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Cards Announce Coaching Staff

Posted on 16 November 2011. Tags: Basebal, Bench Coach, Brief News, Bullpen Coach, Chris Maloney, Coach Joe, Coach Mark, Dave Duncan, Dave Mckay, Hitting Coach, Ivie, Jose Oquendo, League Staff, Mark Mcgwire, Mike Aldrete, Mike Matheny, No Hard Feelings, Ryan Sandberg, Seasoned Veteran, Third Base Coach

In a brief news conference this afternoon, the Cardinals announced their coaching staff for 2012.

Very few surprises here, in all honesty. The only exception being the expected addition of an established coach for the bench. The Cardinals remained within the organization for all positions.

Chris Maloney, who has served as a manager in the minor leagues for the Cardinals, has been promoted and will take over duties at first base for Dave McKay who is being “reassigned within the organization”.

Joining McKay will be longtime bench coach Joe Petini as he is replaced by Mike Aldrete. Aldrete has served as assistant batting instructor and has been rumored for a promotion for some time now.

Meanwhile, third base coach Jose Oquendo, bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist, and hitting coach Mark McGwire will all return under new manager Mike Matheny. Dave Duncan had already confirmed his return and that was reiterated today.

The surprises here come at third base and on the bench for me. I expected the Cardinals to give Matheny a more seasoned veteran at his right hand. Aldrete has put in his time and has a lot of respect within the organization but one has to wonder if this was the right time for his move.

Aldrete started coaching in 2001, working in the Diamondbacks’ minor league system for three years before joining the major league staff in Seattle as a first base coach in 2004. He would return to Arizona as the hitting coach for the following two years before arriving in St. Louis as the assistant hitting coach in 2008.

Oquendo returning to coach third base shows a dedication to the team and confidence from the team. Many felt he was slighted by not being named manager and, hopefully, this shows that there are no hard feelings. It makes one appreciate the Cardinal way of life when you look at the fact that Ryan Sandberg left the Cubs organization when he was passed over for a job that many felt was “his”.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

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Cardinals: Rumor Mill And World Series Movie

Posted on 16 November 2011. Tags: Albert Pujols, Bench Coach, Brim, Cardinal Family, Cardinals, Chris Maloney, Eyes And Ears, Financial Information, Free Agent, Gm Meetings, Helm, Hot Stove, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League, Marlins, Pop Warner, Rumor Mill, Those Rumors, Time Of Year, World Series

It is the time of year for the Hot Stove to get stocked up and the Rumor Mill to fill to the brim.

When you are the World Champions, those rumors are a bit fewer and far between. The Cardinals have a few needs this off-season, all of which begin with the retention of their superstar, Albert Pujols.

News broke last week that the Marlins met with Albert in Florida and took him on a tour of the new stadium. Rumor is circulating now that the offer made from Miami to Pujols is a nine year offer. No financial information has leaked as of yet. Albert has repeatedly said that a franchise that is built to win is a primary interest, leaving some to wonder how serious he is considering an offer from Miami.

It is a bit surprising that the game’s top free agent has only been linked to one team so far this year. Cardinal general manager John Mozeliak is set to meet with Dan Lozano, Pujols’ agent, face to face during the GM meetings being held this week in Milwaukee.

Also on the Cardinals rumor front this week is the coaching staff, which seems to be a mixture of rumor and news at this point.

It has been widely reported that Memphis manager Chris Maloney has been promoted to the major league coaching staff, though no one knows what role that is for as of yet and the team is officially not commenting on the move. Subsequently, rumor is also circulating that Springfield manager Ron “Pop” Warner will be taking over the Memphis helm, much like he took over Springfield from Maloney in the past.

A veteran managerial name has surfaced in regards to the bench coach position opened up by the rumor that Joe Petini is no longer a part of the Cardinal family. Grady Little, former manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the man that Terry Francona replaced in Boston, has been rumored to be in discussion with the team. Again, no official word on this, but Little comes with a bit of a controversial background, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for this announcement.

The Cardinals will be looking to solidify the middle infield this season and hope to be able to retain late season acquisition Rafael Furcal. Furcal has put himself into a good position by having a healthy showing in Cardinal red down the stretch run and is now rumored to be seeking a three year deal or, at least, a two year deal with an option year. No word on the money the shorstop is looking for, but our friends at MLB Trade Rumors feel that he has limited his suitors drastically. The Brewers have interest in him, but no word if they have interest in meeting his demands.

