Luvofthegame
09-29-2006, 11:35 AM
BY JEFF GORDON
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
09/27/2006
These are dark days in Cardinal Nation. The team has fallen into a death spiral, Tony La Russa is channeling Gene Mauch and the fans are apoplectic.
A restaurant executive I know is pulling for the Cards to lose out, to force the ownership to quit cutting corners. One of my family’s doctors predicted the team would lose out if Chris Carpenter failed Tuesday night, which he did.
A construction manager I know is already trumpeting a Scott Rolen-for-Alex Rodriguez trade, to rescue A-Rod from all those mean people in New York City. One of my bosses is campaigning for Joe Girardi to become the next skipper.
These are drastic reactions to a drastic turn of events. Just when it seemed the Cards would back into the playoffs as champions of the National League Central, the team stalled in its tracks. Even in this corner of cyberspace -- where optimism reigns eternal -– the harsh reality of the Cards collapse has settled in.
Here are some thoughts on what is going down:
* Once again, we are gaining appreciation for just how long the 162-game marathon is. Keeping a team on track for the duration is an enormous challenge. Fans judge field managers on how they fare in postseason play, but getting teams into the playoffs is a chore.
Jim Leyland has felt that strain in Detroit, as the Tigers frittered away a massive lead. Grady Little has experienced the struggle in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have experienced dramatic ups and downs all season.
Ozzie Guillen couldn’t prevent his team’s slide in Chicago. Phil Garner is trying to overcome months of struggle in Houston with another late sprint. And now La Russa is attempting stave off one of the most dramatic collapses in baseball history.
* Momentum is everything in baseball.
It becomes a force of nature by the end of the long grind. The Astros and Padres are riding their winning streaks at breakneck speed. And for the Cardinals, this untimely seven-game losing streak must feel like a 70-game losing streak right about now.
* When times become difficult, managers usually lean hard on their most trusted players. The explains why La Russa asked staff ace Chris Carpenter to take on more than he could handle (as it turned out) during his last two starts.
Desperate managers shorten their bench, shorten their bullpen and even shorten up their rotation. They want to win or lose with the players they trust the most. Whitey Herzog would pitch John Tudor and Danny Cox until their arms nearly fell off.
* Everybody on the team will be judged by what happens during the next five or six days.
Players are stepping up here and there. Jim Edmonds came off the bench to hit that three-run, pinch-hit homer Monday. Ronnie Belliard delivered a rare two-homer game Tuesday. Albert Pujols was on base six times in these two losses.
On the other hand, Rolen went 1 for 9 with no RBIs and some big rally-killing outs during the last two games. Neither Carpenter nor Jeff Suppan could deliver quality starts when the team needed it most. The team’s bullpen woes continue.
If cornerstone players fail during the next few days, they may not be cornerstone players much longer.
* If the Cards miss the playoffs, it would be hard to imagine La Russa returning as manager. When a team dies on a manager’s watch -– and this would be a rather spectacular death -– a team can’t come back next spring with lots of collective enthusiasm.
Given his success here, I’ve always maintained that La Russa should manage the Cards as long as he chooses. He has earned that right.
But if this team can’t revive itself during the next few days, La Russa will take the failure very, very hard. He has already been feeling the emotional wear and tear of a decade on the job. He was already wondering whether he should take the team forward.
If this team blows this lead and misses the playoffs entirely . . . well, let’s just hope his head doesn’t explode.
* Ultimately, Bill DeWitt and his management team have a measured, long-range response to whatever happens this weekend. DeWitt has a vision for the team and it seems pretty sound -– he wants to build a strong farm system that creates a self-renewing talent base.
That could create some “cost certainty,” which DeWitt loves, and more roster stability. Retooling a veteran team each season with low-cost journeymen is a difficult challenge, as we saw this season when Sidney Ponson and Junior Spivey didn’t come through.
The transition toward a new method of operation is underway. Walt Jocketty signaled that by holding on to all his top pitching prospects at the trade deadline. DeWitt signaled that by promoting Jeff Luhnow to oversee the entire player development operation.
Will this transition go smoothly over the span of a few years? Or will change come more abruptly?
