Yet another wonderful Exchange Club “Hot Stove” meeting was conducted Friday with Rick Hummel, the Baseball Hall of Fame Writer of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, as the speaker.

Rick fielded numerous questions from the audience with topics ranging from agents, free agent ball players and owners. Rick mentioned some owners like the talent a free agent presents, but don’t like them to be the "face" of their team because of previous actions or comments they have made.

Rick also addressed the pace of play for baseball suggesting that instead of a maximum of 6 visits to the mound, make it just 2 or 3 per game.  He also is against the shift, but said the players have failed to find a way to beat it regularly to  prevent it.

When asked about this summer’s visit by Albert Pujols and the Angels coming to play the Cardinals in St. Louis, Rick expects a huge ovation by Cardinal fans that will last as long as Yadi Molina wants it to last (which could be several minutes).

Rick also feels the Cardinals have caught up to the Cubs in talent. He selected the following teams to make the post season this year. The Red Sox, the Indians and the Astros will win their division titles with the Yankees and the Twins securing a wild card berth in the American League.

His National League picks are the Cardinals or Cubs, the Dodgers and the Nationals will capture divisional titles.  He thinks the Cardinals or Cubs will get one wild card and the other will go to the Mets who have improved in the off season.

Rick Hummel is a native of Quincy, a graduate of Quincy Senior High School, and attended Quincy University before transferring to the University of Missouri  School of Journalism. While attending the University of Missouri, Rick returned home during two summers to work for the Quincy Herald-Whig.

Following graduation from the University of Missouri, Rick served three years in the U.S. Army. And then went to work for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He has now been at the Post-Dispatch for 48 years.

Rick is a past-President of the Baseball Writers Association of America. He has also served on the Baseball Hall of Fame Overview Committee, reviewing the careers of potential inductees by the Veterans Committee.  Some of Rick Hummel's honors include:

  • 2007 – winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
  • 2008 - Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
  • 3-time "Missouri Sport-writer of the Year"
  • Member, Quincy High School Blue Devils Hall of Fame.                                       And author of a book with Tony LaRussa called “One Last Strike”.

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