John Mozeliak, when asked about Furcal’s situation, stated: “I’m not going to base our reaction on rumors or innuendo. But if I woke up tomorrow and he was signed I’d be a little disappointed.”

Finally today, the Cardinals are planning to hold a “Red Carpet Screening” of the 2011 World Series Film next week in St. Louis. Fans can be a part of the premier by attending the event on Tuesday, November 22 at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at WorldSeries.com. Download the official announcement (PDF) by clicking here.

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The Winner Is: Mike Matheny?

Posted on 14 November 2011. Tags: Bench Coach, Cardinal Nation, Cardinals Team, Chris Malone, Chris Maloney, Class Act, Daniel Descalso, Family Sports, Joe Mcewing, Jose Oquendo, League Coaches, League Management, Management Experience, Managerial Experience, Mike Matheny, Nick Punto, Ryne Sandberg, St Louis Cardinals, Terry Francona, Traditional Franchises, Upper Management

In just a few short hours, the Cardinals will convene a press conference to announce the 33rd manager in the history of the franchise.

The keys to the family sports car are about to be handed to the sixteen year old.

There were six managerial candidates that were interviewed for the vacant spot atop the St. Louis Cardinals team on the field. Only one, Terry Francona, had major league management experience. Two, Ryne Sandberg and Chris Maloney, were highly regarded managers at the Triple A level. Two, Jose Oquendo and Joe McEwing, are former Cardinals and major league coaches that have gained a lot of respect (even if players don’t listen to “stop” signs). The final one is a former Cardinal catcher, a roaming instructor in the Cardinals system, and has no coaching or managerial experience.

Yep, that’s the one everyone would pick.

By no means am I saying that I do not support this move. Mike Matheny is a class act, a baseball mind, a good guy, and was definitively in charge of a field when it stood behind the plate. He is a player that is ingrained in the traditions of Cardinal nation. He obviously interviewed very well and said everything that the Cardinals’ upper management needed to hear. But it is a certain gamble for one of baseball’s most historic and traditional franchises to go with an inexperienced manager at the helm.

There are a ton of questions that will not be answered until 2012 and some that will be answered soon. We will not know until the season progresses how Matheny manages. We will not know if he will prefer a veteran arm to a young rookie. We will not know if players like Daniel Descalso and Nick Punto are the types of guys we will see a lot of or if he tends to run the same lineup out there 140 games a year. The biggest question on the mind of some is simple: Will the pitcher ever hit eighth again?

Some questions are about to be answered soon. One of the most important will be the appointment of the bench coach. With a manager with little experience, you would think the Cardinals will put a strong bench coach next to him to help alleviate some of the concern. The rest of the coaching staff will start to fall into place, the Pujols negotiations will heat up, and the Cardinals will delve into free agency and trades to solidify the few shortcomings they have entering the new season. Some of these moves will make it evident what type of team Matheny will prefer.

One thing is for certain. As of eleven o’clock central time this morning, all eyes are now on number 22.

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TLReplacement

Posted on 04 November 2011. Tags: Busch Stadium, Cardinal Nation, Chris Malone, Chris Maloney, Conducting Interviews, David Freese, Dead Grandma, Don Mattingly, Intimate Group, Joe Mcewing, Jose Oquendo, Lamp Shade, Larus, Last Decade, League Experience, Management Side, Mike Matheny, Radio Interview, Rolen, Ryne Sandberg, S Joe, Terry Francona, Tony Larussa

Following the parade through the streets of downtown St. Louis, and subsequent celebratory ceremony inside Busch Stadium on Sunday afternoon, long-time Cardinals manager, Tony LaRussa called a meeting. It would be his last. He told the players, coaches, and the small intimate group in attendance that he’d decided to retire, and would not be returning for another season. Nearly everyone was shocked, many were emotional, and only those who were there know exactly what it was like in that moment. David Freese recounted in a radio interview on Thursday, “I’m glad I was sitting down when he told us.”.

Some people look into online universities when they want to get into the management side of sports and learn the skills to do so.

