Herzog, Schutzenhofer headline Belleville Legion baseball banquet

Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog and longtime high school coach Dennis Schutzenhofer will headline the program at the Belleville Hilgards American Legion Baseball banquet Jan. 23 at Scottish Rite Hall.

The Hilgards, one of the oldest American Legion baseball program in the state, will induct three new members into their Hall of Fame. They are Scott Lanxon (1977-79), Doug McMorris (1998-2000) and Eric Rohr (2001-2003).

They also will award the John Schmidt “Good Guy” Award, the Al “Boots” Budde and Barney Elser Awards, along with Hilgards Player of the Year.

The highlight of the program will be a question-and-answer sessions with Herzog and Schutzenhofer, with interviews conducted by Belleville News-Democrat sports editor Todd Eschman.

Herzog, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, will revisit the Cardinals’ offseason of 1981, which yielded three National League pennants, a World Series championship and fundamentally altered the way the game was played.

Schutzenhofer will discuss his daily schedule as batting practice pitcher and instant-replay scout for the Cardinals.

The 16th annual event opens with a cash bar at 5 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:15 with the program beginning at 7:15. Tickets are $36 per adult and $16 for youth 15 and under.

Tickets can be purchased through Belleville Parks and Recreation at 518 W. Main, Suite 2, Belleville. Call 233-1416 for more information.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Herzog, Schutzenhofer headline Belleville Legion baseball banquet."