Benjamin Hochman

Hochman: At Cardinals spring training, widow honors husband's dream in her coffee shop The shop is the crux of Cardinal Nation in Jupiter. Everyone goes there: ballplayers, coaches, executives, trainers, stadium vendors, sports writers and, of course, so many fans.

The story of Vicky and Danny and the crux of Cardinals spring training: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Cardinals icon Yadier Molina in camp to help Marmol, players. 'Pretty damn cool’ He’s Yadi — the all-knowing catching savant and Cardinals legend who will likely be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame — a player who makes guys better just be

Masyn Winn: “You know, for Yadi to be around this early in camp, and being available and being able to talk to him, it's pretty damn cool. I mean, it's pretty damn cool.” Fresh column online to read:
www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: His parents died in a plane crash. In STL, he’ll try to skate his way to Olympics. Max Naumov lost both parents in the plane crash over the Potomac River last January. Now, he's in St. Louis to skate in the U.S. Championships at Enterprise Center.

I wanted to share this piece with you all. It’s the story of tragedy and perseverance. Max Naumov’s parents died in the plane crash last January in Washington DC. He will honor them this weekend in STL, as he tries to skate is way onto the US Olympic team: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Here’s who I voted for @National Baseball Hall of Fame #stl #stlcards #stlcardinals #saintlouis #stlmo #cards #cardinals #phillies #philliesbaseball #philliesfan #braves #bravesbaseball #baseball #ha... TikTok video by Benjamin Hochman, STL sports

@notmrtibbs.com what’s up man… I did my ballot reveal on TikTok… here ya go! www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8ybTgE8/

Hochman: The tale of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Point Guard, caught up in NIL, portal madness A whimsical tale of how Rudolph the Red-Nosed Point Guard became the darling of college basketball, while guiding his team to the top ranking (before soaring into the transfer portal).

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Point Guard never played in any games. But on Dec. 24, North Pole U. was losing big to No. 1, so the bearded coach asked Rudolph to guide the offense.
Rudolph balled out.
What happened next is a tale of NIL, transfer portal and holiday cheer: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Need a Christmas gift for a Cardinals fan? I’m selling and signing my book RIGHT NOW until 10 AM at Cafe Manhattan in Clayton (they have coffee and donuts for sale!)
Address: 505 S. Hanley Road, Clayton MO 63105
⚾️

St. Louis! Do you need a Christmas gift for a Cardinals fan in your life? I’m signing and selling copies of my book “11 in ‘11” tomorrow morning, 8-10 AM! I’ll be at Cafe Manhattan in Clayton (they have coffee and donuts for sale!)
Address: 505 S. Hanley Road, Clayton MO 63105
⚾️

Neat to share — I’ve reached 3,000 followers on TikTok. It’s been fun growing this account. If you’re on TikTok, please follow and join me on this wild ride! Link: www.tiktok.com/@hochmanstl?...

One of the funniest humans I know is coming to St. Louis. Go see Adam Cayton-Holland (@caytonholland.bsky.social)
do standup comedy on Thursday at 10 PM at Hot Java Bar! Here’s ticket info: www.eventbrite.com/e/adam-cayto...

One of the funniest humans I know is coming to St. Louis. Go see Adam Cayton-Holland (@caytonholland.bsky.social)
do standup comedy on Thursday at 10 PM at Hot Java Bar! Here’s ticket info: www.eventbrite.com/e/adam-cayto...

St. Louis Blues star Robert Thomas shares details with me about his hockey stick. Wrote about him in this fun column — #STLBlues  opening night is tonight: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Here’s how the Cardinals accelerated improvements in their minor-league system A look at the Cardinals' minor-league system, one year after Chaim Bloom and his staff took over the revamping process.

I interviewed Cardinals assistant GM Rob Cerfolio. “Cerf” shared a macro view of the Cards’ minor league growth, discussing number of new hires & certain technology purchased.
Then, Chaim Bloom offered a micro view of the minors & zoomed in on 1 pitcher:

www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt visits Busch Stadium for 1st time The No. 6 prospect in baseball per MLB.com, Wetherholt visited St. Louis' Busch Stadium for the first time on Sunday. He'll likely call Busch home at some point in 2026.

On Sunday, as the Cardinals readied at Wrigley Field for their last game of 2025, probable 2026 rookie JJ Wetherholt visited Busch Stadium for the first time.
The next time the Cardinals play at Busch, Wetherholt could very well be in the lineup: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Popular pitcher and broadcaster Al Hrabosky enters Cardinals Hall of Fame Al Hrabosky, the former Cardinals relief pitcher and longtime broadcaster, was enshrined Saturday in the team's Hall of Fame.

His name is Al.
You can call him Hall of Famer.
Cardinals fan favorite, broadcaster & ambassador Al Hrabosky was inducted into the team’s HOF this weekend.
My homage to the Mad Hungarian: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: ‘He was nails.’ How QB Beau Pribula marched Mizzou past rival Kansas How Mizzou's Beau Pribula bounced back in the second half to lead the Tigers over Kansas.

Saturday at Mizzou was all about a 4-letter word. Fans started spewing it at sunup, followed by the initials K and U. But once the focus was football, Saturday was, well, all about a 4-letter word:

Beau.

