FAYETTEVILLE — Tom Pagnozzi likely won’t ever be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
But everyone who ever managed him will.
The former Arkansas Razorbacks All-Southwest Conference catcher caught 12 good years for the St. Louis Cardinals under Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa.
Herzog, 78, will be inducted Sunday in Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Whenever they retire, current Los Angeles Dodgers manager Torre and current Cardinals manager La Russa will follow Herzog’s Cooperstown path, Pagnozzi predicts.
Between them, Herzog’s Cardinals, Torre’s New York Yankees and La Russa’s Oakland A’s and Cardinals appeared in 14 World Series and won seven.
“All different,” Pagnozzi said of his bosses. “And all very, very successful. All will be going in. Those are three Hall of Fame managers.”
What made each tick?
“Whitey Herzog is probably the best X and O guy that I’ve seen,” Pagnozzi said. “Joe Torre was probably the best handling the player on the field and in the clubhouse. And Tony La Russa is kind of in the middle of both those guys.”
Actually, Pagnozzi is 4 for 4 playing for Hall of Famers.
His college coach, retired Arkansas coach and current Razorback Foundation vice president Norm DeBriyn, was elected to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Pagnozzi’s one year playing for DeBriyn at the spacious (and since defunct) artificially-turfed George Cole Field sort of prepped him for the “Whiteyball.”
Herzog’s Cardinals hit few home runs. Instead they stole bases, slashed line drives and capitalized on defensive outfield speed at spacious, artificially-turfed (and now defunct Busch Stadium) the second of three stadiums by the same name.
“When I was here at Arkansas, Norm had a bunch of rabbits that could really run like Ellis Roby, Michael Loggins, Mike Robinson and Scott Loeske,” Pagnozzi said, “The old George Cole Field - even with the aluminum bat the balls didn’t fly out like they do in today’s parks.”
However, nobody played “Whiteyball” like the “White Rat.”
His Cardinals stole and slashed to three National League pennants and one World Series championship in the 1980s.
His Kansas City Royals stole and slashed to three American League West championships in the 1970s.
Acquainted with Herzog since Whitey’s Royals days via mutual friend Joe Basore of Bella Vista, De-Briyn recalled Herzog first tailoring his style to suit spacious, artificial turf Royals Stadium.
“Charley Lau was the hitting coach in Kansas City,” DeBriyn said. “ And I remember Charley Lau saying, ‘Whitey would like to have a couple of more home runs, but we are playing in an airport.’”
Pagnozzi recalls his college coach and first major league manager as similarly down to earth.
Dorrel Herzog was already a legend, yet so down to earth that 1987 rookie Pagnozzi was puzzled how to address him.
“I don’t think many people really knew his first name,” Pagnozzi said. “The first time I called him Whitey I kind of stuttered, and [veteran pitcher] Danny Cox came up and said, ‘If you have trouble saying Whitey, call him Rat. You call him Whitey or you call him Rat.’ He was a lot of fun to play for. One of the greatest managers in history.”
Sports, Pages 20 on 07/21/2010