What it was like being born into Whiteyball, a force multiplier for Cardinals history: BPIB
Whether it was the style of play still expected of the team, the restoration of championship expectations, or the devoted fans that filled the ballpark and informed and inspired generations to come, the 1980s teams of Whitey Herzog were a force multiplier for Cardinals history. They amplified the reach and the devotion of the fans. And Herzog was the exponent, doing more than just double, triple, or even tenfold the fans of the Cardinals for his decade as manager. This podcast built on remembrance becomes a tribute. Herzog, a Hall of Fame manager, died this past week in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. He was 92. His legacy is large, his influence still ubiquitous at the ballpark. And who better to ask about Herzog's lasting impact on the organization and its fan base than a ºüÀêÊÓƵ native born in 1980 and born as a baseball fan during the era of Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, and Herzog? So here is the question presented to ºüÀêÊÓƵ sports columnist Benjamin Hochman: What was it like being born as a baseball fan into Whiteyball? Cue the synthesizer. Hochman talks with Best Podcast in Baseball host and baseball writer Derrick Goold about the teams captured his imagination as young fan and put thousands on the edge of their seats from the moment the leadoff hitter stepped it. Those teams and their gregaroius manager galvanized a city and there are friendships that Hochman still has from his youth that were at least strengthened by a shared love for the Whiteyball-era Cardinals. They played an innovative and charismatic brand of baseball. The modern team could benefit from both. This brand-new BPIB closes with a discussion what to make of the Cardinals offense as they finish their first division series of the season. With former MVP and an engine of production for the team, Paul Goldschmidt, struggling, the Cardinals have needed some innovation to spark the offense. Where can that come from, and do the traits of Whiteyball offer any hints at how to maximize a roster and conjure a contender even while the top producers are struggling? The season is young, but the offensive struggles of the team already feel old. Hall of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck gets the last words with wisdom that applies to 1987 or 2024. The Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored by Closets by Design of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, is a production of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ, , and Derrick Goold.
Tags
Derrick Goold
Lead baseball writer
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log InAs featured on
That is the question poised to Post-Dispatch sports columnist Benjamin Hochman, a ºüÀêÊÓƵ native raised on Whiteyball and inspired by the 1987 Cardinals.
The Cardinals, swept over the weekend by Milwaukee, look to begin a turnaround Monday as they open a series against the Diamondbacks. First pitch is set for 6:45 p.m.
Nolan Gorman's first walk-off home run gave the Cardinals a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Monday night.Â
Most Popular
-
‘Big City’ comes home: Slugger Matt Adams to sign 1-day contract, retire with Cardinals
-
Police cut ties with ºüÀêÊÓƵ entrepreneur after rant against female cops
-
Bayer CEO says company is ‘doubling down’ on ºüÀêÊÓƵ
-
Club Fitness halts 1st Phorm sales after ºüÀêÊÓƵ entrepreneur’s rant against female cops
-
5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump at one of his golf courses