division?
The short answer is “no.” The Royals have often placed last in their AL division, but the Cardinals have done so only once since divisional play started in 1969. That was in 1990 when they were sixth in the 6-team East Division. The Royals also finished sixth in their division that year, but the AL had expanded by two teams to create two 7-team divisions. So the Royals were NOT in last place.
[1990 Cardinals Roster Trivia: Royals broadcaster Rex Hudler played for those 1990 Cardinals.]
Up next: Royals v. Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium, August 11 and 12.
Cardinals History: Although the Cardinals finished last in their division in 1990, they did not have the worst record in the National League – that was Atlanta, then in the West Division, losing five more games than St. Louis.
Cool Stats: In the last 100 seasons (1923-2022), the Cardinals have never had the worst record in the National League, nor lost 100 or more games.
So it is no surprise they have won more World Series than any other NL team (11). The only team with more is the AL Yankees (27).
Royals History: I’ll start this with a fun piece of trivia. Who has won the most World Series in the last decade, the Yankees, Cardinals or Royals? Answer, the Royals (2015).
Now the hard part. Spreadsheet guru Jeff Nelson sent some sobering numbers on the plight of the Royal from 1969 (their first year) to 2022 (54 seasons).
They won 90+ games nine times. One of those was a 100+ win season (102 in 1977).
They lost 90+ games 18 times. Six of those were 100+ losing seasons.
During their first 17 seasons, the Royals made the playoffs seven times. In their next 37 seasons, they made the playoffs two times (2014 and 2015).
But there is this. The Rangers, Mariners, Padres, Rockies, Rays and Brewers have never won a World Series. The Angels, Diamondbacks and Nationals have each won one World Series. The Royals have won two.
Big Slick Night: Tonight, as the guests of our friends Cheryl Dillard and Pat Titterington, Rita and I will be attending Big Slick night at Kauffman Stadium.
Local Kansas City celebrity hosts (above) and their friends will participate in a series of events over the weekend to raise funds for Children’s Mercy Hospital. The logistics for the events are handled by an army of devoted volunteers. Since its inception in 2010, Big Slick has raised $17 million for the hospital.
This will be a special homecoming appearance for Jason Sudeikis. The finale of his hit show Ted Lasso aired this week, and the ending story arc is his return from England to Kansas City.
And Patrick Mahomes will be back to participate. Here he is at the 2019 Big Slick game. That’s my granddaughter Emersyn (then 17) who has worked with her father Brian for many years as a Big Slick volunteer.
Pride Month – Royals and Cardinals: Tweet sent yesterday by the Royals as Pride Month began.
And at the other end of I-70 in Missouri…
On Broadway: Rita and I attended five shows on Broadway over a long Memorial Day weekend (three musicals and two plays). Hot Stove reviews will be posted after the Tony awards on June 11.
Succession and Baseball: [Spoiler Alert!] After our return from New York, we watched the series finale of Succession. Prominently featured was empty-suit Tom (husband of Shiv) who beat out three Roy kids for leadership of the company.
A viral baseball theory emerged that Tom’s last name (Wambsgans) was chosen by the writers because it was similar to Bill (Wamby) Wambsganss (an extra “s”). In 1920, Wamby was playing second base for Cleveland in Game 5 of the World Series. With men on first and second, nobody out, Wamby snagged a line drive and stepped on second base to double off the runner headed to third and then turned to tag the runner coming from first. It is the only unassisted triple play in World Series history. Below, Wamby (top left, in white) completes his triple play.
The parallel? Wamby and Tom both took out three opponents at once. Wamby got three runners out on one play. Tom took three Roy kids out in one ruthless maneuver.
Alas, the baseball theory does not hold up. Per Executive Producer Frank Rich, “I hate to spoil the internet’s fun, but it’s false. Tom’s family name was picked before we had shot the first season – let alone mapped out our precise story twists that would culminate 39 episodes later!…We were looking for something off-key that would be awkward to say/pronounce, befitting a character who arrives as an outsider in the Roys’ world.”
Lonnie’s Jukebox – Tina Turner Encore: Last week, Tina Turner died at the age of 83. To honor her career, I’m rerunning Lonnie’s Jukebox from Hot Stove #167 (posted in July of 2021).
Tina was having quite a year in 2021. Rita and I had just watched the HBO documentary Tina (trailer here). The stage musical based on her life was getting ready to open on Broadway (trailer here). The musical was a hit, and Adrienne Warren won a Tony for her portrayal of Tina in the show. The musical is now on tour and will be in Kansas City in December. Tina was also a member of the 2021 class of inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a solo act; previously inducted in 1991 as a member of “Ike and Tina Turner”).
Take it Tina!
The first 20 years of Tina’s professional life were with her mentor, husband and stage partner Ike Turner. They made some great music. According to Tina, not a great marriage.
One of Tina’s most famous songs was not a big hit when it was first recorded in 1966. Ike had produced most of their recordings, but famed record producer Phil Spector was recruited to produce Tina singing “River Deep – Mountain High.” The song peaked at a disappointing #88 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Spector thought he had designed a superb record and was reportedly so disillusioned that he took a hiatus from the music industry. In time, the record he produced became a rock ‘n’ roll classic.
“River Deep – Mountain High” – Original 1966 promo video.
“River Deep – Mountain High” – A collection of live performances. My oh my. This is why she became one of the top concert draws in the business.
In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival released “Proud Mary.” The song was written by CCR’s John Fogerty and it went to #2 on the charts. Two years later, Ike and Tina Turner released their version and it went to #4. Viva la difference.
“Proud Mary” by CCR.
“Proud Mary” by Ike and Tina.
In 1978, Tina split from Ike and began her triumphant solo career. Her signature song as a solo artist…
“What’s Love Got To Do With It” – A #1 hit in 1984. This was also the name of the 1993 biopic starring Angela Bassett as Tina.
Final encore..…“The Best”. Yes she is.
Thank you Tina. RIP.
Nature Moment: Last week, on a walk around the lake at the Kauffman Foundation, Rita spotted a red-winged blackbird landing in a tree. The bird kindly posed for photos.