My column from Columbia on Mizzou's W vs Kansas: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: After suicide attempt, Cardinals fan now helps others — through baseball cards Greg Poole of Benton, Illinois, donates all the proceeds from his baseball card shop to resources to help the underserved in southern Illinois.

This is free to read online. This Cardinals fan is 1 of the most-amazing people I've ever met. Abused as a boy, he tried to take his own life. He lived & realized: he's here to help others. Now 41, he's raised $700,000 with his cards & gave it ALL to those in need.

www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Jack Clark and Tom Niedenfuer meet again, 40 years after NLCS home run Cardinals slugger Jack Clark was reunited with Tom Niedenfuer, the Dodgers pitcher who allowed Clark's Game 6 homer in the 1985 NLCS, at a St. Louis collectors show.

Jack Clark’s 9th inning home run off Tom Niedenfuer, which propelled STL to the 1985 World Series, is a top-5 HR in Cardinals history.
Yesterday, I sat down with BOTH Clark and Niedenfuer for an interview, 40 years later. Give it a read!

www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Blues coach Jim Montgomery's road to sobriety and a 'good life without drinking' At first, the Blues coach says, "you're riddled with guilt and shame ... and then you realize that there's a really good life without drinking.”

“It’s hard for men to share — they view it as weakness,” Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. “But it’s not weakness. It’s actually strength to be able to admit that you’re struggling and you need help.”

Monty’s now 5 1/2 years sober.

He opened up here: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Very neat that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch put my column on the front page about the Cardinals’ 1st-ever draft pick (and honored him with the daily Weatherbird!). Here’s the link: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Following ‘golden rule,’ NFL’s Khalen Saunders, STL native, hosts LGBTQ+ inclusive camp St. Louis native Khalen Saunders, who plays for the New Orleans Saints, is hosting a football camp Saturday that's inclusive to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

He’s one of the biggest & baddest dudes around — Super Bowl-winning, multimillionaire, 320-pound STL native Khalen Saunders, who’s now a defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints.
And he’s proudly inclusive.
He's hosting a camp Sat, inviting LGBTQ+ kids & allies: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Me too

Hochman: Following ‘golden rule,’ NFL’s Khalen Saunders, STL native, hosts LGBTQ+ inclusive camp St. Louis native Khalen Saunders, who plays for the New Orleans Saints, is hosting a football camp Saturday that's inclusive to members of the LGBTQ+ community.

He’s one of the biggest & baddest dudes around — Super Bowl-winning, multimillionaire, 320-pound STL native Khalen Saunders, who’s now a defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints.
And he’s proudly inclusive.
He's hosting a camp Sat, inviting LGBTQ+ kids & allies: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: Petro's Game 7 goal one for the ages Joe Fiala and Joe Fiala wore their white jerseys because the blue Blues ones were indisputably bad luck, and this was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, no time

Alex Pietrangelo, who announced tonight he’s stepping away from hockey because of his physical health, scored the game-winning goal for the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Here’s my homage to that goal: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: They came to America with soccer dreams. Now they're U.S. citizens in St. Louis. At Wednesday's St. Louis City SC, Nando Hernandez and Alex Langer became American citizens at a pregame naturalization ceremony.

They came to America with soccer dreams. Now they're U.S. citizens.

Tonight, before the St. Louis City SC game, there was a naturalization ceremony on the field.

@stlCITYsc goalie coach Alex Langer became an American. As did Nando Hernandez. Their stories: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: As Royals play Cardinals, we answer 40-year-old Q — what if Denkinger gets the call right? A playful look at what happens if the Cardinals, not the Royals, win the 1985 World Series.

A baseball what-if, answered …

www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: America’s best high school soccer player lives in St. Louis. She's only 16. Cor Jesu star Maddie DiMaria won Gatorade National Player of the Year honors as a freshman. As a sophomore, she has 9 more goals than last year.

The best high school soccer player in the United States of America lives in St. Louis. And she’s only 16. Meet Maddie DiMaria, the “Energizer Bunny,” in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: For Cardinals (and St. Louis fans), ‘yungry’ is the new scrappy How Victor Scott II, Masyn Winn and others have revitalized the St. Louis Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals are … yungry.

Column (with explanation): www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

It’s time. St. Louis City SC, which hasn’t won in its past 10 matches, needs a new coach: www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Ten Hochman: You’ve never heard of Yohel Pozo? P-O-Z-O? Cardinals catcher hitting quite well! In today’s 10 AM “Ten Hochman” video, Ben Hochman discusses Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo (P-O-Z-O), who hits well when filling in! Plus a happy birthday shoutout to Pete Townshend! And

Today’s St. Louis sports video pays homage to a classic @i-jasonalexander.bsky.social scene (I wonder what ever happened to the guy playing Eric The Clown?).

www.stltoday.com/sports/colum...

Hochman: There’s pain. Then there’s the Blues losing a Game 7 lead with 1.6 seconds left. The St. Louis Blues, up 3-2 with 1.6 seconds left in Game 7, allowed a Jets goal. It was brutal. And the Blues lost in the second overtime, 4-3.

Just posted to the Post-Dispatch website: www.stltoday.com/sports/profe...