If he timed this right, Paul Goldschmidt had a chance — just enough of a window — to get some Christmas shopping done after a workout. He had 20 days to go but felt a self-imposed urgency “to get ahead on a few things,” and he wanted to find a gift for his wife, Amy.
He drove through the Phoenix area when the phone call came that changed the direction of his car, and his career.
Four states and a 22-hour drive away, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and his staff completed 2½ days of meetings at the moment Shildt’s phone stirred.