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Cut Matheny Some Slack While Cards are Still in Race
By Randy Gardner
I would have to say, the question that I get asked the most is, what do you think about the Cardinals this year? My answer, as always, is that it is a long year and that you can expect some ups and downs. This year though I’m not sure I’m totally telling the truth every time.
There are days after games where I just shake my head and wonder what the Cardinals were doing and then there are days where I see the bright shimmering light maybe sliding into the playoff picture.
To be honest, I don’t think there really is a correct answer.
If you look all over the field at all of the positions, there are constant ups and downs. I mean really highs and really lows. You see some horrendous coaching, pitching, base running and fielding mistakes but then you see a perfectly executed ninth-inning walk off game winner and you are so proud of the team.
Right now you have to look at a guy like Tommy Pham and see that this guy has the heart and passion of what we like in a Cardinal. You also look at a pitcher like Martinez right now who is red-hot and seems to do nothing wrong.
It seems like I can’t read an article where someone is talking about not getting rid of Mike Matheny. Is this really the answer? I know it is a spoken rule for players not to talk about the atmosphere but I would love to know what all of them think of him and if he is the one person in the organization that should be held responsible for the season.
If you ask me personally, I just think it’s a conglomeration of many things including most teams in major-league baseball are really good, and that the fans of St. Louis have come expect a winning attitude every game and every year and if it doesn’t happen then we are looking for someone to replace the manager. I personally think that one bad year (or mediocrity) is not the end of the world. Two or three and you start to create a habit and then I can see maybe a change then. Let’s just sit tight right now and see what happens throughout the rest of this season
LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT TELEVISION
I touched on this a few weeks ago but for the past eight or nine weeks I have only watched about 10%, maybe even less, of TV that I had watched in previous years. I feel really out of touch to a lot of things but I feel that I am more in touch with a lot of other things and are way more important in life.
One, it keeps me off the couch, and two, it has made me do more things around the house and it has helped me focus on my family and children. It is amazing how after you step away from it for a while you don’t even miss it. I find myself just looking at the score at the end of the game or sometimes just checking my phone real quick to see what the score is of a game.
Monday night I tried to sit down and watch a TV show and I got through about 10 minutes and I was bored. This was a show that I would watch constantly, show after show before. I know this is probably going to be a huge challenge, but put down the remote and do something else for a couple weeks and see if your mind changes like mine did.
I am still trying to get my kids to adapt the same mentality. I will let you know how it goes. Next weekend we are going with a no TV, no video games or electronic cycle. It’s either going to be really good or is going to be really bad, I will let you know. Until then take small baby steps and start turning those TVs off for 10 minutes at a time and before you know it, you won’t miss them that much.
