#28 Barney Schultz

After a three-card interlude, we're back with another brick of cards from Max. I told you he'd return! Leading off is Barney Schultz, who has quite the majestic schnozz sitting in the middle of his face. It's a proboscis that puts him in the Hall of Fame of Baseball Noses, right alongside such heavyweights as Ernie Lombardi and Warren Spahn.

Fun facts about Barney Schultz:

-Was originally signed in 1944 by the Philadelphia...Blue Jays? That's right. Prior to the 1943, Bob Carpenter bought the Phillies, the perennial losers of the National League. He tried to rebrand them with a fan contest, and "Blue Jays" was the winning name. After two seasons of 90-plus losses, the Phillies returned for good.

-Pitched in the minors for over a decade before the Cardinals (his sixth major league organization) called him up in 1955. The 28-year-old pitched poorly, with a 7.89 ERA in 19 games, and would not see big league action again for another four years.

-Finally established himself with a 2.70 ERA in 41 games for the 1961 Cubs. The 34-year-old knuckleballer struck out 59 batters in 66 and two-thirds innings.

-Barney was the Cardinals' most dependable reliever in their World Championship season of 1964, saving 14 games with a 1.64 ERA and an 0.93 WHIP. Amazingly, he didn't join the club until August, taking the mound 30 times in their final 60 games.

-Although the Cards won the 1964 World Series, one of Schultz's knuckleballs failed to knuckle, creating a memorable moment. Entering Game Three in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied at one, Barney saw his first offering deposited beyond the right field fence by Mickey Mantle. St. Louis lost the game, and the Mick had his 16th home run in Fall Classic play, breaking Babe Ruth's record.

-In all, Barney pitched professionally for 23 seasons, and only pitched in the majors in seven of those seasons.

-In 1966, he served as player/pitching coach for the Cards' AAA Tulsa Oilers team. He went 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA.

-Schultz coached in the St. Louis organization from 1967-1970, briefly being added to the major league staff so that he could qualify for pension. He eventually became the Cardinals' pitching coach, serving in that capacity from 1971-1975 and working with a young Steve Carlton.

-Barney coached for the Cubs in 1977 and worked throughout their farm system from 1978-1980. He spent the next two years in Japan, coaching on the Osaka Hawks staff.

-He has been a member of the South Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame since the early 1980s.