It might take Stubby Clapp a second to remember which city he’s in these days, but the biggest moment of his playing career remains as clear today as it was on June 17, 2001, when Memphis Redbirds manager Gaylen Pitts summoned the back-flipping infielder to his office.
“It was Father’s Day,” Clapp recalled Wednesday. “As I was going in, I was going through everything in my head. I hadn’t done anything wrong. I had picked a guy off second base. I had been hitting the ball well. I was thinking, I hope I’m not getting released.”
Clapp made his Cardinals debut the next day.