Lars Nootbaar says surgery was a 'huge shock' but provides foothold for performance
The pain in his heels and the limitations he felt on the run reached a point that Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar sought a solution more than ongoing treatment, and even then, after an exam in New York, the suggestion of surgery stopped him in his tracks.
“When they told me I needed surgery, it was like a huge shock,†Nootbaar said. “I didn’t know how to respond. I was nervous. The start of the season. The WBC (World Baseball Classic) is coming up. There were so many things. And there was a part of me that was like, ‘Alright, finally, there’s a solution to this problem that’s been happening for a while and it’s been eating me up.’
51ºÚÁÏ Cardinals beat writer Daniel Guerrero joined Lynn Worthy to discuss the end of the season, John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom news conferences and the offseason outlook.
'This means everything': 51ºÚÁÏ native Max Scherzer ready for World Series start
51ºÚÁÏ native Max Scherzer set to join a former Cardinals champion in rare World Series feat
Blue Jays pitcher and 51ºÚÁÏ native Max Scherzer, left, shares some words with manager John Schneider during a visit to the mound during the fifth inning in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Mariners on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Seattle.
Frank Gunn, The Canadian Press via AP
Forty years ago to the day that Lonnie Smith took another stride toward history all his own with a third World Series championship on a third different team — this time at the expense of his former club, the Cardinals — he will finally be joined in a nook of Fall Classic feats.
Coincidentally, it will be by someone born four decades ago in 51ºÚÁÏ.
Hochman: 40 years after blown call, Don Denkinger’s daughter revisits his legacy
She wears it.
She wears her father’s ring from the 1985 World Series, 51ºÚÁÏ Cardinals vs. Kansas City Royals — the ring awarded to the men who umpired the games. It’s got a diamond. It’s made of 10 karat gold. It’s her connection to her father.
Umpire Don Denkinger, left, watches as Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell, right, stretches to catch the ball as Royals base runner Jorge Orta steps on first base during the ninth inning in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series on Oct. 26, 1985, in Kansas City, Mo.
Guerrero's chat: Which Cardinals prospects could emerge and who may be traded?
Hey there, Post-Dispatch baseball writer Daniel Guerrero here. Welcome to today’s Cardinals chat here at STL Today dot com. We are nearing the end of October and heading into the final week of Major League Baseball in 2025 as the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers shifts to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Cardinal prospects continue to play ball while in the Arizona Fall League. What’s on your mind?
(There will be a transcript of the chat below the text box.)
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It's been a minute since a brand-new Best Podcast in Baseball and there's a lot to catch up on. For the first time in 18 years, the Cardinals have a new president of baseball operations, and for the first time in even longer they're talking about a team-building plan that doesn't include promises of aiming to contend for a World Series championship. That will likely mean an active winter of trades. At the same time, two prominent former Cardinals, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, are throwing their names in the ring for manager vacancies elsewhere, with at least two teams (and likely a third soon) entertaining Pujols as a strong candidate for their open position. And, in the past week, a former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt retired from the position with San Diego, spurring conversation about why he left both jobs abruptly and resurfacing reasons reported in the Post-Dispatch and elsewhere after his sudden firing in 2021.
Former players and old conversations all swirl together to invite the question on whether to truly move in a fresh direction did the Cardinals need a stretch like this that brings closure to the past and signals the new era.
Kevin Wheeler, of KMOX/104.1 FM, joins Derrick Goold for a (long overdue) new episode of BPIB to discuss that and more.
The "just hanging on" kitten plays a prominent role in the conversation.
In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of 51ºÚÁÏ, is a production of the 51ºÚÁÏ, , and Derrick Goold.
51ºÚÁÏ
Before the 2025 major and minor league seasons, the Post-Dispatch ranked the top 12 prospects in the Cardinals system.
The annual ranking, known as the Dispatch Dozen, ranked Cardinals prospects using the four P’s of prospects: potential, proximity, position and performance. It did not include prospects who had appeared in the majors ahead of this season, making prospects like right-hander Michael McGreevy and infielder Thomas Saggese ineligible for this list.
Catcher Leonardo Bernal works in the bullpen during player workouts Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, at the Cardinals’ spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla.
It's been a minute since a brand-new Best Podcast in Baseball and there's a lot to catch up on. For the first time in 18 years, the Cardinals have a new president of baseball operations, and for the first time in even longer they're talking about a team-building plan that doesn't include promises of aiming to contend for a World Series championship. That will likely mean an active winter of trades. At the same time, two prominent former Cardinals, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, are throwing their names in the ring for manager vacancies elsewhere, with at least two teams (and likely a third soon) entertaining Pujols as a strong candidate for their open position. And, in the past week, a former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt retired from the position with San Diego, spurring conversation about why he left both jobs abruptly and resurfacing reasons reported in the Post-Dispatch and elsewhere after his sudden firing in 2021.
Former players and old conversations all swirl together to invite the question on whether to truly move in a fresh direction did the Cardinals need a stretch like this that brings closure to the past and signals the new era.
Kevin Wheeler, of KMOX/104.1 FM, joins Derrick Goold for a (long overdue) new episode of BPIB to discuss that and more.
The "just hanging on" kitten plays a prominent role in the conversation.
In its 13th season as one of the first and most widely heard podcasts on baseball and the Cardinals, the Best Podcast in Baseball, sponsored weekly by Closets by Design of 51ºÚÁÏ, is a production of the 51ºÚÁÏ, , and Derrick Goold.
51ºÚÁÏ
When Philadelphia reliever Orion Kerkering’s throw home in a playoff game several weeks ago sailed wide and out of sight it may have taken an era of Phillies’ baseball with it.
The Cardinals once witnessed to a similar moment in Philly history.
The Phillies’ Bryce Harper watches his two-run home run against Mariners pitcher Casey Legumina during the seventh inning Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, in Philadelphia.
51ºÚÁÏ Cardinals beat writer Daniel Guerrero joined Lynn Worthy to discuss the end of the season, John Mozeliak and Chaim Bloom news conferences and the offseason outlook.
