The concrete walls never made him burst out in laughter the way former teammate Bob Uecker could. The grass never roared for him the way the fans in Busch Stadium did in Game 4 of the 1967 World Series, when he pitched a complete game shutout over the Boston Red Sox.

"I can't wait until the new one is built," said Gibson, sitting in Cardinals manager Tony La Russa's office before the Redbirds' Sunday matinee with the Pirates. "New is good."

With just 45 games left in the regular season to be played at Busch Stadium, Gibson was called to make the honorary trip out to the right field wall to tear down the No. 45 -- the number he wore during 16 seasons with the Cardinals.

Gibson is considered by many to be the most intimidating pitcher in history, not only for his 3,117 strikeouts, but also for the scowling look he wore on his face when staring batters down. But on Sunday, the 69-year old right-hander -- relaxed in La Russa's cushy easy chair -- smiled with no boundaries. He held court in La Russa's office for over an hour, laughing and telling stories about his playing days.

It was sort of a mini-Hall of Fame gala, with special appearances from enshrined former Cardinals manager and player Red Schoendienst, La Russa (a lock to be selected someday for Cooperstown) and legendary college basketball coach Bobby Knight.

"If I were a little bit taller, I'd walk around just slapping people," Gibson joked when Knight walked into the room. Knight is in town for a charity golf tournament La Russa is holding on Monday.

Gibson may not miss the stadium itself, but he does have some memories close to his heart. His favorite is the World Series game he pitched -- his first at Busch Stadium -- in 1967, after coming back from a broken leg earlier in the season.

"That had to be one of the best games I have ever pitched, period," Gibson said.

He spoke of having his way with fellow Hall of Famers Willie McCovey and Ernie Banks ("I'd just pitch McCovey right up the ladder," Gibson said. "He knew I'd pitch that way so he'd get up on his tip toes"), how many games he called as opposed to his catcher ("99 percent") and how fast he got through his games.

"I used to tell guys two hours and 10 minutes, everything else is on your time," Gibson said.

One memory that Gibson wasn't sure whether or not he had bitter feelings about was the racism he endured, especially early in his career. He remembers a time in Triple-A when he was being heckled by a fan who called him "alligator bait."

"I didn't know what it meant so I just laughed about it," Gibson said.

He later found out it was a term used during slavery because slaves would be tied up at the ankles and thrown into swamp water to attract alligators.

Gibson also endured segregation prior to 1962, when white players and black players stayed in separate hotels and ate in separate dining areas. Gibson said he and another player spoke with Cardinals owner August Busch, who put an end to it immediately by buying the hotel the players stayed at. When segregation was finally ended on the team, Gibson doesn't remember much of a clash between white players and black players.

"You learn to live and adjust to life a little more [playing sports] than if you were in other areas," Gibson said. "I think sports make you a better person."

Big bats, on hold: La Russa did not have Scott Rolen (shoulder), Jim Edmonds (rib cage) or Larry Walker (herniated disc) penciled into the starting lineup on Sunday, but all three came in to pinch hit late in the game. La Russa said he had no problem playing Rolen three games in a row -- as opposed to two on and one off -- because the day game comes sooner, making it a shorter recovery time. He also did not hesitate to keep Edmonds out of the starting lineup, despite his three home runs in the past two games, adding that he liked the thought of having those two available as pinch-hitters.

Edmonds walked and stole a base in the eighth inning. Rolen walked once and struck out once, and Walker popped out behind home plate in the ninth.

Benches, bullpens cleared: Just four batters into the game on Sunday, the Cards and Pirates were an insult away from a brawl. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina accused Pittsburgh's Jason Bay (who had reached second base on a double) of stealing signs and relaying them to the batter -- Daryle Ward.

After the game Molina declined to comment, but La Russa and Marquis both stuck by his accusation.

"Yadier was convinced they were tipping pitches from second, and he wanted to put an end to it," La Russa said.

Marquis offered a stoic stance on Molina's accusations.

"It definitely gives you confidence that a young catcher is standing behind you, standing up for you. He approached it in the right manner. Things got a little out of hand, obviously we're thankful that no punches were thrown, but it's a message that had to be sent."

The Pirates contended they didn't have enough time to steal any signs, being that it was so early in the game.

"We were accused of stealing signs and we had just got a guy on second base -- the game had just started," Ward contested. "There was no way we could even get signs like that. The situation just started. One thing we know is that La Russa is into the psychology of the game."