Vets Name Schoendienst, Al Barlick to Hall of Fame

Former St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Red Schoendienst and National League umpire Al Barlick were elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame today by the veterans committee.

Schoendienst played 18 years in the majors, 14 with the Cards, and was the Cardinals manager from 1965 to ’75. He is a coach on manager Whitey Herzog’s St. Louis staff.

Despite being diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1958, Schoendienst ended his career in St. Louis with a .289 batting average and set a major-league record with eight doubles in three consecutive games.

Barlick, known for his booming voice behind the plate, worked 27 full seasons and part of one other in the National League after coming up to the majors at age 25 in 1940.

Barlick worked seven World Series and seven All-Star games before retiring after the 1971 season.

Seventeen of the 18 committee members were present during 5 1/2 hours of deliberations. Although the exact vote totals were not announced, 14 are required for election.

The veterans committee, which selects players passed over in the regular vote of baseball writers, has elected 119 members to the hall in 32 years. Last year, for the first time, the committee did not elect anyone.

Schoendienst and Barlick will be inducted on July 23 along with Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski, who were elected by the Baseball Writers Assn. of America.

The veterans committee once again ignored Phil Rizzuto today.

Rizzuto, the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1950 for the New York Yankees, has been open about his disappointment at not being picked, especially after cross-town rival of the 1940s and ‘50s, Dodgers shortstop Pee Wee Reese, was elected in 1984.

Rizzuto played on nine Yankee pennant winners.