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Know your enemy: Viva El Birdos

When I think of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, the first word that comes to mind is “speed.” Why? Because in the 1980s, they completely tore up the running lanes at the old Busch Stadium and elsewhere.

The best example comes from the year I was born, 1985, although I was still in the pregnancy phase when the Red Birds were running wild…

• Vince Coleman: 110 stolen bases (25 caught stealing)
• Willie McGee: 56 SB (16 CS)
• Andy Van Slyke: 34 SB (6 CS)
• Tom Herr: 31 SB (3 CS)
• Ozzie Smith: 31 SB (6 CS)
• Terry Pendleton: 17 SB (12 CS)
• Lonnie Smith: 12 SB (6 CS)

Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images

In total, the 1985 Cards stole a whopping 314 sacks! For comparison: in 2024, the Cardinals stole 71 sacks and the Minnesota Twins stole 61.

While I’m certainly not advocating a complete return to the Octane 80s, I find it hard to imagine an era of baseball where an SB attempt was the rule rather than the exception.

Unless Matthew LeCroy unexpectedly retires and plays backstop for the home team today, I don’t think the current Cardinals will be stealing many balls from Zebby this afternoon.