It was Sir Isaac Newton who said: “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.”
Math answers most questions, but there still are mysteries of the universe, the incalculable intangibles.
That leads us to Sir Isaac’s fellow “Noot,” this being St. Louis’ Lars Nootbaar. See, his sport isn’t really a game at all — it’s an equation. It’s pitch speed and spin rate, launch angle and exit velocity. Its inning, count, score, outs and how many runners are on base. It’s OPS and OPS+, bWAR and fWAR, WHIP and wOBA. It’s masterminding matchups and mining for data that gives your team an edge. It’s calculus.
But then, there is an intangible such as “Noot” himself. This infectious personality that lights up a room or ignites a teammate. Who often says the right thing at the right time to change the course of emotions. Who fuels others with his friendliness and his goofiness.
“He's great for the clubhouse, he really is,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Nootbaar, the team’s extroverted X-factor. “You would think he's in his sixth year in the big leagues. Somehow he gets away with making fun of Nolan Arenado and anybody else that's in that clubhouse. Not many people get on Nolan — but Nootbaar can. Yeah, he gets away with getting on anybody. It works. He’s a funny dude. He keeps that clubhouse loose, which is a rare thing to say about, like, a rookie. But he does it well.
“It definitely affects the overall (team) in a positive way. He does a really good job of picking his spots and wanting to make fun of people. I think when you play as many games as we play in the sport, if you don’t like each other, that (makes it) a grind. So I’m not sure what the WAR is on Nootbaar’s goofiness, but from my seat, I appreciate the way he goes about it. It just adds a level of levity to the grind.”
The Cardinals are on a seven-game winning streak, heading into a trio of games against a last-place team. And much has been made of positive vibes reverberating. The beloved Yadier Molina has returned, as has a resuscitated Paul DeJong. The Cards got two new quality starting pitchers. And — they traded outfielder Harrison Bader, which kept an outfield spot open for Nootbaar.
Sure enough, in the past 10 games he’s hitting .313 with an .822 OPS. He has five RBIs, five runs, five walks (and, to be fair, five strikeouts). He made a spectacular catch in last Friday’s win ... and made a spectacular catch in Saturday’s win. And he’s just infused his Noot-ness within the Cardinals' culture. Good things are happening.
“I just try to be myself as much as possible,” Nootbaar said, “but at the same time respecting other people's time and space and everything like that. Over the last calendar year, I’ve built some good relationships on this team that I feel comfortable that I can be myself around these guys. I hope they accept it for what it is. I think it's a cool locker room, a cool dynamic. I’m grateful for it, for sure.”
Lars Taylor-Tatsuji Nootbaar has a fascinating background. His father is of Dutch descent, and his mother is Japanese. He was raised in Southern California (as was Arenado) and played college ball at the University of Southern California. At USC, the Herbert V. Nootbaar Baseball Office & Hall of Fame Complex is named after Lars’ grandfather, a philanthropist.
The Cardinals’ Nootbaar, 24, just seems comfortable in his own skin. He can crack jokes and be self deprecating. He can work so hard on his swing but have a fun time, too.
Nootbaar’s personality and impact reminds one of Jose Martinez from the 2019 division-winning Cardinals. And with the Cardinals playing in Colorado beginning Tuesday, perhaps some remember the effervescent Ryan Spilborghs, who was a Colorado clubhouse favorite in 2007 — the year the Rockies got hot and went all the way to the World Series. Sometimes a clubhouse or locker room (or office or factory or wherever) just needs that wild-card guy.
“And the fans love him,” Adam Wainwright said. “You know they're doing the ‘Nooooooot!’”
Yes, the “Nooooooot!” It’s become quite a staple at the stadium, especially as more Busch products are consumed at Busch. When Nootbaar comes to bat or makes a catch, be it resplendent or routine, the fans shower him with the lovable chant. It’s fun. And he’s fun. The whole thing is fun.
And Marty Prather, who for decades has been known as “The Sign Man” at Busch, created one of his best works to honor Nootbaar. It’s a horizontal yellow sign that looks like the wrapper on the candy bar called Mr. Goodbar. In the same red font it says “Mr. Nootbaar.” Everything else looks the same, down to the white marking on the front with the calorie count.
On Twitter, @cardinalsgifs has created quite a following with their GIFs from the broadcasts. But notably the ones with Nootbaar do well, if only because he’s often physically interacting or celebrating with teammates in the dugout. Oh, and when he catches baseballs, he sticks his tongue out.
“He's a gamer, he’s just a great dude, great person,” fellow Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson said. “Just someone you need in a clubhouse, honestly.”
