Fleeter Than Birds: The 1985 St. Louis Cardinals and Small Ball's Last Hurrah

by Doug Feldmann, Rick Horton (Foreword)

For the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans, there was a great deal of uncertainty going into the 1985 season. Only three years before, the Cards had won the World Series, but were predicted to finish last in the National League East Division by every major publication. Manager Whitey Herzog was expected to rebuild his team, drug abuse had cast a lingering shadow over the game, and a players' strike threatened to halt play. The situation looked bleak for St. Louis but the season turned out to be nothing like the predictions. The Cards found themselves in a battle for the pennant. From beginning to end, that magical season is chronicled here. The book recaps the 1982 championship season and provides background information on Whitey Herzog and Gussie Busch's building of the early 1980s Cards, Busch Stadium and its characteristics particular to base running, and players of the era, including Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee and pitchers Bob Forsch and Joaquin Andujar. It then goes in-depth to discuss the Cards' 1985 spring training and season and the World Series.

Genres: Sports, Baseball

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Doug Feldmann is an American author of thirteen books, focusing mainly upon baseball history and the sport's sociological impact on urban and small-town America. His work has been recognized in multiple-time nominations for the Casey Award and the Seymour Medal from the Society for American Baseball Research. He is a professor in the College of Education at Northern Kentucky University and a former baseball scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres. He completed his Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies at Indiana University (1999), his master's degree in Secondary Education at Rockford University (1995), and his bachelor's degree in English and History at Northern Illinois University (1992), where he was an outfielder on the baseball team and a walk-on punter on the football team.

Reviews

[Anup Sinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for any diehard 1980’s baseball fan. The St. Louis Cardinals are my runaway pick as the Team of the 1980s. Not only were they the only team to go to three World Series in the decade, but they did it with a style and a flair unlike any other.

Whitey Ball is “Seven Leadoff Hitters and Jack Clark”. Speed and small ball by the gallon but some outstanding pitching and as stellar a fielding team as I can remember.

Doug Feldman was clearly a huge fan with a great memory of the year and all the goings on around baseball and America at the time. He also became a scout later in life and he has an understanding of the game that helps to color his narrative.

He sets the stage describing the years leading up to the fateful 1985 season and does a brief afterword as well.

There are a few minor typos but it’s for the most part well-written and I strongly recommend it for like-interested readers.