Party like it's 1982: Cards celebrate World Series team

ST. LOUIS -- Jim Kaat played Major League Baseball for 25 years across four decades, and he raised more than a few eyebrows when, during his Hall of Fame induction speech, he told anyone who would listen that his favorite season as a pro came in 1982 with the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

That team was so perfectly tailored for its surroundings while playing in cavernous Busch Stadium, and the style of baseball crafted by then manager Whitey Herzog impressed Kaat in every way imaginable. Even now, 40 years later, that team stands as the favorite Kaat has been around in almost 65 years of involvement with MLB.

“The last part of my [Hall of Fame] induction speech was that this was the most exciting team that I’ve played on, and it was my most exciting and rewarding season ever,” said Kaat, who was back in St. Louis on Saturday to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the 1982 World Series championship team. “I didn’t find out a lot of this until my career was over, but I had 17 years between World Series appearances. And then, after we won the World Series, no player in any professional sport had to play 24 years before winning a championship ring. Those aren’t records of accomplishment, but they are examples of how honored I am to be a part of that Cardinals team because it was such an exciting one.”

The 1982 Cardinals, who relied more on their 200 stolen bases than their 67 home runs, and one who featured Hall of Famers Bruce Sutter and Kaat out of a loaded bullpen, beat the Brewers in seven games of the World Series. The Cardinals had over 20 players and Herzog back Saturday night, along with family members of late standouts Bob Forsch, David Green and World Series MVP Darrell Porter. In all, more than 100 former players, staffers and family members attended the weekend celebration. Herzog and the former players were driven around the Busch Stadium warning track in convertibles so they could be honored again by Cardinals fans. Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blared from the loud speakers, while Jack Buck’s famed “That’s a winner!” call played over highlights of catcher Darrell Porter jumping into closer Bruce Sutter’s arms.

Willie McGee, a rookie that season who was acquired from the Yankees, hit two home runs and defensively robbed a Gorman Thomas home run in Game 3 of the World Series. He said he couldn’t believe that it has been 40 years since that championship season. He said that team should be considered one of the best in history because of its ability to do so many things well, especially on the defensive side.

“What a team,” said McGee, now 63, who is an assistant coach for the Cardinals. “You had Tommy Herr at second, Ozzie [Smith] at short, [Ken] Oberkfell at third and Keith Hernandez at first -- one of the better infields to ever play this game. [Paul Goldschmidt] is a great first baseman [for the current Cardinals], but I’ve never seen anybody play first like Keith. Keith could come flying in on bunts and throw the ball to second or third better than anybody I’ve ever seen.”

Like Kaat, Hernandez holds the 1982 Cardinals in high regard because they won a championship in a way that ran counter to most of the dominant teams from the 1980s. That Cardinals team had only two double-digit home run hitters (George Hendrick’s 19 and Porter’s 12). However, seven players had double-digit steal numbers, led by Lonnie Smith’s 68. As for the pitching squad, Joaquin Andujar and Forsch each won 15 games, while Sutter notched 36 saves out of the bullpen.

Hernandez said that ’82 defined the true meaning of a team because of how it got contributions from so many selfless members of the squad.

“It was the greatest group of guys -- the best 25 guys I ever played with,” said Hernandez, who hit .299 with 94 RBIs on that team and had the tying, two-run single in the 6-3 Game 7 victory. “There were no egos on the team. I played in New York and won in New York, and there was always a lot of high drama there. But there was never drama in St. Louis because everybody got along. It was a blue-collar team. It was regular guys, and no one wanted to hit the eight-run home run to get the headlines. We all chipped away and helped each other, and it was such a fun group.”