By Adam Allington, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis, MO – Former Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Herzog managed the Cardinals from 1980 to 1990, and led the Redbirds to a World Series Championship in 1982 and two National League pennants.
Speaking at a press conference at Busch Stadium, Herzog said his time with the Cardinals was the high-point of his career, and he will be forever thankful to St. Louis fans and former Cardinals owner August "Gussie" Busch Jr.
"I had a lot of people help me," said Herzog. "When you get in the Hall of Fame you better remember how you got there and how many people you worked for. How could anybody be better to me than Gussie Busch was?"
Herzog also led the Kansas City Royals to three straight division titles from 1976 through 78.
Herzog, who still lives in the area, said he appreciates the fond memories fans continue to share with him
"When I go to a filling station, and I go to a bank and I go to a grocery store and the people recognize me, every single day, it might be tomorrow, and they thank me for 10 years of exciting baseball," Herzog said
Herzog finished his career with 1,281 wins and 1,125 losses.
He's often credited with developing a style of play known known as "Whiteyball" which emphasized speed, defense and line-drive base hits.
Herzog will be enshrined at a ceremony in Cooperstown on July 25, 2010. He will be joined by veteran umpire Doug Harvey who was also selected.