Gateway to Baseball Heaven: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

GTBH 4/6/19: Walking Through the Week

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 ended their week on a couple of down notes after coming back to St. Louis at .500.  There seem to be plenty of sources of angst among the fanbase and Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) try to run down some of them.  Marcell Ozuna homered on Saturday but does that get him back on track?  Andrew Miller is still struggling--is there anything the Cards can do?  Is Genesis Cabrera the answer or should he even be considered in the equation?  And what's up with all the walks the pitching staff is issuing?  So many questions, so little time!

GTBH 3/31/19: Brewing Up a Mess

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Baseball season has begun but the Cardinals didn't quite get off to a flying start.  Is there cause for concern this early?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) aren't quite ready to ring any alarm bells just yet.  It wouldn't be Gateway if these two didn't talk about Kolten Wong's torrid start, but there's also talk about Paul Goldschmidt and about how Mike Shildt managed this first weekend.  Plenty of good discussion about a tough weekend!

GTBH 3/24/19: Say Goodbye to Jupiter

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Save for an exhibition in Memphis, the spring training section of the schedule is over and Opening Day is right in sight.  One person who will be at this one and the five that come after is Paul Goldschmidt, who surprised many by signing his extension before making it to the Arch.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) talk about how this came about, what it means for this team, and how Goldschmidt fits into this team both baseball and otherwise.

After talking about the new richest Cardinal ever, Daniel and Tara get into the final shaping of the roster.  How important is it that without (much) argument, the best 25 players went north?  How special can this team be?  Given the revived offense the last couple of games, who isn't excited about seeing what this team can do?  Baseball season is here, folks, and it promises to be a good one!

GTBH 3/17/19: Down the Spring Homestretch

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Spring training has basically just a week to run but the Cardinals haven't yet hit their stride (or, if they have, this season's going to be a big pratfall).  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) talk about how concerning an almost no-hitter in spring is, why the hitters might still be having trouble, and whether there should be a little concern.  They then tackle the fifth starter spot, talk about the disappearance of Luke Gregerson, worry that Harrison Bader might fit better with another team (well, that was more of a stupid aside by Daniel), and try to nip the Nolan-Gorman-to-SL buzz in the bud.  We thought we'd have to stretch for 30 and wound up going into overtime.  Hope you enjoy the extra chat!

GTBH 3/10/19: We Got Renewed Too

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Spring training is in full swing, but should we even be looking at the stats yet?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) dive into that topic especially when it relates to Dexter Fowler.  Does the fact that Tyler O'Neill is one of the few having a strong spring put more pressure on Fowler?  The first cuts of the spring have finally happened and Ryan Helsley was one of them while Dylan Carlson was not.  Does that really mean much of anything?  Finally, like Tommy Pham before them, Jordan Hicks and Jack Flaherty had their contract renewed when they couldn't come to terms with the team.  Is the system, like Flaherty says, broken?  Plenty of good spring talk for your listening ears!

GTBH 3/3/19: UCB Radio Rides Again

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) brings you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  This week, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Bat, @tarawellman) are excited to reunite Tara with her former UCB Radio partner Matt Whitener (Yardbarker, @CheapSeatFan).  The Bryce Harper drama has come to a close.  With that and the extension of Nolan Arenado, where does that put the Cardinals, who may now currently have the biggest free agent for the 2019-20 offseason?  There's plenty of talk about the bullpen and rotation, spurred by the Miles Mikolas extension.  The three also get a chance to talk about Matt Wieters and his surprise signing.  It's a double-length Gateway but it's worth the listen!

GTBH 2/24/19: The Martinez Episode

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Players with the last name Martinez dominated the headlines this week, one more positively than the other, and Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman).  The Cards, out of the blue, extend Jose Martinez for a couple of years.  What's the thinking there?  Is it just on humanitarian grounds?  Carlos Martinez was shut down earlier in the week and kept from throwing until March 5.  What does this mean for his future?  Is moving him to the bullpen really the right thing to do?  (I'll tell you right now, this is a topic that gets Tara a bit worked up.)  Also, there have been two actual Cardinal baseball games!  They mean nothing, but it's great to see them!

GTBH 2/17/19: Warming Up and Playing Catch

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 season is starting, both in baseball and for Gateway, and Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) start diving into the Cardinal news of the day.  Adam Wainwright elaborated on his thoughts about the current labor market and issues, something the commissioner seemed to take offense over.  Was it wise for Uncle Charlie to speak out?  Brett Cecil lost a lot last year and has lost a lot of pounds this year.  Can he be an effective lefty and, if so, how does that complicate even more the bullpen?  It may not be the longest show, but you have to warm up and stretch before hitting the drills, right?

GTBH 1/20/19: Getting Feisty

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's Winter Warmup this weekend in St. Louis and the players didn't disappoint, throwing a match on the kindling that is the Cards/Cubs rivalry.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) talk about where this new posture came from and whether it's a good thing.  They then talk lineup construction before getting into some of the reports from the Warmup, including the curious case of Marcell Ozuna.  And it wouldn't be Gateway without Tara reporting on the new hairstyles of the fellas.  Be sure to stick around for that!

GTBH 12/30/18: One Last Go-Round

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's the end of the year but Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Birds on the Black, @tarawellman) are looking more ahead than behind.  The Cardinals have signed Andrew Miller to shore up the bullpen.  Was this a good move or a risky one?  How will be bullpen be used next season?  Are the Cardinals done with their postseason work?  Should they go after another starting pitcher?  All that and plenty more in the last Gateway of 2018!