With the list of this year’s list of first-time nominees to the Baseball Hall of Fame ranging from snooze-worthy to ridiculous (between the likes of David Segui, Eric Karros and Pat Hentgen, please fill in your own blanks, and I don’t think anyone from the list besides Roberto Alomar deserves to eventually wind up in Cooperstown, maaaaaaaybe Fred McGriff and Edgar Martinez, but only if Bert Blyleven or Jack Morris are in first — Oh, Robin Ventura wants in, he’s gotta get past Nolan Ryan), makes me extremely happy to see Whitey Herzog get voted in by the Veterans Committee.
Never at a loss for words, some of them more colorful than others, always dug his “Whiteyball” style of play: speed and defense instead of relying on power hitters to win. All fans of the game should also check out his awesome book “You’re Missin’ a Great Game.” Hilarious stories and maybe one of the more web-savvy Threedonia guys can even put the direct link somewhere in this post. Floyd? Rufus?
“Well, it took a little,” Herzog said at Busch Stadium. “I don’t think I would’ve had my heart broken if I’d missed by another vote or two. But I’m damn happy it’s over.”
I’d do it, but those Amazon links always vanish whenever I hit “post.”
Oh, and although the Veteran’s Committee has been responsible for some horrible selections, this one is richly deserved.
Whitey was a no-brainer. His brand of ball was highly entertaining and highly missed. Ozzie, Vince, Willie – those were great teams.
Also, supposedly Whitey did not tolerate drug use or other, gangster like behavior. You kept your nose clean or you went to play for somebody else, no matter how talented the player.
Don’t forget the Royals of the late 70s. Couldn’t get past the Yankees, but Brett, Wilson, Hrabosky, Splitorff and Quis still kicked ass. Again, all hail Whitey!!!
The 80s were a great time to grow up in St. Louis. Always love to hear about good things happening to Whitey!