High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Robert Garnett "Buddy" Blattner (February 8, 1920 in St. Louis, Missouri September 4, 2009 in Chesterfield, Missouri) was a table tennis and baseball player and radio and television sportscaster. Blattner played table tennis in his youth, winning the world men's doubles championship in 1936. He started his baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals, making his big-league debut in the 1942 season. Following a stint in the U.S. Navy, Blattner played for the New York Giants (1946-48) and Philadelphia Phillies (1949), playing primarily at second base.