I was sorry to hear Jack Clark got himself in hot water for comments he made about Albert Pujols.

I’ll always have a fondness for Clark.

In 1985, when I still was a very young reporter, I was sent to St. Louis to do a story on the Cardinals. It was one of my first big opportunities and naturally I was nervous.

I was completely unaware of the routine for doing one of these stories. I tried to ask Whitey Herzog, the cranky manager, some questions, but he completely blew me off.

“Jesus Christ, I just answered those questions over there,” he said.

I had no idea I was supposed to be “over there” for his daily meeting with writers.

Herzog wasn’t alone. Other players also blew me off.

“Hey, Ozzie, got a minute?” I asked.

Mr. Smith, “The Wizard,” whizzed right past me through the dugout runway.

I have a feeling Clark saw that, and perhaps had a sense of my desperation. I approached him as he sat on the bench in the dugout. I fully expected to get blown off again.

To my surprise, he said, “Sure.”

Clark wasn’t warm and fuzzy. I remember him looking straight ahead at the field when answering my questions.

However, he gave me more than enough to write a decent piece on the Cardinals. He saved me from blowing my big assignment.

It’s funny how you never forget those kind of things. I know I will be forever grateful to Jack Clark.

Here is the link to his career stats: 340 career homers; on-base percentage of .459 in 1987.