ST. LOUIS, MO. — There were loud rumblings this week that the St. Louis Cardinals would fire manager Mike Matheny if they struggled against the woeful Cincinnati Reds in their final series of the first half at Busch Stadium.
They didn’t even bother waiting.
They abruptly fired Matheny Saturday night, after losing the first two games to the Reds by a combined score of 17-3, and just like that, one of the greatest gigs in sports is now open.
The natural choice would be former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who’s friends with Cardinals president John Mozeliak, and is out of work.
Yet, would Girardi be viewed too much like Matheny, an old-school manager who had communication issues with their players?
You know you’ve got problems when outfielder Dexter Fowler would either block, delete or ignore messages on his phone from Matheny, or when closer Bud Norris is infuriated by comments suggesting he was a clubhouse snitch.
The Cardinals’ mediocrity wasn’t all Matheny’s fault, of course, but by firing him less than 24 hours before the All-Star break, and not waiting until everyone took off for a mini-vacation, spoke volumes about management’s view towards Matheny and his staff.
They not only fired Matheny, but also hitting coaches John Mabry and Bill Mueller, unable to tolerate even one more game after losing 34 of their last 61 games. It was their first firing of a manager during the season since Joe Torre in 1995, and only the second in 38 years.
Mike Shildt is the interim manager, but he may not even be managing the Cardinals by the time they resume the season next Friday after the break, perhaps promoting Triple-A manager Stubby Clapp for the rest of the season.
If the Cardinals don’t hire Girardi to be their permanent manager, turning to fan favorite Mark McGwire makes the most sense. He is revered in St. Louis, PED confession and all, and is highly respected in the San Diego Padres’ organization as Andy Green’s bench coach.
If the Cardinals believe this is a lost season, anyways, it makes the most sense to wait until the offseason to hire a manager.
If they believe they can still catch the Chicago Cubs, sitting 7 ½ games ahead of them, or at least get into the postseason through a wild-cards berth, they should grab Girardi or McGwire now.
“This is a better team than how we’ve been playing,” Matheny said in his final comments before being fired. “We know that. It will shine through at some point.”
It just won’t happen this season, not muddling along with a 47-46 record.
The Cardinals will return to glory, particularly with a young, talented pitching staff, and should be back as a powerful contender in 2019.
This year is a lost cause, marking the first time since 1997-1999 that they missed the playoffs three consecutive years.
Matheny was the one to pay the price.
Just a little earlier than anticipated.