Yesterday morning Cardinals Nation learned of the passing of former manager Whitey Herzog. At 92 years old, Herzog was the second oldest living Hall of Famer behind Willie Mays. He recently attended the opening day ceremonies at Busch Stadium on April 4th. I am not sure what the cause of death was, but hopefully, he did not have to suffer.
Herzog managed one of my favorite Cardinals teams in 1985. I was 9 years old and loved the fast style of play that became known as Whitey Ball. Vince Coleman, Willie McGee, and Ozzie Smith were some of the players known for stealing bases and playing good defense. That team most likely would have won the World Series if it had not been for the worst blown call in Series history in Game 6. Herzog still managed to win 1 World Series and 3 League Championships during his 10 year tenure.
I have a few Herzog items in my collection. Of the 39 baseball cards, this is my favorite.
This 2003 Topps Fan Favorites autograph shows Herzog in the baby blue uniform his teams made famous. Herzog also signed cards for the 2022 set. I have not picked one up yet, but will have to wait until the inflated prices go down. What once cost around $10-12 has now doubled or tripled in price.
I met Herzog at a card show in St. Louis in the early 2000s. I believe his autograph was around $40. He signed this ball and another that has several signatures from members of the 1985 team.
Back in the 80's... managers were a big part of the game for me. I'd root for them just liked I'd root for players. Hertzog was one of my favorites. I saw the sad news a couple of days ago on another blog. Glad he lived a long life... and had such a huge impact on so many players and fans lives.
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