That may be determined by what happens the next few days
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
09/27/2006
These are dark days in Cardinal Nation. The team has fallen into a death spiral, Tony La Russa is channeling Gene Mauch and the fans are apoplectic.
A restaurant executive I know is pulling for the Cards to lose out, to force the ownership to quit cutting corners. One of my family’s doctors predicted the team would lose out if Chris Carpenter failed Tuesday night, which he did.
A construction manager I know is already trumpeting a Scott Rolen-for-Alex Rodriguez trade, to rescue A-Rod from all those mean people in New York City. One of my bosses is campaigning for Joe Girardi to become the next skipper.
These are drastic reactions to a drastic turn of events. Just when it seemed the Cards would back into the playoffs as champions of the National League Central, the team stalled in its tracks. Even in this corner of cyberspace -- where optimism reigns eternal -– the harsh reality of the Cards collapse has settled in.
Here are some thoughts on what is going down:
* Once again, we are gaining appreciation for just how long the 162-game marathon is. Keeping a team on track for the duration is an enormous challenge. Fans judge field managers on how they fare in postseason play, but getting teams into the playoffs is a chore.
Jim Leyland has felt that strain in Detroit, as the Tigers frittered away a massive lead. Grady Little has experienced the struggle in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers have experienced dramatic ups and downs all season.
Ozzie Guillen couldn’t prevent his team’s slide in Chicago. Phil Garner is trying to overcome months of struggle in Houston with another late sprint. And now La Russa is attempting stave off one of the most dramatic collapses in baseball history.
* Momentum is everything in baseball.
It becomes a force of nature by the end of the long grind. The Astros and Padres are riding their winning streaks at breakneck speed. And for the Cardinals, this untimely seven-game losing streak must feel like a 70-game losing streak right about now.
* When times become difficult, managers usually lean hard on their most trusted players. The explains why La Russa asked staff ace Chris Carpenter to take on more than he could handle (as it turned out) during his last two starts.
Desperate managers shorten their bench, shorten their bullpen and even shorten up their rotation. They want to win or lose with the players they trust the most. Whitey Herzog would pitch John Tudor and Danny Cox until their arms nearly fell off.
* Everybody on the team will be judged by what happens during the next five or six days.
Players are stepping up here and there. Jim Edmonds came off the bench to hit that three-run, pinch-hit homer Monday. Ronnie Belliard delivered a rare two-homer game Tuesday. Albert Pujols was on base six times in these two losses.
On the other hand, Rolen went 1 for 9 with no RBIs and some big rally-killing outs during the last two games. Neither Carpenter nor Jeff Suppan could deliver quality starts when the team needed it most. The team’s bullpen woes continue.
If cornerstone players fail during the next few days, they may not be cornerstone players much longer.
* If the Cards miss the playoffs, it would be hard to imagine La Russa returning as manager. When a team dies on a manager’s watch -– and this would be a rather spectacular death -– a team can’t come back next spring with lots of collective enthusiasm.
Given his success here, I’ve always maintained that La Russa should manage the Cards as long as he chooses. He has earned that right.
But if this team can’t revive itself during the next few days, La Russa will take the failure very, very hard. He has already been feeling the emotional wear and tear of a decade on the job. He was already wondering whether he should take the team forward.
If this team blows this lead and misses the playoffs entirely . . . well, let’s just hope his head doesn’t explode.
* Ultimately, Bill DeWitt and his management team have a measured, long-range response to whatever happens this weekend. DeWitt has a vision for the team and it seems pretty sound -– he wants to build a strong farm system that creates a self-renewing talent base.
That could create some “cost certainty,” which DeWitt loves, and more roster stability. Retooling a veteran team each season with low-cost journeymen is a difficult challenge, as we saw this season when Sidney Ponson and Junior Spivey didn’t come through.
The transition toward a new method of operation is underway. Walt Jocketty signaled that by holding on to all his top pitching prospects at the trade deadline. DeWitt signaled that by promoting Jeff Luhnow to oversee the entire player development operation.
Will this transition go smoothly over the span of a few years? Or will change come more abruptly?
That may be determined by what happens the next few days