The Cardinals remember franchise icon Whitey Herzog. The manager put his baseball life into words during his 2010 induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
As a Yankees fan since the late 1970s, born and raised in the Bronx, I was privileged to bear witness to many memorable moments, some of which came at the expense of Herzog’s Kansas City Royals. But my fondest baseball memories, as a fan of the game at large, was watching Herzog’s brand of baseball, “Whiteyball.” Quiet as it's kept, those 70’s Royals teams played Whiteyball, too! They stole bases nearly as often; they just didn't have Vince Coleman, and Willie Wilson hadn't become Willie Wilson yet until near the end of Whitey’s run in KC. As a fan of the game, I respected the way the Royals played the game. They played hard, stole bases, utilized the whole field, and executed the hit and run exceptionally well. I was fortunate that my Yankees were able to escape those series with the AL pennant in hand. It was a war on the diamond back then and not for the faint of heart. I still remember Hal McRae knocking Willie Randolph into leftfield and Brett and Nettles exchanging kicks and fists at 3rd base. There were no pampered millionaires on the field. It was a time when the LCS and World Series bonuses served as an incentive for all players. The bling, if they had any, was not worn on the field; it was left in the locker room or, better yet, at home. In the summer of 1978, I felt I needed a National League team to root for, so I opened up the Sunday paper and became a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. They were bringing up the rear in the NL East at the time, which was some feat because the Mets of that era were pitiful. I became hopeful when Whitey took over the reins of the Cardinals in 1980, and it wasn't long afterward that I fell in love with Whitey’s brand of baseball. Watching those '80s Cardinals teams play baseball, you saw things you rarely see routinely and sometimes things you've never seen, like scoring a run without a hit or watching two players score on a sac fly in the 82 World Series. I had watched baseball for several years by the time the White Rat showed up in St. Louis, but I felt like I'd never watched a game until I saw the brand of baseball that came to be known as “Whiteyball.” It was exciting! It was the way the game was meant to be played. The St. Louis Cardinals of the 1980s were the David against the proverbial Goliaths of the league. They notoriously upended the October plans of their competitors like their intra-divisional rivals, the uber-talented Mets, Harvey’s wall-banging 82 Brewers, Lasorda’s 85 Dodgers, and the villainous Jeffrey Leonard and the 87 Giants. Doing so with seemingly a fraction of the talent and an exhilarating style of play that emphasized speed, pitching, and defense, and managed under the capable guile and wit of their on-field general, Mr. Herzog. I looked forward to their matchups with the Metropolitans above all and seized every opportunity to watch Whitey’s rabbits take on all comers on the MLB Game of the Week. I envied the Cardinals fans of St. Louis, who were privileged to watch their exploits on the diamond every day. It's a brand of baseball that, through ignorance, I didn't know I craved prior, and once realized, I have lamented ever since Mr. Herzog filled out his last line-up card. Whitey famously said, “Being a baseball hall of famer “is like going to heaven before you die.” Well, if there is baseball in heaven, they are assuredly playing “Whiteyball” because your brand of baseball was manna from heaven for so many. From a Cardinals fan in NY, thank you for all the memories, Mr. Herzog; my condolences to your family, the players and coaches you went to war with, and the entire Cardinals nation.
“Being elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, is like going to heaven before you die.” Gotta respect anyone who has that much passion for his craft. RIP to you Mr. Herzog from a younger generation Cardinals fan.
Many many thanks to Whitey For so many magnificent Cardinals memories Thanks too for be so humble and nice and for letting me have a few seconds of your time at Miss Sheries Cafeteria, a place you were known to frequent WE LOVE YOU WHITEY WE WILL NEVER EVER FORGET YOU GOD BLESS YOU much love to all who are feeling the loss ❤
I liked him for the memories and remember him for always making it down to Southern Illinois and hunting at Wayne Fitzgerald State Park. He was a legend here as well as all of Cardinal Nation. RIP Sir!
Whitey was a very close friend to my family he did so meany nice things for me and my brother he would always say to my great grandma thanks for getting me out of high school whitey we love you as well as cardinals nation and your legacy will never be forgotten ❤️
