Mike Shannon
| Mike Shannon | |
|---|---|
 Shannon in 1983 | |
| Third baseman/Outfielder | |
|
Born: July 15, 1939 St. Louis, Missouri | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| September 11, 1962 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| August 12, 1970 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .255 |
| Home runs | 68 |
| Hits | 710 |
| Runs batted in | 367 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Thomas Michael Shannon (born July 15, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball player and current radio sportscaster.
Shannon is a radio broadcaster for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was raised in St. Louis, Missouri and played with the Cardinals during some of the team's most successful years. Additionally, he is the proprietor of Mike Shannon's Steaks and Seafood in downtown St. Louis.
Biography
Early life
Shannon was born and raised in south St. Louis at 7045 Winona Avenue. Mike was the 2nd oldest of six children of Thomas A. Shannon and Elizabeth W. Richason Shannon. Mike's dad was a St. Louis Police Officer and after getting his law degree, worked in the Prosecuting Attorney's office before becoming the Prosecuting Attorney for the City of St. Louis in the early 70's.
Mike attended grade school at Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic School, and graduated from Christian Brothers College High School in 1957. He attended the University of Missouri before leaving in 1958 to begin his professional baseball career after signing with Bing Devine, GM of the St. Louis Cardinals. Shannon has commented that if football players were paid better during his era, he probably would have stayed at Missouri and sought a professional football career. He believed himself a better football player, and his former coach, Frank Broyles, commented that had he stayed in school, Shannon might have won the Heisman Trophy.[1]
Playing career
Shannon began his big-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1962. In 1964, he became the team's regular right fielder, shifting to third base (in order to make room for the newly acquired Roger Maris) in 1967. Shannon played in three World Series for the Cardinals. He hit a game-tying two-run homer off Whitey Ford in the Game 1 of the 1964 World Series against the New York Yankees, which St. Louis won 9-5. In Game 3 of the 1967 World Series against the Boston Red Sox, Shannon hit a key home run off Gary Bell. In Game 7 of the 1968 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Shannon's solo home run off Mickey Lolich was the Cardinals' only run off Lolich as the Tigers clinched. Shannon also hit the last home run in the original Busch Stadium (Sportsman's Park) in 1966 and the first one for the Cardinals in the second Busch Stadium (Busch Memorial Stadium). In 1970, he contracted nephritis, a kidney disease, which ended his playing career.
Broadcasting career
Shannon joined the Cardinals' promotional staff in 1971; a year later he moved to the team's radio booth. For almost three decades Shannon was paired with Hall of Fame announcer Jack Buck on AM 1120 KMOX doing the color commentary. Following Buck's death in 2002, he was named the team's lead radio voice, teaming with Joel Meyers (2002), Wayne Hagin (2003–2005), and John Rooney (2006–present). In 2006, he moved to AM 550 KTRS which had won broadcasting rights for the Cardinals. For the 2011 season KMOX regained the rights for Cardinals Broadcasting and Shannon returned to his former employer.
Shannon received an Emmy Award for his work on Cardinal broadcasts in 1985, Shannon is a 1999 inductee of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
On Saturday nights after a Cardinals home game, Shannon traditionally hosts a sports chat show from his restaurant, which is one block north from Busch Stadium.
Shannon's signature home run call is "Here's a long one to left/center/right, get up baby, get up, get up...oh yeah!"
During the 1980s, Shannon worked as a backup analyst (behind the main analysts, Joe Garagiola and Tony Kubek) for NBC's Game of the Week telecasts (typically working with play-by-play man Jay Randolph).
Counting his tenure in the minor leagues, Shannon has spent 55 years--nearly his entire adult life--with the Cardinals in some capacity. He has also called Cardinals games longer than anyone except Buck.
| Preceded by Gaylord Perry |
Major League Player of the Month July, 1966 |
Succeeded by Pete Rose |
References
External links
- Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis
- Biography - Mike Shannon's Restaurant
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