Gateway to Baseball Heaven: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

GTBH 5/6/18: Just Trying to Stay Healthy

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 Cards have been winning on the field, the players have been dropping like flies.  What do all of these injuries mean for the Redbirds?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) talk about the injuries to Dominic Leone, Tommy Pham, Bud Norris, and most notably Yadier Molina.  Can they keep their place as the best team in the NL Central with all these guys down?  This show is also recorded during Sunday Night Baseball, so commentary both on some of the manager's interesting choices as well as hearing how the driver of the Kolten Wong bandwagon reacted to his game-tying triple.  All that and plenty more in this week's show!

GTBH 4/29/18: Avengers Assemble

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 beating up on the Reds and winning two of three from the Mets, the Cardinals went into Pittsburgh and...there really are few words.  That didn't stop Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) from trying to find some, though.  What can you really do about this bullpen that seems pretty fixed?  Is Greg Holland running out of that "no spring training" excuse?  Is this just a bad stretch or does some serious overhauling need to be done to the 'pen?

It's not just the bullpen either.  Luke Weaver has struggled as of late--can he keep a spot with Jack Flaherty going strong in Memphis and Alex Reyes about a month from returning?  Then there's Matt Carpenter, who still isn't hitting even after the lineup shuffle.  How long can the team keep letting him hit in the top three when he's producing like he is?

Finally, to lighten the mood and to tie in with a certain movie that came out this weekend, Daniel and Tara try to match up current Cardinals to current Marvel Cinematic Universe characters.  Some are easy and some are a stretch, so if you have thoughts on these hit them up on Twitter and let them know!

GTBH 4/24/18: Crossing Over

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Well, not this week because THREE of the BFIB are here for your listening pleasure.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) join together to talk with regular Meet Me at Musial co-host Allen Medlock (The Redbird Daily, @amedlock1) in a joint MMM/GTBH podcast.  The three talk about the fun that was #ucbweekend (as well as the food) then tackle the information John Mozeliak and Bill DeWitt III brought during their Q&A.  Why is Jordan Hicks on this team and is the lack of strikeouts by him a concern?  What can we expect from Alex Reyes when he returns?  Did the general manager really call the bloggers "peeps"?  All that plus talk about the Cincy series, the current issues with the Cardinals, and interjections from an extra-inning loss against the Mets.  It may sound different and it may run longer than normal but we hope you enjoy!

GTBH 4/15/18: Looking Good in Red

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 a sweep in Cincinnati, the Cardinals are sitting in second place and above .500.  But how much of this is due to a turnaround and how much is it due to the fact that the Reds appear to be horrific?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) tackle that issue as well as other topics of the week.  The Cardinals' closer isn't actually the closer.  When will Greg Holland take over that role and will Bud Norris's performance make that transition tougher?  Adam Wainwright threw a solid start this week.  Is that an aberration or a sign of things to come?  Jedd Gyorko and Luke Gregerson are about ready to make their returns (well, debut for Gregerson).  Who loses out when these guys come back?  Plenty of Cardinal talk for you this week so enjoy!

GTBH 4/8/18: Coming Home

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 obvious Mike Matheny has nothing to do with this show, otherwise Matt Bowman would have been called into host after pitching in the third straight game.  Instead, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman1) talk about the recent bullpen decisions, most notably what happened in Sunday's game.  Where is Mike Maddux in all of this?  Will things change with Greg Holland arriving on Monday?  The two then get into the Adam Wainwright start and what might be going to happen later on if things don't improve.  They finally touch on the office and Tara has choice words about Kolten Wong not playing in the home opener, so even though it ran long, you'll want to stick around for that!

GTBH 4/1/18: No Foolin', Baseball Is Back

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 games have started, though it feels like the Cardinals might have not quite left the starting gate with the rest of the teams.  A Sunday win salvaged something out of the weekend, but Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) have a LOT of things to talk about.  Has the bullpen usage really changed with the hiring of Mike Maddux?  Is it the best thing in the long term to have Jordan Hicks on the current roster?  How about that Greg Holland character, what's up with him?

It's not all pitching (just mainly) as your hosts also get into the juggling act that is the Cardinals' infield.  Can four players fit into three spots, especially when two of them seem to play every day?  How does this all work out?  When you figure it out, let these guys know!

GTBH 3/25/18: We're Not Doing Those Conditioning Drills

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 just about over and the season is in sight, but a couple of pitchers aren't going to be starting the season on the active roster.  Luke Gregerson was not much of a surprise (and it allowed Mike Mayers and John Brebbia to both make the team) but Adam Wainwright came up lame right before the end of the Florida season.  What can we expect from Jack Flaherty?  What does this mean for Waino?  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) talk about all that, the decision to go with Yairo Munoz instead of Harrison Bader, and what they want to see from the Cards in April.  Check it out!

GTBH 3/18/18: Not So Kelly Green

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 continue to whittle down their roster in search of their starting 25 and Sunday brought a little bit of a surprise with the weekly cutdowns.  Carson Kelly, initially expected to be Yadier Molina's backup, instead will get his time down on Beale Street.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) discuss what the Cards are thinking with Kelly, what's the best use of his talents, and who might get removed from the 40-man to accommodate the new backup Francisco Pena.  They also talk about the pitching staff, some surprises in camp, and how they feel about this team going into the last ten days of the spring.  Sit back and enjoy the ride!

GTBH 3/11/17: The Spring Training Mid-Point

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) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) go around the squad and talk about some of the important items that have come up so far this spring.  Matt Carpenter plans to DH on Tuesday.  What do we need to see from him over the next two weeks to feel like he's actually an asset as the season begins?  Adam Wainwright is scheduled now to be the guy that pitches the home opener.  Is that honor worth having him running second in the rotation in the early going?  Which of these bullpen arms are going to make the squad?  What players that haven't been cut yet are making the best case to go to New York for Opening Day?  All that and plenty more!

GTBH 3/4/18: Kicking Off Another Season

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Starting Gateway's eighth season, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) get into some of the issues coming out of Jupiter.  The pitching staff has been shaky at best, with new acquisition Miles Mikalos "leading" the way.  Is it time to be concerned about the free agent?  What about the rest of the staff?  Is the change to Mike Maddux at least in part a reason for the early struggles?  And what about Adam Wainwright?  What level of concern is there about him?

Then there's Matt Carpenter, who hasn't played an out yet this spring.  Is this a concern?  What happens if Carpenter thinks he's fine but isn't?  What does the lineup look like if Carpenter can't go?  Plenty of questions for this early in the spring--but are there any answers?