Earlier this week, the Baseball Hall of Fame called for two new members from the veterans committee. Longtime major league umpire Doug Harvey was selected. Harvey spent 31 years in the majors, which saw him umpire over 4,600 games. “Firm but fair” would been a great description of his accomplishments. Truly deserving.
The other story here is that of the selection of former St. Louis Cardinals’ manager Whitey Herzog. Herzog was a marginal player by his own account, but he was second to none when it came to understanding the game and managing people. He is only the 19th manager to be inducted into the Hall.
I was just starting in the business, and covering the Cardinals was a treat because I learned the game from one of the best ever. He was at the helm for the Cardinals’ only World Series win in the ‘80s.
No one during his time was more resourceful. He was normally a few moves ahead of the opposing manager, which gave his team a chance to win on most nights. In an era where the Cardinals did not feature a squadron of power hitters, Whitey Herzog found a way to win with what he had.
The Cardinals of the ‘80s played in a big ball park that was not friendly to hitters who thought they were power hitters. Herzog tailored his teams to rely on speed and defense, and was craft in managing his pitching staff, especially the bullpen. Not a big believer in the specialized roles that pitchers have today, Whitey knew his staff and what they were capable of doing. From there, he just kept it simple. Double switches and having pitchers play in the outfield were just some of the cagey moves that you could count on from Whitey.
One thing Herzog may not be recognized for in St. Louis but that should not be forgotten is the night in 1989 when he started nine players of color, with names like Smith, Coleman, McGee, Pendelton, Ford, Hill, Booker and Durham (and Pena). It is a far cry from what you see now, when some teams have a hard time finding African Americans to make the roster let alone stock their farm team. For Whitey it was about giving his team the best chance to win. Granted, some of these men were players who would come off the bench, but when the injury bug would bite Herzog had no reservations. He was the one manager in St. Louis who could pull it off and there would be no backlash, because Whitey was golden for all the right reason.
Whitey had his moments with the media, but who doesn’t? He was aware of their role and made sure that he and his players where available after games, win or lose. You may not have always agreed with what he would say, but at least you got a straight answer – sans the cryptic messages.
After all, there was nothing cryptic about Whitey. Even at 78, his recall is incredible. The one thing that should be remembered about Whitey Herzog is that he knew the game in every aspect – as a scout, coach, general manager and, of course, manager
When you hear that St. Louis is the best baseball town because of the fans, it’s all because of Herzog and his ability to teach the game to players and media and fans. For that, we are grateful.
