Jupiter, Fla. – Now that spring training is officially open for the World Champion Cardinals, there are few things that are certainly different. You know about Tony La Russa retiring by now, and Mike Matheny is the new sheriff. With that said, along with some new players there are new faces that once wore the Cardinal uniform. Yes, Ozzie is back, and if you think that is cool, he is joined by fan favorite Willie McGee. General Manager John Mozaliek and Manager Mike Matheny invited the two to be guest instructors, and what a move that has turned out to be.
Both Smith and McGee have embraced the invitation with open arms and have made it their business to pass on what the game has given them to current and future Cardinals. McGee and Smith are working with a variety of players on base-running techniques as well as fielding skills. This is not just a face-time adventure; the two are putting serious work in. The sort of work that it took for Ozzie to become a Hall of Famer and for Willie to be a two-time batting champion as well as the National League Most Valuable Player.
As for the current players, all eyes and ears are on the two legends as they just keep it simple. The players get it, and the results will be seen over the course of the season.
For McGee and Smith, this is a better homecoming than anyone would have thought. Teamed with third base coach and former teammate Jose Oquendo, the memories and laughs are aplenty, as well as the stories that the current players and coaches seem to appreciate. This is a real plus for the Cardinals to reach out to the past and get the players who help make Cardinal Nation what it is today.
Others scheduled to appear are Jim Edmonds, Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter and Whitey Herzog. If that does not help, I am not sure what will.
RGIII
The most valuable player in this year’s draft for the Rams is a guy they will not even draft. Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy Winner Robert Griffin III turned more than just a few heads at the NFL Combine late last week. While he did not throw one pass, everything else he did from a testing and drill aspect was off the chart. I say sign him up for the Olympics if he was that good.
Here is the element that always reminds you that black quarterbacks at times still face the double standard. Various media outlets reported how impressed teams were withGriffin’s off-field behavior and his interviews. He was also given high marks on his football aptitude. If he comes from an outstanding academic institution like Baylor, where he has already graduated, he won football’s highest individual award and he excelled at the combine, then why is Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck still so highly thought of to the point he has the label of “can’t miss”?
They act as if RGIII was the second coming of Charles Manson. Here is a guy that has been a standup guy from day one, and yet he still has to prove something when others get a pass?
If all holds as it is now, the teams that want to be in a position to draftGriffinwill give up a king’s ransom to get him. If you are the Rams, why not ask for the sky? Let’s start off with a first and third round pick this year and next. Just an idea. And make sure you are trading with a team that will be as bad as you are next year, where those picks could be early in the draft like this year. In all, RGIII will have as much impact on the future of the Rams as any player on the current roster.
