Gateway to Baseball Heaven: A St. Louis Cardinals Podcast

GTBH 12/3/17: All Stanton, All The Time

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  That title is not entirely true, because the Cardinals did do a little more than just continue to circle the Stanton saga.  Aledmys Diaz is no longer a Redbird, getting shipped over the border right at the non-tender deadline.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) discuss why he got moved and what it might mean for Diaz.  Then the two get into the Giancarlo Stanton drama and all the twists and turns that go along with it.  How frustrating is it that St. Louis might make the best deal and have the best situation and still not get their guy?  What happens if the deal doesn't happen--what is plan B and will it make anyone happy?  Listen in and find out!

GTBH 11/12/17: Goofy About Giancarlo

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 there wasn't just a ton to talk about as the Cardinals still haven't really kicked into any sort of offseason activity (save coaches and cut players--best to ya, Rosie).  That meant Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) were left to their own devices, which is not always a good thing.  Plenty of talk about Giancarlo Stanton and what missing out on him or a pivot to run prevention would mean.  However, it's not exactly the sharp, focused show you might be used to.  Pardon a bit of silliness but these things happen in the winter!

GTBH 11/5/17: Departures and (Potential) Arrivals

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 Houston Astros are World Champions, reliving us from having to continue to call the Cubs that.  Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) talks about her time covering some of those Astros as they were taking their first steps in the minor leagues.  Moving on from there, she and Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) talk about the extension of a qualifying offer to Lance Lynn and its rejection, the likely non-tendering of Trevor Rosenthal, and the rumors surrounding Giancarlo Stanton.  It's a lot of stuff so we made it an extra-long show just for your baseball withdrawal!

GTBH 10/29/17: Back Into the 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.  Well, "every week" is a bit of a stretch in the offseason, as real life and the lack of regular news sometimes interferes with regular recordings.  However, Tara Wellman (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) is back and raring to join Daniel Shoptaw (C70 At The Bat, @C70) to talk about all the changes to the Cardinals' coaching staff.  What exactly did they promise Jose Oquendo to get him to return?  What does Willie McGee bring to the club?  What should we expect from Mike Maddux?  And how do all of these changes impact the future of Mike Matheny?  All that and a little postseason baseball talk as well!

GTBH 10/1/17: Those Three Words

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and analysis you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Time has run out on the Cards and the 2017 season will end with them heading home for the winter.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) talk about what it was like to have meaningless baseball this weekend, what Adam Wainwright's surgery and Matt Carpenter's lack thereof mean for the 2018 squad, and Tara breaks down the responses she got on Twitter when she asked how folks would sum up this season in three words or less.  Just wait until you hear her response!

GTBH 9/24/17: Danging Hope Before Tearing It Away

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 run through Cincinnati and a comeback win against the Pirates, the Cards looked on the brink of adding another chapter to their incredible history by surviving a sweep by the Cubs and still getting into October.  Two losses against Pittsburgh took care of much of that and while the thread is still there, there are strong odds no playoff baseball will be in the cards, pun intended.  Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) talk about the frustration that was this series, including Seung-hwan Oh coming into a crucial situation and the fact that John Gant was starting a game in a playoff race in the first place.

Beyond that, the two discuss the recent Q&A that team owner Bill DeWitt had with Derrick Goold and what to make of Adam Wainwright's outing against Pittsburgh.  What does that mean for the 2018 rotation?  All that and much, much more!

GTBH 9/17/17: Swept Out of Chicago

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 some hopeful outings, Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) come crashing down to earth with the rest of the Redbirds after the Cubs won all three over the weekend, pushing the Cards to six games out of the division and 4.5 behind the wild card leading Rockies.  June Daniel and Tara would not be surprised that winter was coming so quickly, but hope had returned with some recent good play.  Now the questioning and second-guessing really kick in.  Where would they be if they played the Cubs better?  Does this recent surge save Mike Matheny's job or does this weekend jeopardize it?  What is there really to look forward to over the next couple of weeks?  Your intrepid (not to be confused with The Intrepid STL, which has its own podcasts) bloggers are here to commiserate, if not solve the problems!

GTBH 9/10/17: How Does This Happen?

Every week, two of the Best Fans in Baseball (TM) bring you all the news and information you need about the St. Louis Cardinals.  Even though they talk about them every week, that doesn't mean that Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) have all or any of the actual answers.  There's no way they can explain how this team is now two games out of the division lead and three games out of the last wild card.  There's no real explanation for how well the club has been playing.  There's no way to put into words why we are just now finding out about Matt Carpenter's shoulder.  Haven't got a clue about what the return of Adam Wainwright, if it comes, would mean or how it should be arranged.  We're just enjoying the ride and hoping that you are as well!

GTBH 9/3/17: Fruits of Front Office Labor

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 front office was very busy this week, giving Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) plenty to discuss.  Nobody thought it was possible, but Mozeliak and Girsch moved Mike Leake to Seattle.  Did Leake ever fit in to the Cardinal culture or was he more than ready to head out the door?  What message did that send to the players?  Lance Lynn's future seemed to be impacted initially, but nothing seems to be going on there.  Is communication an issue?  Kevin Siegrist is gone as well and new players have been promoted.  Plus, after all this, the Cardinals are still in the wild card chase.  What is up with this season?

GTBH 8/27/17: That Was Unfortunate But Not Unexpected

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 had one job, which was to win at least a majority of the games they played against the Padres and Rays this week.  Instead, they lost four of six and that leaves Daniel (C70 At The Bat, @C70) and Tara (Bird Seeds, @tarawellman) scratching their heads.  Or it would if this wasn't so drearingly predictable.  Can a .500 team really be involved in a pennant race?  Will the front office do anything to show a little urgency this season?  Or is there a way we can get to the "playing out the string" portion a little quicker?  All that and a look at the Cardinals HOF inductees!