Creative Cardinals make sense of hiring Matheny despite appearances
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| The Cardinals hand new manager Mike Matheny a No. 22 team jersey that doesn't fit. (AP) |
Wouldn't you know it: the Cardinals introduced new manager Mike Matheny on Monday, and his jersey wouldn't fit.
So there at the podium, they hit the pause button. Matheny removed his suit jacket. And then he tried to pull on that No. 22 Cardinals jersey again.
Sign of things to come?
Wait, I can answer this one: Who the heck knows?
Matheny hasn't managed anything more than a team of 14-year-olds.
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A major-league managerial gig is really, really, really hard.
Does this mean Matheny is doomed and the Cardinals are daft?
Wait, I can answer that one, too: Who the heck knows?
Bottom line is, if anybody tells you they know how this will turn out, he probably also will tell you he alone had the idea for the iPhone years ago, too, but just couldn't get financing. Nobody knows how this will turn out. Which is both the beauty and the beast of this Cardinals decision.
Following the White Sox's move to replace Ozzie Guillen with Robin Ventura, the Cardinals and Chicago this winter have obliterated the Old Boys Network. Time was, clubs recycled leather-necked veterans when the manager's job came open. Now, it's as if experience suddenly is a hindrance.
New trend?
"Two unique hires that broke with the traditional way of thinking," St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said Monday. "Will that be a path others will follow? I can't answer for them."
Thinking outside the box and being open to new ideas are not bad things. True, there are men who have put in time from Toledo to Tucson who maybe are more deserving. But, Mike Quade? Didn't work out so well for the Cubs. Bob Geren? Oakland wasted everyone's time -- most importantly, its own -- with that one.
The recycling bin is loaded with names like Jim Riggleman. Great, if you like overwhelming odds of getting a nickel's worth of cash redemption value.
Creativity can be a weapon in today's game. Imagination counts in the information age because sometimes that's the only way to gain an edge. Kirk Gibson was great for Arizona last year. He'll probably win a manager of the year award this week.
Matheny?
What I can tell you for sure is this:
If Albert Pujols re-signs with the Cardinals this winter, Matheny is going to be a much better manager next summer.
Hiring a rookie skipper to manage a World Series-winning team is not unprecedented, by the way. The Pirates did it when they named Bill Virdon to replace Danny Murtaugh in 1972. Result? Virdon's Pirates won a third consecutive NL East title in '72 but were beaten by the Reds in the NL Championship Series.
"They're all going to be big challenges," Matheny said Monday when asked to anticipate the biggest in his new job. "I think this position is filled with challenges and speculation.
"Whether it's a manager of 33 years or a first-time manager, I don't think that you can fully anticipate what's ahead. That's part of the beauty and the challenge of this game."
With La Russa out, the Cardinals could not have changed directions more dramatically. Connie Mack is the only man in baseball history to have managed more games than La Russa. Compared to that, the new man in the dugout -- even if he was Terry Francona -- was not going to have nearly the background of the old guy.
A word on Francona: I like him a lot, for reasons that go far beyond -- but all relate to -- his two World Series titles in Boston. But following the September crash-landing in Boston and his chaotic personal life (he separated from his longtime wife last year), taking a brief respite before his next job may be beneficial.
Mozeliak indicated that Matheny was the club's first choice all along. Given that Matheny was one of the first hired by Mozeliak (roving minor-league instructor) after Mozeliak replaced Walt Jocketty in 2007, it doesn't come completely out of the blue.
Because the Cardinals did not promote third-base coach and FOP (Friend of Pujols) Jose Oquendo, there was immediate speculation as to how that will impact the Big Man's free agent decision. But with Pujols quiet and speculation at this time of year always, shall I say, well-fertilized, anybody who dives into that pool is doing so with nothing more than pure conjecture.
Conspiracy theorists also could easily read La Russa's unexpected retirement as an indication that he has inside knowledge that Pujols will depart and things will regress in Birdland next summer. True? Come on.
Pujols is too big, and his decision too enormous, for petty side issues to play a major factor. Pujols' decision will come down to money and legacy (i.e., how important is St. Louis to him when he goes down in history?).
The one link between Matheny and Pujols: La Russa was the game's highest paid manager, earning nearly $5 million a year. Matheny, on a two-year deal with a club option for a third, will get nowhere close to that. More leftover bird seed for Pujols?
The expected return of pitching coach Dave Duncan is a very strong indicator that the Cardinals' old guard is on board with the new thinking as Mozeliak's organizational grip strengthens. Chris Carpenter, in discussing his extension last month, cited extended alumni family as one important reason why he wants to finish his career a Cardinal. The names he ticked off weren't just Bob Gibson and Lou Brock.
"Mike Matheny," Carpenter said with reverence.
If things go as the Cardinals hope, Carpenter and, yes, Pujols, one day also will be part of that impressive alumni club. And while it would be ludicrous to expect the guy to manage for 33 years like La Russa, with a few breaks, maybe as those alumni stop by to visit, it will be Matheny who still sits in the manager's office, jersey fitting perfectly.
