It was a foregone conclusion once he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, but Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt made it official Friday afternoon: Whitey Herzog's number 24, last worn by Rick Ankiel in 2009, will be retired in a ceremony before Saturday, July 31's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rick Hummel has the full story on the Post-Dispatch. 

Meanwhile, my campaign to retire Ray Lankford's number continues to fall on deaf ears. We'll see what happens when he's inducted into the Hall of Very Good.