Catch Us If You Can

Remembering Whiteyball, Astroturf, and the Runnin’ Redbirds

There’s an old expression that says speed kills. Well, if that’s the case, then the St. Louis Cardinals of the 1980s could be considered mass murderers. Because their speed helped them streak to success and also reshape the game of baseball, especially for those of us who spent our sweaty summers in the stands.

For many who fall into the category of Generation X, the first big league game we ever saw was in the ‘old’ Busch Stadium (or Busch II). It was a perfectly round, ‘cookie-cutter’ ballpark that was the fashion of the day. Cities were building multi-sport facilities in places like Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, and our own Busch Stadium’s architecture was very similar. 

However, our copy-and-paste building included a nod to the city, with its multiple arches as part of the design. And it was all topped off by Astroturf, which would get so hot on an August afternoon that you could see the waves of warmth coming off the field. 

It was as if the environment was made to match the feverish pace the Cardinals set in the 1980s, capturing three pennants and a World Series title along the way. Their strategy to push the envelope and put pressure on opposing pitchers was summed up perfectly by the legendary Glenn Frey when he sang: “The Heat is On”.

As everyone knows, the mastermind behind it all was the legendary, loved, and local Whitey Herzog. Hailing from nearby New Athens, Illinois, he was a St. Louis area kid. For The White Rat, coming home to roost in the Cardinals' nest was almost his destiny. And in time, it would become a historical and magical tenure for the team and the franchise.

For the Hall of Fame manager, playing baseball at Busch Stadium II was a matter of simple physics. The park was cavernous, but the carpet was quick. Home runs were rare, but when Herzog let his Redbirds run, they achieved new heights in terms of base thievery.

For kids in my age range, it was like an education in competition. This guy with a blonde crewcut appeared to have outsmarted the rest of the league, almost luring them into his steam bath of a stadium… just to make them sweat. 

Any pitcher who toed the rubber when Vince Coleman or Willie McGee were on base knew that the thermometer just went up a few notches. One example of that is when Reds pitcher Chris Welsh tried to pick off Coleman 17 times during a game in Cincy… before the speedster went ahead and stole second base, anyway. 

As a young fan, I just thought that was how baseball should be. And for a time? I was right. But the game changed, and we all got older. Eventually, that old cookie-cutter stadium got crumbled, and the team moved into the home they have today.

But for me? Nothing will top the experience I had in that supposedly antiseptic stadium. I probably attended 200 games at that old building. Even when the temperature went over 100, and it felt like we were all being baked in there, it was worth every drop of sweat. Just to be there. 

And while Iowa may have been the setting for a nostalgic baseball movie? For many of us, Busch Stadium II will always be a Field of Dreams.

Ryan K Boman is a freelance writer and the author of the 2023 book, Pop Music & Peanut Butter: A Collection of Essays Looking at Like with Love & Laughter. His previous work has appeared at, MSN, Heavy, the Miami Herald, Screen Rant, FanSided, and Yardbarker. Follow him on X @RyanKBoman