Tony LaRussa announces his retirement after 33 years of managing in MLB. Bill DeWitt Jr, Tony LaRussa, John Mozeliak (L to R)

Less than a week later, the organization has already begun conducting interviews for LaRussa’s replacement. The list that’s apparently floating around out there, though it doesn’t appear the club has confirmed it, includes the following handful of candidates:

And right on cue, Cardinals fans are pissing a moaning about the lackluster “short list”.

“Where’s Joe Maddon??”
“They have to give it to Oquendo!”
“Francona is the only guy with any Major League experience!”
“Why isn’t Don Mattingly on the list?”
“Can’t hire Sandberg–he was a CUB!”
“They can’t give it to Oquendo!”

…and plenty of other nonsensical outcries.

Listen, poll Cardinal Nation a week ago, and ask “With whom should the Cardinals replace Tony LaRussa?”, and EVERYBODY on the aforementioned list is suddenly over-qualified. People are writing in “Helen Keller”, “My dead grandma”, “My dog, Rolen”, and “lamp shade” as quickly as they can. It’s the battle cry we’ve heard from half of Cardinal Nation for the last decade and a half: “A.B.L.”, baby, Anybody But LaRussa.

Yet, now that it’s a situation that the Cardinals are actually in, it’s being taken to the next level. Now, anyone who has ever worn the birds on the bat is suddenly deserving and qualified to manage the 2012 team. Milt Thompson? Bingo! Rex Hudler? Bring him in! Keith Hernandez? Perfect man for the job. Todd Zeile? Slap a “12” on his back, and call him skipper! I cannot, for the life of me, understand the logic behind these arguments…and spare me the “they understand the Cardinal way” stuff. A year ago, Marty Mason would’ve been “perfect” in a lot of these same folks’ minds.

I suppose it’s simply the emotion-driven sentiment that comes along with most fan bases. When you’re talking sheer numbers, and almost as many different personality types, logic & sound reasoning often elude the masses. I wrote about that earlier, but I’m no less irritated by it today than I was then.

But, now we’ve gone and taken it to a whole new level. We, as a general fan base, are demanding…DE-MAND-ING that Joe Maddon bring himself, and those highlights we’ve not seen since the Edmonds days, down to 700 Clark Street, and meet with Mo. And I mean yesterday! Repeat after me: Joe…Maddon…

(no, seriously, go ahead and say it aloud)

Joe. Maddon. Is. Under. Contract.

If the right thing to do is pursue a manager who is already under contract with another team, then why don’t the Cardinals just skip all the messing around, and just go get Mike Scioscia? He’s under contract until 2018, sure…but that’s irrelevant, because the Cardinals fans want him in St. Louis, right? Look, I’d be just as happy as the next guy to have Maddon or Scioscia in the home dugout calling the shots at Busch next summer and beyond. But for me, that wish is on the same list that has all that stuff about Jessica Alba, and for those of you familiar with the phrase, I’ll bet my other hand fills up first.

Maybe the good folks in the front office at Tropicana Field are still a little sore about the way the whole rumored ‘Colby Rasmus & others for Jeff Niemann & others’ deal that, at least according to some accounts, John Mozeliak pulled the rug out from under Andrew Friedman at the last minute. “If Mozeliak from St. Louis calls, don’t answer.” may be the standing order to the staff down in St. Pete. That kind of stuff happens, folks. There are an awful lot of egos out there, and many of them are quite sizable. Relationships between the Cardinals and Padres have been favorable in recent years, it’s reasonable to assume that other relationships aren’t as good, and some might be downright bad. It would be most unfortunate if the relationship between the Cardinals and the Rays were bad, though, for a number of reasons–not the least of which is that in some ways, the Rays are the new Expos.

I don’t know who the next manager of the St. Louis Cardinals will be. Interviews began on Thursday, when two candidates met with members of the Cardinals brass. Francona is expected to interview Friday, while interview times for Delino DeShields and the great Casey Stengel have not yet to be determined. Mozeliak has given a tentative timetable of the next few weeks to get a deal done–presumably some time before Thanksgiving is a general target. Either way though, rushing a decision is obviously a mistake, but promptness needs to be balanced with being thorough and confident in their selection.

After all, there’s other important business to tend to.

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