Sometime I can't help but feel slightly guilty for not being more timely with posts. After almost 3 weeks after the announcement that Hall of Fame manager Whitey Herzog passed away at the age of 92, I am just now paying tribute. I'll admit that outside of a not all that amusing personal anecdote, I don't have much to say about Mr. Herzog. And yet, as I have done with Hall of Famers in the past, I offer my personal tribute to the man with the Top 5 cards of his in my collection.
1978 Topps #299
I don't own any cards of his as a player, which is fine because it's as a manager where he made his mark. After brief stints managing the Rangers and Angels, Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog took over the Royals in the middle of the 1975 season. He then led the Royals to 3 straight AL West titles (1976-78).
1986 Topps #441
Herzog joined the Cardinals in 1980 and over the next 11 years, he led St. Louis to 3 NL pennants (1982, 1985, 1987) and a Word Series victory (1982).
1987 Topps #243
Herzog's Cardinals were focused on speed, pitching and defense. This style of play became known as "Whiteyball". That 1982 Championship team had almost 3 times as many stolen bases (200) as home runs (67)!
1987 Topps
Glossy All-Stars #1
About that personal anecdote...a long time ago I worked part time at Radio Shack. For a short while, I had a manager who shared the same last name as Whitey, and claimed that they were in fact related and that he would get me his autograph. This guy was a known pathological liar, shady, and easily the worst boss I ever had, so needless to say, I wasn't holding my breath on that offer...
1990 Topps #261
Herzog's last managerial stint ended when he resigned during the 1990 baseball season. He was quoted as saying "I came here in last place and I leave here in last place. I left them right where I started."
RIP to the great Whitey Herzog!
Seeing those two '87s at the same time makes me realize those photos were taken at the same time. Very cool.
ReplyDeleteWhitey wasn't a very good manager while with the Rangers, but that probably wasn't all his fault. He didn't have much to work with back in those days. I really enjoyed those Cardinals play when he was managing.
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ReplyDeleteThat 86T card is the card of his embedded in my brain. He was part of an era where I rooted for managers as much as I rooted for their players.
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