COMMENTARY | For the first time since 2004, the St. Louis Cardinals will enter the season without Chris Carpenter in the dugout. The absence of that competitive nature and fiery demeanor could lead to a completely different clubhouse chemistry.

Carpenter was known for his expletive laden outbursts, his upholding of the unwritten rules of baseball, his intense conversations with teammates when he felt they were not as focused as necessary, and a competitive nature that was seldom rivaled. It was his leadership both on the field and behind closed doors that will provide the most change for the team, however.

The intensity of the Cardinals clubhouse has been off the charts at times and much of that intensity flowed form the ace pitcher and veteran leader of the team. That leadership now falls to Yadier Molina, who may very well share in that same level of intensity, and a much more subdued and calm Adam Wainwright. Both of these players will have an impact on the pitching staff that will clearly define the tone of the team in the immediate future.

Read more about the changing clubhouse of the St. Louis Cardinals by clicking here.

The Kansas City Royals find themselves in an all too familiar place at the 2012 trade deadline, as they are once again in “sell” mode.

Reality is starting to sink in. 2012 is certainly not appearing to be #OurTime. The Royals currently sit at 14 games under .500 (40-54) and 11 games behind the 1st place and surging Detroit Tigers. And after going 3-7 on their most recent homestand, are now only ahead of the lowly Minnesota Twins by 1/2 game. It is time to once again start looking toward next season, and what can the Royals spin off at the deadline for players that can assist the ballclub in 2013 and beyond. And while the Royals should be open to any deal that makes them better in 2013, 2014, and 2015, for any player (except for Sal Perez), they should be very aggressive in looking to move the following players.

Jeff Francoeur
After having an excellent season last year, and then signing a 2 year extension with the Royals, “Frenchy” is having a fairly miserable year offensively. He still has a dangerous arm though and would bring excellent leadership and presence to a contenting team, particularly if he was in a platoon role. His contract makes him tough to deal, but with Will Myers ready to step in as the everyday right-fielder, the Royals almost have no choice. They should willingly eat most or all of his salary for something marginally useful in order to get Myers regular at-bats. This would immediately make them a better offensive team.

Jonathan Broxton
The signing of Broxton has proven to be a good one. Once Soria went down, nobody really knew what to expect from “Johnny Drama”. But he has been more than serviceable as the closer and is the type of player that will certainly draw interest as the deadline nears. Teams looking for a closer will likely pursue the 1st tier guys before a guy like Broxton so if he gets dealt it will likely not be until right before the deadline.

Jarrod Dyson
This is a player whose name has surprisingly not come up much but would make a lot of sense for the Royals to look to deal, especially if they can’t find a taker for Francoeur. A speedy pinch-running 4th outfielder is a luxury the Royals cannot affor right now, and one that several teams (like the Yankees) could absolutely use. He is not a player that should look to be dealt for just anything, but if someone comes calling, Dayton should be listening hard.

Yuniesky Betancourt
He’s a free agent after this year. If Dayton can obtain a lottery ticket for him, he needs to say yes before the other GM even completely gets the question out of his mouth.

Chris Getz
Getz has been a very serviceable player for the Royals, especially this season. But it is difficult to see them becoming a championship team with him as the everyday 2nd baseman. If the Royals can get anything for him, they should strongly consider moving him.

Jose Mijares
A left-handed situational reliever who is performing well is always a hot commodity at the deadline. Plus he’s a free agent after the season. Plus the Royals have a surplus of bullpen arms. There is no way he should still be on the roster come August 1.

FOX SPORTS KANSAS CITY AND THE ROYALS ANNOUNCE TELECAST CHANGES

KANSAS CITY, MO (December 2, 2011) — The Kansas City Royals and FOX Sports Kansas City today announced the contracts of analyst Frank White and producer Kevin Shank will not be renewed for the 2012 season.

“FOX Sports Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals appreciate Frank White stepping into a larger role as game analyst the last three seasons. He shifted from a planned part-time role to a near full-time role and performed admirably in the booth at a time of need. We also want to thank Kevin Shank for his years of leadership as producer of Royals telecasts. FOX Sports Kansas City has decided to go in a different direction with these positions next year. A search for their replacements will begin immediately.”

