Gateway to Baseball Heaven: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

GTBH 9/5/21: Here We Go Again

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Another Sunday, another walk-off disaster by the Cardinals bullpen.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) had so much to say about the bullpen situation that this turned into a double-length episode.  Who can you trust in the Cardinals bullpen?  How much blame does Mike Shildt deserve?  What's the difference between stabilizing and improving?  Plus there's talk about the return of Albert Pujols to St. Louis and whether or not we've seen the last hit in Matt Carpenter's Cardinals career.  Come and give it a listen!

GTBH 8/29/21: Melt It All Down

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  On the heels of Alex Reyes serving up a walkoff blast on Sunday afternoon, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) spend a lot of time talking about the bullpen.  Who should close if Reyes doesn't?  What do we make of the Cardinal bullpen as a whole?  Can Mike Shildt get creative if freed from the "use Reyes in the ninth" rule?  There's also talk about if anyone can take a playoff run seriously and what this week and this series against the Reds looks like.  Come commiserate with us!

GTBH 8/22/21: The Gem In The Dirt

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Cardinals treated the Brewers and the Pirates the same this week, which was not a good thing as the Redbirds dropped both series and looked very comparable to the competition, both good and bad.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) talk about the good first though, spending time being amazed by what Adam Wainwright is doing.  However, is it a good thing a couple of approaching-40-year-olds are what captivate much of the attention?  And what about Jack Flaherty--can, will, and should the Cardinals try to lock him up this winter?  All that and more in 30 minutes (well, 35)!

GTBH 8/15/21:Of TV and Cardinals

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  This week, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) asks current Iowa resident Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) her thoughts about the Field of Dreams game held in said state as well as her thoughts about the Cardinals TV broadcast, most notably the inexplicable decision to keep broadcasters from traveling.  Plus there's a little talk about the Cardinals 6-0 week as well!

GTBH 8/8/21: A Broken Record

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  After another blah week, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) talk about what they've seen, what this team needs, and if the organization is just caught in a cycle that they have no desire to break out of.  What will they do this winter?  Do we trust them to be creative?  What keeps you watching this team for the rest of the season?  Plenty of Cardinal talk inside so join us!

GTBH 8/1/21: At Least They Did Something?

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  The trade deadline has come and gone and the Cardinals, well, they participated.  That's more than you can say about some years, but the additions of Jon Lester and J.A. Happ weren't exactly enough to get motors revving and folks excitedly making postseason plans.  Is this the white flag without fully giving up?  Can these two rebound like Wade LeBlanc has in St. Louis?  And what is this organization doing, in so many ways.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) break it all down, plus give Yadi Molina some flowers for his new place in history.

GTBH 7/25/21: Better Results But Still A Long Way To Go

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  It was an up-and-down week for the Redbirds but as Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) note,  that's better than the myriad of weeks that were just down.  Beating the Cubs was great but unfortunately the Cardinals missed opportunities to do the same to the Reds.  Do their postseason hopes still have a heartbeat?  Will John Mozeliak make moves more than buying other team's DFAs?  And how much do we buy into this Harrison Bader surge?  All that and much more!

GTBH 7/18/21: A Couple of Ramblers

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  The Cards won another series against the Giants, which should give reason for optimism.  However Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) still have a lot of concerns.  Is the pitching able to hold up when you still don't know who your fifth starter really is?  The offense still is sputtering, only scoring seven runs total in the series.  Can anything be done about that?  And what does "creative" mean to Mike Shildt and the front office?  Plenty of monologues in this one if you are into that sort of thing!

GTBH 7/11/21: A Little Upswing

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  While the last game of the "first half" got rained out in Chicago, there was still plenty for Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) to discuss in this one.  The Cardinals played a bit better this week, taking two of three from the Giants and splitting the series with the Cubs.  Is there still some hope, however faint?  Has the process improved?  How will the Cardinals fill the void that is the fifth starter spot?  And who has been the MVP and the surprise of the first half?  All that and more!

GTBH 6/27/21: The Worst Possible Week (Almost)

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, the Cardinals lost five of six to Detroit and Pittsburgh.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) spend a lot of time lamenting what is on the field and what the front office hasn't done to make it better.  The comments by Tommy Edman calls into question the preparation of this team.  Are they really not looking at the day's starting pitcher?  Would the offense really be an issue if the pitching staff could be in line with past staffs?  Come join these two as they lament over a season that is quickly spiraling out of control!