Shortly after Memorial Day I mentioned during a radio broadcast that Mike Matheny “should start looking over his shoulder” if the St. Louis Cardinals fell back to a .500 record.
After last Saturday’s 8-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, the Cardinals found themselves at 42-41 and Matheny found out he was no longer the team’s manager.
I never was a Matheny fan and never changed my opinion that he was in way over his head.
His trip to the NLCS in 2012 and World Series appearance in 2013 were like Barry Switzer leading the Dallas Cowboys to the NFC Championship game after the 1994 season and then winning the Super Bowl the next year.
Matheny was guiding a Tony La Russa-crafted team that still had its core intact. Switzer oversaw the juggernaut that Jimmy Johnson created. Both men were along for the ride.
As both teams succumbed to free agency, age and injury, the good times stopped rolling.
The Cardinals trail the Chicago Cubs by 7 ½ games heading into an unusual five-game series this weekend at Wrigley Field. It’s put-up-or-shut-up time.
But the Cardinals really aren’t in competition with the Cubs or the struggling Milwaukee Brewers. They aren’t in a chase for the second wild-card slot.
They are in a tussle with the .500 mark. They must go at least 15 games over that level between now and the season’s close or Cardinal Nation will go three years without a postseason appearance.
The last straw
This column was going to be devoted to the defense of rookie reliever Jordan Hicks before Matheny was fired.
It turns out that the clubhouse harassment of Hicks by fellow reliever Bud Norris is what probably ended Matheny’s tenure as manager.
Last week, Mark Saxon wrote in The Athletic that Norris had taken it on himself to “badger” Hicks and that the frat boy antics included Norris treating Hicks “mercilessly.”
Not only did Matheny acknowledge it, he supported it. He called it “old school,” and basically said Hicks needs to be tougher like in the old days.
Gimmie a break.
The Post-Dispatch pundits, and most other sports media folks here in town – rushed to defend Matheny and the Cardinals – and trash Saxon. Typical St. Louis reaction.
Yes, Hicks capitulated and said all the right things to beat writer Derrick Goold about Norris and the Cards’ clubhouse. But what was he supposed to do? Trash everything and everybody? He had no choice.
The online article had a headline that declared “no rift in Cardinals bullpen.” Totally editorial and totally written to defend the pious Matheny and the suddenly out-of-control Cardinals’ clubhouse.
The veteran sportswriters who took these obvious cover-your-tail comments and used them to defend Matheny and the Cardinals should be ashamed.
A tip of the cat to Bernie Miklasz of 101 ESPN and The Athletic for not buying this tainted bag of goods.
In a series of Twitter hits on Saturday, Miklasz said, “As I wrote for @TheAthleticSTL Friday, management uncomfortable with Matheny’s expressed zeal for old-school tough guy stuff and referring to today’s game as “soft” … felt That whenever Matheny gets on the soapbox with old-school preaching that’s a huge turnoff to young players, it reinforced team’s rep as uptight, stressed, humorless and not a fun place to play.”
The biggest shortfall by most sports media members was failure to examine Saxon’s allegation that Norris was also Matheny’s team “snitch.” He was more than ready to rat out his teammates for behavior he thought was not up to the so-called “Cardinal Way.” Matheny did not disavow himself from this scandalous behavior, either.
Wrote Miklasz, “That’s why I was astonished by the attacks on @markasaxon; without Matheny running his mouth and all but bragging over having Bud Norris being his enforcer/snitch, Saxon had much less to build his piece around. Today’s players are different. This manager never got that.”
A disturbing fact
Saxon is also the gentleman who reported that outfielder Dexter Fowler and Matheny aren’t on speaking terms and that the relationship was unsalvageable. Of course, that was refuted by most St. Louis writers.
Regardless of those turning a blind-eye to the obvious, it seems that ethnicity is playing a role.
Fowler and Matheny had no love lost between them. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak insulted Fowler by suggesting he wasn’t hustling and giving his all on the field. He tried to back track, but it was too late.
The season began with Tommy Pham blasting the Cardinals for throwing contract extensions at unproven players who just happened to be white – and who are no longer with the team.
And now this hating-on-Hicks was going on with the manager’s OK.
As mentioned in previous columns, Fowler has certainly underperformed. His contract is an albatross for the team. But why was he the only player attacked by Mozeliak and why was he the lone target of Matheny’s ire?
Pham, who is second in runs scored in the National League, felt compelled to tell the world he thought the Cardinals had their priorities mixed up.
No one came to Hicks’ defense, instead it was time to shield Norris and Matheny from scrutiny.
This column was going to carry this headline, “Why would a player-of-color come to St. Louis?”
I’ll leave you to ponder that.
All Stars discuss activism
Several MLB All-Stars were asked this week why baseball players have been generally silent when it comes to sharing views on political and social issues.
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Lorenzo Cain respects NFL players who peacefully protested during the national anthem, saying they were “standing up for themselves.”
“I agree with some of the stuff they were doing, [but] for me, [during] the national anthem, I think of our troops fighting overseas and that’s why I stand for it. But the other guys were kneeling for entirely different reasons – we all know why – and I definitely understand where they were coming from.”
Seattle Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger said some fans should remember what America is supposedly about.
I don’t really like how some fans don’t like guys [who] speak out about what they believe in,” he said.
“I think everyone comes from different places on Earth, different countries, and I think the way you grow is to learn from other people’s backgrounds and to see where they come from, [and] how and why they think about the things they believe in.”
The Reid Roundup
Dexter Fowler hit a home run in the first game without Matheny at the helm. Karma, baby … I thought the only thing that would stop me from watching Cardinals games is the NL adopting the designated hitter. Now there is a second; Mark McGwire being named manager … Of the possible Cardinals managerial candidates being mentioned, zero are black … Latino candidates include third-base coach Jose Oquendo, Houston bench coach Jose Espada, Cleveland coach Sandy Alomar Jr., and former MLB star and Cardinal Carlos Beltran … I think it’s Joe Girardi’s job if he wants it … The “base” of Cardinal Nation wants Stubby Clapp, Triple A Memphis manager to get the job. I don’t … Speaking of Oquendo, why did the Cardinals select Mike Shildt as interim manager over him? … Does anyone have Ozzie Guillen’s telephone number? The former White Sox skipper would light a fire in St. Louis … NFL players have filed a collective bargaining grievance challenging the policy that no peaceful demonstrations will be allowed during the national anthem … Lewis Hamilton could use a win at this week’s Formula 1 race in Germany. He trails Sebastian Vettel by eight points in the drivers’ standings … Floyd “Money” Mayweather made $275 million last year – thanks in large part to his bout with Conor McGregor – making him the world’s highest paid athlete last year, according to FORBES … McGregor was fourth at $85 million; Lebron James sixth at $33.5 million; Steph Curry eighth at $34.9 million. These figures do not include endorsements. Both James and Curry made more in endorsement compensation than team contracts … Dusty Baker led the Washington Nationals to the postseason last year and was fired. If the playoffs started today, the Nats would not be included … She didn’t bring home the Wimbledon title, but isn’t Serena Williams simply fantastic?
Alvin A. Reid was honored as the 2017 “Best Sports Columnist – Weeklies” in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest and is a New York Times contributor. He is a panelist on the Nine Network program, Donnybrook, a weekly contributor to “The Charlie Tuna Show” on KFNS and appears monthly on “The Dave Glover Show” on 97.1 Talk.” His Twitter handle is @aareid1.