To be experienced, or not to be experienced, that was one of the many questions facing the St. Louis Cardinals’ upper-management over the past couple of weeks as they whittled down their list of candidates looking to fill the huge managerial vacancy left by future Hall of Famer, Tony La Russa. Frankly, there would have been some unrest within the Cardinals’ fan base no matter who the team went with, but I find the “Mike Matheny is inexperienced” argument completely irrelevant. He’s inexperienced? At what? Sure he hasn’t managed a single professional baseball game in his life, but that’s not a prerequisite for “experience” in my book. First, let’s take a hard look at what a major league manager truly does and then see if Matheny is qualified or not.

Major League Managing 101 -

1) Leadership – This is hands down the most important quality a Major League manager must have. He’s leading a group of men for seven months through Spring Training and then a 162 game regular season. Guys can lose focus and get burnt out pretty easily under those conditions. The manager needs to be a guy who’s been through the same thing and knows how to keep that focus throughout the long summer months.

2) Knowledge of the Game – We’re not just talking about hitting the ball and running counterclockwise around the bases, here… we’re talkin’ what pitch to throw to the cleanup hitter when you’re behind in the count and the bases are loaded. We’re talkin’ knowing when to pull your pitcher… and who can come in and get the next series of critical outs. We’re talking tie game, bottom of the 9^th, runners at 2^nd and 3^rd with one out… do you load the bases to set up an inning ending double play or bring the infield in and trust your pitcher to get the out?

3) Knowledge of the Team’s Talent – Does the manager know his guys’ strengths and weaknesses, and can he utilize them accordingly.

Ok, so those are some of the basics. Now ask yourself the question: Is Mike Matheny “experienced” in any of those areas? Well, let’s take a look:

1) Leadership – Matheny was a manager on the field during his major league career, which spanned over 13 seasons with 4 different teams, including 5 years with the Cardinals. During those years, he gained trust and respect from his pitching staff (including Chris Carpenter), his other teammates (including Albert Pujols), and his coaches (including Dave Duncan). And he certainly knows what it’s like to go through the 162-game grind, doing it himself for more than a decade.

2) Knowledge of the Game – Mike Matheny won four gold gloves as a catcher. Translation: in addition to calling every single pitch selection of the game, he was also focused and talented enough to make all the physical plays necessary to be considered the best in the game at his position. He had an understanding of what opposing hitters strengths and weaknesses were, and helped his pitchers get them out.

3) Knowledge of the Team’s Talent – We already mentioned Mike Matheny has played with Pujols and caught for Chris Carpenter. He has also had a role in coaching and developing talent in the Cardinals’ minor league system, so he’s familiar with guys like Fernando Salas, Eduardo Sanchez, Daniel Descalso, Tony Cruz, Allen Craig, Jon Jay, and others. In addition to that, he’s also served time as an analyst for Fox Sports Midwest, dissecting the players and games through a critical eye.

Obviously, there’s a lot more to managing a Major League Baseball team than what we’ve discussed thus far, but of the three areas we’ve hit on, Matheny does have the upper hand on all the other candidates with the exception of Jose Oquendo. I can only assume that “intangibles” put Matheny ahead of Jose in the club’s decision. How would the soft-spoken Oquendo handle the umpires? That’s something Matheny, as a catcher, was able to master over his 13 year career… lobbying his way over balls and strikes probably every single game he caught. How would Oquendo handle the media? That’s something Matheny had a big more experience at as well, playing in the media-crazed 21^st century version of MLB and working himself as an on-air analyst.

All things considered, I think Mike Matheny is the right choice for the job as Cardinals manager. Is he “deserving” of the role, who’s really to say? He played minor league ball, worked his way up to the majors, and helped out with the minor league system over the past couple years. Clearly he hasn’t paid as many dues as Jose Oquendo has, but why should that matter? This is professional baseball… the best of the best work and play here. Ryan Franklin paid the most dues and had the most “experience” of any of the guys in the bullpen to start the 2011 season… and all of you, I repeat, ALL of you, were calling for him to be removed from the closer role by the 3^rd week of the season. The Cardinals eventually obliged.

Sometimes, you have to go with your gut. General Manager John Mozeliak’s gut told him: respected by the players and coaches, knows the game, knows the players, knows how to work with the pitchers, knows how to prepare for and call a game. The gut feeling might work out for Mozeliak and the Cardinals, it might not… but out of the finalists for this particular job, the Cardinals chose the right guy.