***Official 2015 STL Cardinals Thread***

[BigRedChief]

2011 World Series Championship
2012 NLCS. One win from another WS appearance.
2013 World Series. Two wins from another World Series Championship
2014 NLCS. Three wins from another WS appearance

• Made the postseason 10 times in the last 14 seasons.
• Only 1 losing season since 2000.
• Reached the World Series 4 times since 2004 and won as many championships (two) the past eight seasons as it did from 1965 to 2005.
• Made the NLCS 9 times including the last 4 years 2011-2014
• Three million attendance? Take it to the bank.
• 65 post season wins since 2004. 22+ wins more than any other team.

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I've always said the exact same thing.

"Y'know, at least we don't have a guy that would double-switch Adrian Gonzalez out of a tie ballgame so we could just keep walking Hanley Ramirez and attacking Michael Young and a flailing Yasiel Puig..."

.

This right here lost me as a donnie manager fan. I love Donnie the baseball player in the 80's, but i dontl ike donnie the Manager. Taking out Gonzales in the 8th inning of a play off game is a serious wtf is he doing out there. He does stupid shit like that ALL the time.

our stupid ass manager just said that he cant find a spot for Guerrero to play everyday, but he can find a spot for someone whos been average to below average and an absolutely terrible hitter all season long to play shortstop every day. lol Jimmy Rollins used to be good, but my god he's horrible these days.

despite you Cardinal fans not liking your managers for the last 10 or so years, at least yall win. lol

[ChiefsCountry]

Lance Lynn to 15 day DL with right forearm strain. Lyons starts tomorrow. Comments from Mozeliak 4:15 @kmoxnews. #STLCards

— Chris Hrabe (@chrabe) June 12, 2015

[Rams Fan]

**** that noise.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Lance Lynn to 15 day DL with right forearm strain.

Isn't that usually what happens right before the dreaded TJ?

[O.city]

Usually.

Although they've stated he could pitch thru it, just want to skip a few starts and that he should be off it in 15 days

[George Liquor]

I'm about tired of this shit.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

IMO, the main job of a MLB manager in 2015 is to manage the clubhouse. Create a winning atmosphere. Get the players to play together. Manage egos. Get the players to buy into what he is selling etc.

He is obviously doing that. As Larussa says, they play a hard 9.

The other main part in 2015 is when to pull and insert pitchers. He is still a work in progress in this part of the job.

For 162 games in the regular season, you're largely correct. Though ultimately 2 games in the standings can make a damn big difference. On balance, however, I'd favor a manager that brings player management skills over a manager that brings tactical brilliance in the regular season.

There are 2 problems, however:

A) That's a false dichotomy. The Joe Maddon's of the world bring both premier personnel skills and outstanding tactical acumen. Good luck trying to convince me that we couldn't have had Joe, the lifelong Cardinals fan, in red had the gutless owners of this team had the juevos to fire Matheny.

B) The reason that firing Matheny would've been wholly justifiable is that we watched him get undressed again by a superior tactician in the playoffs. Come the post-season, when EVERYBODY is playing a hard 9, just being a rah rah guy doesn't do it anymore. Now you actually have to be as smart as the guy pulling levers on the other side of the field.

Mike Matheny is just flat dumb. I don't mean this as a pejorative really. I mean it in the same sense that I would say that "Peter Dinklage is short" or "Dwayne Johnson is massive". It's a simple, matter of fact statement. Mike Matheny isn't someone that I could spend more than 20 minutes around because his dumb jockness would overwhelm me. When I read that stupid !@#$ing letter he forwarded to his little league parents, I can honest to god hear it in the same voice as every dudebrah that ever got a chance to run his fraternity intermural squad. I can hear the ski instructor from South Park saying "If you pizza when you meant to french fry, you're gonna have a bad time..." He's just a dim bulb.

The baseball ranks are absolutely flush with intelligent, experienced leaders and managers who simply haven't had a chance to show their worth. Our cowardly ownership group, OTOH, went out and hired a former fan favorite who, unfortunately, is a moron.

Sorry, but this is the big leagues and the Cardinals are a crown jewel franchise. The club and its fans deserve better.

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

......

Did you just call the DeWitts gutless? They are the best owners that any team in St. Louis has ever had. Period.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Did you just call the DeWitts gutless? They are the best owners that any team in St. Louis has ever had. Period.

Lamar Hunt was also an exceptional owner. He was still risk-averse to the point of hamstringing his team.

Not firing Matheny amd pursuing Maddon is absolutely, 100%, straight up cowardice.

What possible baseball justification could there have been?

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Lamar Hunt was also an exceptional owner. He was still risk-averse to the point of hamstringing his team.

Not firing Matheny amd pursuing Maddon is absolutely, 100%, straight up cowardice.

What possible baseball justification could there have been?

Organizational perception. I don't agree with it, but it is a legitimate counterargument.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Anyone else here have to spend an inordinate amount of time around Royals bandwagoners?

My in-laws went from not knowing where their FSMW affiliate is on the cable guide to becoming Royal Super Fans who attend at least a game a week. The straw on the camels back for me was when they were trying to train my daughters to chant "Let's Go Royals!"

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Lamar Hunt was also an exceptional owner. He was still risk-averse to the point of hamstringing his team.

Not firing Matheny amd pursuing Maddon is absolutely, 100%, straight up cowardice.

What possible baseball justification could there have been?

Because it would be pretty hard to market to the fan base that firing a manager who has made the POs in all of his seasons as manager in favor of another manager is the right move.

Edited to add: Maddon is a fine manager, probably better than Matheny. And I think almost any manager in baseball can do good things with the Cardinals as long as Mo and the DeWitts are present. However, think of the PR backlash. Look at the Chargers after firing Marty. Or the Bulls firing Thibodeau. You don't fire someone who has had success in a short period of time just for the sake of hiring a perceived upgrade.

The Cubs hiring Maddon is completely different. Renteria was a 1st time MLB manager. It's a lot easier to market to their customers that they are improving the team with hiring a perceived upgrade over an inexperienced manager vs someone who has had just as good of results as Maddon in a shorter period of time(granted, the teams Matheny inherited in STL and Maddon in TB are vastly different from each other).

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Anyone else here have to spend an inordinate amount of time around Royals bandwagoners?

My in-laws went from not knowing where their FSMW affiliate is on the cable guide to becoming Royal Super Fans who attend at least a game a week. The straw on the camels back for me was when they were trying to train my daughters to chant "Let's Go Royals!"

Yes. My whole damn family, in laws included, are in KC. They know enough however to understand that there would be murders if they tried that shit. And if it worked and the kid started saying it, I'd drop her off at the fire station and never look back.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

Because it would be pretty hard to market to the fan base that firing a manager who has made the POs in all of his seasons as manager in favor of another manager is the right move.

So.....cowardice.

Got it.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Ventura threw Molina four straight balls, Yadi hacked at two them. Then, he served up a middle-middle cookie on 2-2 and Yadi hits a weak flyout to right center.

He is just completely ****ed as a hitter.