Hal McRae helped the Royals to beat the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series, now he’ll try to help St. Louis win a championship. McRae was hired yesterday to be the Cardinals next hitting coach. He’ll replace Mitchell Paige, who was let go earlier this year after admitting that he was an alcoholic and went to seek treatment. McRae spent four years as the Royals manager from 1991-1994, then was hired to manager the Devil Rays in 2001 and 2002. He was a three-time All-Star and led the American League with 133 RBI’s in 1982. In 2005 he’ll be inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame…The Cardinals also hired Jim Riggleman as their minor league field coordinator. Riggleman was the Cardinals’ first base coach in 1989 and 1990, before managing the Padres from 1992-1994 and the Cubs from 1995-1999.
