Someone is missing from the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. A very important person. One of the most influential, impactful and successful persons in franchise history.
This missing VIP is …
Bill DeWitt Jr., the owner-chairman of the Cardinals over the last 30 seasons of baseball. DeWitt and his associates purchased the team before Christmas in 1995, and everything changed.
The last few seasons have left fans cold and disappointed, and the Cardinals are in the relatively early stages of a rebuild. As I’ve written and said many times, it’s a shame that the Cardinals let the player-development operation slide. The neglect led to diminished postseason success and losing seasons.
It hasn’t been as much fun at the 20-year old ballpark that exists because DeWitt and partners privately funded 80 percent of the construction cost. But I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. It’s easy to lose perspective and I’m guilty of that myself. I was spoiled by the winning and having the chance to chronicle one of the most wondrous eras of Cardinals Baseball. But I also know that it’s unrealistic for the happy times to go on and on like a never-ending downtown parade.
Some of the greatest MLB teams of the expansion era (1961-present) have endured losing and misery. The Cardinals were never immune to this. Why? Because no team is.
May I present some examples? Thank you:
Atlanta Braves: from 2006 through 2017, they made the postseason three times and won two playoff games.
Los Angeles Dodgers: After winning the 1988 World Series the Dodgers went through a blue period, qualifying for the postseason two times over the next 15 seasons and winning one playoff game.
Philadelphia Phillies: Did not make the playoffs from 2012 through 2022. That’s 10 straight seasons as an also-ran.
New York Mets: Won the 1986 World Series – then made the playoffs seven times over the next 40 years.
San Francisco Giants: After capturing three World Series titles in five seasons, the franchise has missed making the postseason in nine of the last 11 seasons.
Baltimore Orioles: after winning the third World Series in franchise history back in 1983, the O’s reached the playoffs only twice over the next 28 years.
New York Yankees: The raucous Bronx bombers won consecutive World Series in 1977-78, then turned quiet for a while. The Yankees appeared in two postseasons over a 15-season stretch that began in 1979. And despite spending billions and billions of dollars on player talent, the Yanks haven’t won a World Series since 2009. Since 2010, we’ve seen 10 different MLB franchises win the World Series trophy. The Yankees aren’t one of them. Since 2008 the Tampa Bay Rays have won as many AL pennants (2) as the Steinbrenner family.
Toronto Blue Jays: won back-to-back World Series in 1992-93 and then took a little break … failing to make the playoffs in 19 straight seasons.
The Kansas City Royals won the World Series in 2015 but have missed the postseason nine times in the past 10 seasons.
The Seattle Mariners have been in existence for 49 seasons. They’ve competed in only six postseasons and in one stretch failed to make the tournament for 20 consecutive years.
Chicago Cubs: won the World Series in 1908. Didn’t do it again until 2016. And have gone 9 straight seasons without making it back to the Fall Classic.
Detroit Tigers: World Series champions, 1984. The next 40 seasons? Made the postseason six times.
Cincinnati Reds: World Series champs, 1990. Have made the postseason field six times in the last 36 seasons.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Won the World Series in 1979 and followed up with six trips to the playoffs over the last 47 seasons.
I could continue, but I’ve made my point.
And some of you want DeWitt to sell the team because the Cardinals have failed to make the playoffs in their last three seasons? THREE ENTIRE SEASONS? The horror. The horror.
Here’s some perspective on DeWitt’s 30 seasons as chairman, which includes some down and unhappy times. But the body of work is exceptional.
National League baseball, 1996 through 2025
– The Cardinals rank third among National League teams in regular-season wins behind the Dodgers and Braves.
– The Cards rank second in the NL with 75 postseason wins; the Dodgers have 86.
– Most postseason and regular season wins, combined: Dodgers 2,846, Braves 2,697, Cardinals 2,651.
– Most NL pennants: Dodgers 5, Cardinals 4, Giants 4.
– Most World Series titles since 1996: Giants with 3, followed by the Dodgers (2), Cardinals (2), and Marlins (2.)
– The Cardinals and Giants are the only two NL teams to clinch two World Series clinchers in their home ballpark, in front of their home fans. A nice perk.
– Most seasons making the playoffs: Braves 18, Dodgers 18, Cardinals 17. A listener texted us on KMOX the other day, criticizing DeWitt for making the postseason only 17 times. I’ll be polite and say this person is certainly entitled to have an opinion and express it publicly.
