According to legend, the St. Louis Cardinals’ team bus was ready to depart for the ballpark du jour one afternoon without slugging first baseman Orlando Cepeda on board. Right-hander Bob Gibson, St. Louis’ resident Hall of Famer-in-waiting, would have none of this. “This bus isn’t leaving,” Gibson said, “unless Cepeda is on it.” That reflected Gibson’s regard for Cepeda’s indispensable presence in the lineup. In fact, Cepeda had this powerful effect throughout most of his 17 big league seasons.