Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes I hate to see Walt Jocketty leave the Cardinals.

It's also the best thing for the organization.

With the current structure of the front office, it was a no-win situation. In every company there are personality conflicts and people who aren't completely thrilled with what they're doing or who they're forced to work with. But if the environment is poisoned by tension, well as Mr. DeWitt put it yesterday, it becomes "counterproductive." And no matter how talented the people in question are, if you're running a two-mile zigzag course when you could be running a mile in a straight line, something's got to give.

I read where someone said of their divorce, "a successful marriage doesn't necessarily last until you're dead." And that's the case here. Seven trips to the postseason in 13 years, with two World Series and a championship, is a nice era in Cardinals history. But it is time to move on.

So who's next? Good question. And it almost certainly signifies that there will be a new manager in the dugout in 2008. But how many of you in 1994 (myself included) envisioned a 13-year run like we've had when it was announced that Walt Jocketty was going to be the new general manager? I believe my reaction was, "Walt who?" I'm convinced that, as much as I hate to see a successful man leave, the right person can now come in and invigorate the front office and then that gets the ball rolling on a new era of success.

We in St. Louis can be resistant to change. And change just for change's sake is no good. But this was a case where a change had to be made. And it will make for an eventful offseason.
And selfishly, that's a good thing for us in the media, and for the fans as well. ¶ 12:34 PM