After resigning in September 1955, Lane quickly found work again in St. Louis. His first controversial move was to introduce new home and away uniforms of which the pair of redbirds on a bat was removed in favor of only the name "Cardinals" in red script edged with navy blue. In what he subsequently referred to as "the worst trade ever made," Lane sent Bill Virdon, recipient of the previous season's National League Rookie of the Year Award, to the Pirates for Bobby Del Greco and Dick Littlefield on May 17, 1956. As General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, he tried to trade popular superstar hitter Stan Musial to the Philadelphia Phillies for star pitcher Robin Roberts. When news of the proposed transaction was leaked to the radio, Cardinals' owner August Busch stopped the deal.