It was 31 years ago this week that Whitey Herzog rocked St. Louis, abruptly resigning as manager of the Cardinals after a rollicking decade of leading the team to three National League pennants and a World Series championship.
The era of "Whiteyball," a crisp and thrilling brand of baseball through the 1980s that centered on speed, defense, pitching and just occasional pop, was over. And the way it played out on St. Louis television provides an interesting look at a bygone time, technologically and in TV viewership patterns — as well as the way the game was played.