LaRussa, Torre, Simmons could make Hall of Fame today

The Veterans Committee considered four people associated with the St. Louis Cardinals, though one was better known as a Kansas City Royal, for the Baseball Hall of Fame and the announcement on whether any of them made it will be made at 9 a.m. CST today.

Up for consideration were former Cardinal managers Tony LaRussa and Joe Torre, catching great Ted Simmons, and reliever Dan Quisenberry.

LaRussa won three World Championships, capturing the World Series with the Cardinals in 2006 and 2011 and with the Oakland A's in 1990. He managed three teams, the Cardinals, A's, and Chicago White Sox into the playoffs.

Torre's main reason for being on the ballot is the string of World Championships he collected as manager of the New York Yankees, but he was also a top flight catcher and infielder for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and Cardinals, winning the NL MVP as the Cardinals third baseman in 1971 with a /363 batting average.

Simmons was a mainstay of the Cardinals' teams of the 1970s, but didn't make it to the World Series until he played against the Cardinals with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1982. In any other era, he might have been considered the best catcher, but in the '70s, Johnny Bench had that title hands down.

Quisenberry was at the latter end of a long career when he settled into the Cardinal bullpen and did a solid job in a setup role. He had been a dominant closer for the Royals.

Though LaRussa and Torre would seem good bets for the Hall, the competition is tough this year. Other names on the list include former Yankee manager Billy Martin, the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox, who piloted his team to 14 consecutive division championships and one World Series win, and a group of players that includes Tommy John, Dave Parker, Steve Garvey, and Davey Concepcion.