The MLB Network documentary Birds of a Different Game: The ‘80s Cardinals, which debuts Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, makes a convincing case that the Whiteyball St. Louis Cardinals introduced a hyperspeed style of baseball that was, as St. Louis native and narrator John Goodman intones, “totally, completely original.”
Featuring interviews with Whitey Herzog, actor Jon Hamm, and a deck of former Cards, among others, Birds of a Different Game showcases more than just film clips and wistful ex-ballplayers. The documentary crackles with insight on how Herzog assembled a team that featured the fastest fleet of fielders and baserunners that anyone had ever seen on one ballclub.