Gateway to Baseball Heaven: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

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?

GTBH 1/28/18: In Which We Figure Out Technology

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 technical malfunction ate last week's show, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) are back to hit some of those high points yet again, discussing the trade that sent Randal Grichuk to the frozen north while bringing a couple of flamethrowers back.  They also chat about the state of the NL Central now that the Brewers have acquired two new outfielders and how interesting it is to have the best left fielder in the game, per MLB Network.  All that and more on this week's show!

GTBH 1/14/18: The Mane Event

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 Warm-Up Weekend in St. Louis when the players hit town, everyone talks to the media, and we get a little real baseball to pour over.  The biggest news from the weekend was the fact that the bullpen seems to be more constructed than everyone thought, with Luke Gregerson being named the current closer.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) voice their disappointment in the missed opportunities of this offseason.  While the Marcell Ozuna trade was big, there are still a lot of questions for this team, questions that might have gotten some different answers with a more active winter.

Then they spend 20 minutes on John Gant's hair.  Because, really, have you seen it?

GTBH 12/10/17: Doors Closing, Windows Opening

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and information you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  It's been a newsworthy week for the Redbirds, even though it wasn't always what the team was hoping for.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) talk about the end of the Giancarlo Stanton pursuit and how much credit the front office should take for making the attempt.  They also talk about the new pitchers on the staff, Luke Gregerson and Miles Mikolas, as well as trying to decide just what might happen this week at the winter meetings.  It's (probably) your last Gateway for 2017, so plug in and give it a listen!  Then go rate and review us instead of sending us a Christmas gift!