Here we are at the top of the heap. The pinnacle of the mountain. The accounts to which all others aspire. You’ll know the names (though one account might surprise you) and you are probably already following them. Plus we answer the question: do we have a new member of the Twitter Hall of Fame?
Number 5: bschaeffer12
Cardinals writer @KMOV. Host @KTGRBigShow, B-Schaeff Daily. 🏀 + 🏈 @SBRReview. Mizzou grad. Cat/Human dad. 🎳 is a sport. GIF has a hard g. I’m no Seth.
On Twitter since: July 2011
Number of Tweets: 149.8K
Following: 1,147
Followers: 24,419
Total points: 1,415
Average: 8.132
Number of ballots: 174
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 32.76%
% that were 1: 1.72%
Ranking history: 26 (2016), 7 (2017), 6 (2018), 6 (2019), 3 (2020), 5 (2021), 5 (2022)
The man whose parents loved him so much they misspelled his name continues his strong run in this series. Brenden stays busy, whether it’s writing at his various places, including parting people from their money at Sportsbook Review, doing his daily radio show, or turning out more B-Schaeff Dailys than normal, even if it’s still not completely daily. Brenden may have more interaction with folks than anyone else on this list and, as the number of Tweets shows, is prolific on the platform as well. I will say, though, that the year he’s in line to win this thing is the year we shut it down.
Number 4: AugieNash
Daily source for “On This Day” in St Louis Cardinals history | Posting vintage and rare photos + memorabilia | Dizzy Dean/Gashouse Gang | #STLCards
On Twitter since: February 2018
Number of Tweets: 41.2K
Following: 575
Followers: 13,331
Total points: 1,458
Average: 8.526
Number of ballots: 171
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 50.88%
% that were 1: 1.17%
Ranking history: 131 (2018), 32 (2019), 17 (2020), 12 (2021), 6 (2022)
There’s hardly anyone more beloved in the Cardinal Twitter community than Augie. His daily doses of Cardinal and St. Louis history are a must and his good humor and cheer is a welcome relief from some of the sniping and cynicism that the site can provide. Augie’s had some health problems in the past and he’s said he’s stepping back from On This Day posting, but no matter what he does, it’s going to be a great thing to follow.
Every year, I go ahead and put myself on the ballot for the heck of it since it’s my project and I note where I would have finished in this ranking without taking up an actual spot. So right here is where I would have finished with my 1,518 points. Thanks to all that believe what I do has some value and please never see that psychiatrist you probably need.
Number 3: UncleCharlie50
Follower of Jesus. Husband, daddy, outdoor lovin, sweet tea drinkin, Chick-fil-A eatin, barbecue smashin, fantasy football dominatin, STL pitchin, Georgia boy.
On Twitter since: July 2014
Number of Tweets: 1,286
Following: 125
Followers: 345,777
Total points: 1,610
Average: 9.148
Number of ballots: 176
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 69.89%
% that were 1: 0.57%
Ranking history: 163 (2022)
I really don’t know how we’d overlooked Adam Wainwright in these rankings before last year. After all, he’s not a prolific Tweeter but he knows how to use the medium. The “old man walks” were outstanding, for instance. Last year he got written in which meant he was on the ballot this year and as you can see people made up for lost time. Wainwright is a Cardinal legend, of course, and we’ve seen even in retirement his Twitter game is strong, whether it is pictures of Louie or video of him and the kids. Even though he won’t be on the mound, Waino’s going to be in our thoughts and hearts.
Before we get to the last two, a reminder. If an account finishes first in three different years, they are inducted into our Hall of Fame and, while they will still appear on the ballot, they will not be counted in the rankings. Going into this season, we had two accounts with two wins each and, unsurprisingly, they finished 1-2 again this year. So, drumroll please…..
Number 2: dgoold
Lead Cardinals writer @ St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Proud father. Lapsed cartoonist. World Record INF. 5x APSE #1 beat winner. Friendly neighborhood word slinger.
On Twitter since: September 2008
Number of Tweets: 210.2K
Following: 2,288
Followers: 144,603
Total points: 1,785
Average: 8.881
Number of ballots: 201
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 60.70%
% that were 1: 1.49%
Ranking history: 1 (2015), 2 (2016), 2 (2017), 2 (2018), 2 (2019), 1 (2020), 2 (2021), 2 (2022)
Derrick might not have made our Hall of Fame this year, but he will next year and, more importantly, will be in Cooperstown a number of years after that. Widely considered one of the best beat writers in the business, he has a finger–heck, the whole hand–on the pulse of the Cardinals. He knows what they are doing and why. His unwillingness to engage in speculation can be frustrating at times but his professionalism is one of the reasons he is so respected. He’s never finished below second in this survey and he never will.
Number 1: katiejwoo
Cardinals stories for @TheAthleticMLB | California native | Never met a plate of ballpark nachos I didn’t like |
On Twitter since: March 2016
Number of Tweets: 17.3K
Following: 1,444
Followers: 66,252
Total points: 1,928
Average: 9.359
Number of ballots: 206
Maximum: 10
Minimum: 1
% that were 10: 74.76%
% that were 1: 1.46%
Ranking history: 1 (2021), 1 (2022)
The phenom. Katie got dropped into the Cardinal beat in the middle of spring training 2021, when we were all starting to figure out living in a post-COVID world. She has navigated that, a work stoppage, and the worst season of Cardinal baseball in 50 years all while keeping an upbeat personality on display. She’s written some wonderful pieces for The Athletic and she and Derrick are the most trusted sources on the club. She may be a California girl but St. Louis has embraced her hard and now, after the minimum three years on the ballot, she’s headed to our Hall of Fame.
Of course, we also have to check in with the founding member of the Hall of Fame, the one person that Katie will be joining in those hallowed halls. (Does it really have halls? Feels like it could just be a room right now.) cardinalsgifs is still the standard by which everyone else is judged. He finished with 1,965 points, which is probably the closest he’s been to second since this thing started. He’s a gentleman, a scholar, and an invaluable part of Cardinals Twitter.
All right, that’ll do it! If you are interested in a little different way of looking at the data, come back this afternoon. Otherwise, Happy New Year!
