The Rise and Fall of Garry Templeton with the St. Louis Cardinals

Garry Templeton #1 of the St. Louis Cardinals puts the tag on Larry Bowa #10 of Philadelphia Phillies during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Templeton played for the Cardinals from 1976-81. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Garry Templeton #1 of the St. Louis Cardinals puts the tag on Larry Bowa #10 of Philadelphia Phillies during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Templeton played for the Cardinals from 1976-81. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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Garry Templeton #1 of the St. Louis Cardinals makes the throw to first base against Philadelphia Phillies during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Templeton played for the Cardinals from 1976-81. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
Garry Templeton #1 of the St. Louis Cardinals makes the throw to first base against Philadelphia Phillies during an Major League Baseball game circa 1978 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Templeton played for the Cardinals from 1976-81. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

The Fall of Garry Templeton

Garry Templeton’s demise in St. Louis probably started in 1979, when he refused to play in the All Star game because he wasn’t voted in by fans as the starting shortstop. His refusal to participate in the All Star classic didn’t sit well with fans or many in the Cardinal organization. The details of the controversy are best described by Mark Tomasik at his RetroSimba site.

The build up of frustration with Templeton had grown since the All Star game controversy. Templeton had demanded to hit lead off, asked to be traded to a California team, and expressed his dissatisfaction with his salary. According to Herzog, Templeton didn’t want to play on artificial surface anymore or day games after a night game.

Additionally, many in the franchise thought Templeton had developed a drug problem. As many fans who followed the Cardinals in the early ’80s know, this was a problem, not only for Garry Templeton, but for many other players.

Nevertheless, when Templeton made two obscene gestures aimed at the fans during the game on Aug. 26, 1981 that effectively ended his tenure with the Cardinals. At the age of 25, Garry Templeton had worn out his welcome in St. Louis.