I was a St. Louis Cardinal scout starting in 1979 and continued for over 20 years. Each spring, the Saturday before the major league draft, I would travel to Busch Stadium and put on my Cardinal uniform number 11. If it still fit from the year before. I would conduct drills at the pre-draft camp under the direction of scouting director, Fred McAllister, as we would bring in outstanding prospects for possible signing. In June, I would again travel to the stadium for a two-day tryout camp that was open by invitation only. There, we would conduct a tryout camp of “boys” from age 16 to 50. We would start out with over 100 candidates and over two days, we would filter them down to a couple, and offer them a contract. Bernard Gilkey, Cardinal outfielder was one we signed that made it to the major leagues. Another was Art Howe, who eventually managed the New York Mets. I say 50-year-old try-out candidates because occasionally we would get sports celebrities friends like Tom Wheatley,
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