Out of the ballpark

Co-owner of Cardinals gives Whiteman Lecture

By Jessica Walendukanis
Courier Staff

Monmouth College had the privilege of welcoming Andrew N. Baur, chairman of the board of Southwest Bank and co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals, when he spoke at the Wendell Whiteman Memorial Lecture at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20 in the Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.

After a welcome by President Ditzler and an introduction by business major and MC baseball player, Joshua Ragar '06, Baur delivered a speech entitled, “The Economics of Baseball” which discussed the business behind the game. He spoke of three similarities of which baseball has in common with business: products, plan and personal.

He gave advice to future businessmen and women at MC and said, “One needs to establish credibility with his or her customer.”

Baur described changes which made the Cardinals what they are today. Some of those changes include: becoming a more competitive team; buying and trading players; being involved with media, such as radio stations; team development and the renovations of Busch Stadium. He added, “We control our destiny.”

In looking at his reasons for being a co-owner of the Cardinals, Baur stated, “It's a great privilege for us to own the Cardinals. They may not make a lot of money, but they are as rich as any other team.”

Baur is an involved business man and serves on many other boards including Baker Shoe Company, Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Wausau Paper and Orgill, Inc.

Baur is a graduate of Washington and Lee University of Lexington, VA, with an MBA from Georgia State University.

As a part of the Whiteman Lecture series, Baur has joined a list of notable speakers such as: Dinesh D'Souza, Robert and Karen Rishwain; Frederico Sacasa; and James C. Jacobsen.

The Whiteman Lecture series was established in memory of Wendell White-man, an MC alumnus and executive of Security Savings Bank in Monmouth. The series is sponsored by the Whiteman family which includes Whiteman's three sons: Donald Whiteman '49; Ralph Whiteman '52; and Richard Whiteman '64.