Herzog Says Angels Should Hire Anderson

Whitey Herzog, the former Angel general manager and St. Louis Cardinal manager, said the Angels should hire Sparky Anderson as manager.

“Sparky would be perfect for that job,” Herzog said. “He’s a good baseball man, a good P.R. guy, gets along with the press, and will be popular with the fans.

“I know he still wants to manage. A few years ago, he told me, ‘I want to mange until I’m 70.’ I told him, ‘You look like you’re 80 now.’

“Really, that’s the guy they should get.”

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Cardinal starter Todd Stottlemyre grew up dreaming that one day he’d be like his father. Never in his wildest imagination did he envision that he could be pitching against his father’s team in the World Series.

“We’re still talking,” he said, “so far.”

Stottlemyre, who will start tonight against the Braves, has a chance to put his team in the World Series against the New York Yankees. His father, Mel Stottlemyre, is the Yankee pitching coach.

Todd Stottlemyre said he’ll forever be indebted to his father for leaving the game for two years in the late ‘70s to be with the family.

“He basically wanted to be with my brother and me the last two years of high school so that he could help shape our careers,” Stottlemyre said. “He really gave up everything for us so we could be a family.”

What is it like being the son of the famous Yankee pitcher?

“This is my ninth season, so for nine seasons I’ve been Mel’s son,” Stottlemyre said. “That’s all right because he was a great Yankee.

“I know there are a lot of people who say, ‘Mel was a great pitcher, what the hell happened to his son?’ Hey, I don’t want to deal with those people.”

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Fans in St. Louis have proven to be much louder and more animated than those in Atlanta.

“The fans in any park that we play are going to be more revved up than Atlanta right now, because Atlanta’s been through it so many times,” Atlanta starter John Smoltz said. “I’m not trying to rag that situation, but honestly, there’s an expectation that we’re going to win and go to the World Series or nothing else.

“Nothing’s going to duplicate ’91 or ‘92, so it’s unfair to think that it will, but the first year we’re not in postseason, they may realize how special it is.”

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The sellout crowd at Busch Stadium cheered loudly when the screen showed Yankee Manager Joe Torre after winning the American League pennant. Torre managed the Cardinals from 1990 to 1995 and remains popular in St. Louis.

Minutes after the Yankees’ victory, the Busch Stadium organist started playing, “New York, New York.”

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Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa started Willie McGee ahead of the slumping Ray Lankford in center field. Lankford, who’s playing with a torn rotator cuff, is hitless in 11 at-bats.