– Most winning seasons: Dodgers 27, Cardinals 25, Braves 23. The other 11 NL teams that have been members of the NL continuously since 1996 have averaged 11.5 winning seasons over that time.
– Fewest losing seasons: Dodgers 3, Cardinals 5, Braves 7. The other 11 teams that have been in the NL continuously since 1996 have averaged 17.8 losing seasons over that time.
– Most postseason home games: Dodgers 85, Cardinals 71, Braves 70.
– Most postseason wins at home since 1996: Dodgers 51, Cardinals 43, Braves 35.
– Most World Series home games since 1996: Dodgers 15, Cardinals 12, Giants 10. The Cardinals are third in the NL for most home postseason wins with seven; the Dodgers each have eight.
– Most NLCS home games: Cardinals 30, Dodgers 28, Braves 22.
– Most NLCS wins at home: Cardinals 17, Dodgers 17, Braves 11, Phillies 11.
– Cooperstown Hall of Famers who have played, managed or coached for the Cardinals during the DeWitt Era: Ozzie Smith, Scott Rolen, Larry Walker, Carlos Beltran, Dennis Eckersley, John Smoltz, plus managers Tony La Russa and Red Schoedienst. And Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina will join that list soon.
– Cardinals Hall of Famers who were part of the DeWitt Era as a manager, coach, player or broadcaster: Ozzie Smith, La Russa, Rolen, Dave Duncan, Walt Jocketty, Jose Oquendo, George Kissell, Jack Buck, Mike Shannon, Chris Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, Jason Isringhausen, Matt Holliday, Willie McGee, Mark McGwire, Ray Lankford, Matt Morris and Edgar Renteria. Four more are definitely on the way. Pujols, Molina, Adam Wainwright and Matt Carpenter.
– During the first 30 seasons with DeWitt as chairman, Cardinals players won four National League MVP awards, a Cy Young award, 23 silver slugger awards, 41 gold gloves, one Rookie of the Year award, two Manager of the Year award, two World Series MVP awards, one NLCS MVP award. And Cardinal players were collectively chosen as NL All-Stars 77 times. And if I kept digging, I’d find other gold nuggets.
In addition to the pure baseball accomplishments, BD Jr. presided over a comprehensive rebuild of the physical plant of the franchise, in both St. Louis and in Jupiter FL. His initiative has resulted in a lasting impact on the franchise as well as the region. That can't be overlooked and or understated.
DeWitt, 84, is one of the three greatest and most accomplished owners in Cardinals history – along with Sam Breadon and Gussie Busch.
Breadon (6), Busch (3) and DeWitt (2) are the only Cardinals owners to hoist the World Series trophy, and all three did it multiple times.
The three distinguished owners combined for 19 NL pennants. And their teams won a combined 8,083 regular-season and 134 postseason games.
Breadon and Busch are enshrined in the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
One man is missing: Bill DeWitt Jr.
It’s time to change that.
Thanks for reading …
–Bernie
Bernie was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. During a St. Louis sports-media career that goes back to 1985, he’s won multiple national awards for column writing and sports-talk hosting – and was the lead sports columnist at the Post-Dispatch from 1989 through 2015.
Before that Bernie spent a year at the Dallas Morning News, covering the Dallas Cowboys during Tom Landry’s final season (1988) plus the sale of the team to Jerry Jones and the hiring of Jimmy Johnson as coach.
Bernie has covered several Baseball Hall of Fame managers during his media career including Tony La Russa, Whitey Herzog, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre and (as an interim) Red Schoendienst. In his career as a beatwriter and columnist, Bernie covered Pro Football Hall of Fame coaches Joe Gibbs, Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Dick Vermeil.
Bernie covered every baseball Cardinals’ postseason game from 1996 through 2014 and was there to chronicle teams that won four NL pennants and two World Series. He provided extensive coverage on the “Greatest Show” St. Louis Rams and has written extensively on the St. Louis Blues and Mizzou football and basketball.
Bernie was/is a longtime voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Heisman Trophy and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame.
You can access his columns, videos and the podcast version of the videos here on STLSportsCentral, catch him regularly on KMOX (AM or FM) as part of the Gashouse Gang, Sports Rush Hour, Sports Open Line or Sports On a Sunday Morning shows.
And you can catch weekly “reunion” segments here at STL Sports Central featuring Bernie and his longtime friend Randy Karraker.