Friend Encounters: Ted Simmons and Dennis

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

My Wisconsin friend Dennis is back. That probably means he is with a Wisconsin athlete.

This time, it is Ted Simmons, one of my all-time favorites. A recent Hall of Fame inductee, Simba started with the St. Louis Cardinals, but had several solid years with the Brewers in the middle of his career. He finished with the Atlanta Braves.

One of my first book reports in grade school was on Ted Simmons. It wasn't really a book. My friend Tommy and I skirted the system and reviewed Baseball Digest. It was really just so we could draw the covers. Yes, we actually made covers for our book reports for our own amusement.

Any back to Dennis. He is another of my convention pals. I really only see him a couple times a year. It's always good though.

Unfortunately, I did not see him at this convention. I am envious of him meeting Simmons. I met him once years ago, but it was an over the table deal. I did get a full photo with his statue in St. Louis, but that's not the same.

Ted Simmons and Dennis in Milwaukee, WI-May 2025.

Statues: Ted Simmons

When Tony and I made plans to attend SICW FanFest in St. Louis, we decided to arrive early to do some sight-seeing. The statues at Busch Stadium were a must on my list and Ted Simmons was my most wanted.

Unveiled in July 2021, the Ted Simmons statue stands among other legendary St. Louis Cardinals. Made of bronze, Simba is shown batting. The subject of the 12th statue at Busch Stadium, Simmons also had his number 23 retired by the club. He was also elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When Simmons retired in 1988, he had more hits than any other catcher in MLB history. From 1971-80, he averaged 17 HRs, 90 RBIs and a .301 batting average. I would happily take that even now in the offensive era. He also led the nL in runners caught attempting steals.

Simmons was always one of my favorites. Several years back, I trekked about 100 miles on an early Saturday morning to meet him in a small baseball card shop in Wisconsin. In St. Louis for the weekend, there was no way I was missing meeting this Simmons.

Ted Simmons and me in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.