ST. LOUIS • The harbingers of the baseball season, which bring flocks to St. Louis every January, begin Friday evening with a coaches’ convention in St. Charles that will feature the return of several former Cardinals coaches and Ryan Ludwick, perhaps a future one.
The Midwest Baseball & Softball Coaches Convention opens Friday at the Ameristar Casino Resort Spa. Baseball has a two-day event with softball events coming on Saturday. A highlight of the event will be Friday night when former Cardinals Jason Isringhausen, Todd Zeile, and Ludwick star in a “Talkin’ Baseball” event. Since retiring, Isringhausen has in recent years served as an instructor with the Cardinals, and Zeile has worked in television production and recently been featured several times on MLB Network.
Ludwick, 37, last played in the majors with Cincinnati in 2014, and he went to spring training with the Texas Rangers a year ago. As he considers his options after a playing career, Ludwick has remained in touch with Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak – who scouted Ludwick when he played college ball. This year, he is expected to have a role working within the Cardinals’ organization.
Mozeliak has often hired former players as advisers, instructors, and scouts. His front office currently includes former closer Ryan Franklin and former reliever Randy Flores, who is entering his first scouting season as the team’s draft director.
The coaches’ convention ignites two weeks of baseball events in the city.
Peak Baseball in January is next weekend’s Winter Warm-up and the St. Louis Baseball Writers’ Dinner. The Cardinals’ Winter Warm-Up begins Saturday at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch. (That’s the whole name.) Passes and autograph tickets are on sale now. On Sunday, the writers’ host their annual dinner. This year the St. Louis baseball men of the year are manager Mike Matheny and closer Trevor Rosenthal. There are still tickets available, including a special ticket that includes a dinner menu selected by Matheny.
The coming year marks the 100th anniversary of Bill DeWitt Sr. starting a job with the Cardinals, and to mark a century of the family’s involvement in St. Louis baseball Bill DeWitt Jr. and Bill DeWitt III will receive the local BBWAA chapter’s highest honor, the Red Award.
In addition to the former Cardinals plays attending this weekend’s convention, former coaches will be there as well. Dan Radison, who used to be a hitting coordinator in the minors for the Cardinals, will run a hitting tutorial. He’s now with the Houston Astros. Jim Riggleman, a longtime Cardinal and former field coordinator in the minors, will discuss managing at the convention. He’s now on the Reds’ major-league staff. Tom Lawless, who is now with Houston, will discuss the infield play. Bet you thought I was going to write bat flips. A complete rundown is available here.
There are also several other dinners during this stretch of time in St. Louis, including Matt Holliday and his wife Leslee’s Holliday’s Heroes Celebration for Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and the Homers for Health program that has raised more than $1 million.
On Jan. 18, Tony La Russa will host his annual Wine & Whisker fundraiser for ARF, his Animal Rescue Foundation. The former Cardinals manager and current Arizona Diamondbacks head honcho will be part of the 2006 World Series team reunion at the writers’ dinner and then, the next night, welcome fans to Busch Stadium’s Redbird Club for a sampling of wine and food and auction.
That evening will also mark less than a month before spring starts.
Pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 17.
Baseball is coming.
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