Cardinal Fan in Orange County

has hinted that Terry Pendleton is getting strong consideration.

The reality is that TLR appears to want to come back and the Cardinals are speeding up the GM search because of this.

but I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't want Bob Brenly as our manager.  He didn't impress me in Arizona(despite the World Series ring, but seriously, he had the two best pitchers in the game that year, the only strategy was "Keep putting Schilling and Johnson out there!" and he didn't screw that up.) and as a Cubs announcer, at times he seems like he has about as much valuable baseball information to impart as, well, some of the better VEB posters.  

Maybe part of my dislike is that he is the announcer for the Cubs though, and he's exactly what the Cubs management wanted in an announcer, someone who wouldn't rip the team when they were underachieving and playing bad baseball, like Stone was willing to do.

I'd still like to see TLR back, but if not him, I like the idea of Girardi(which I don't see happening) or Pendleton.  

The other intriguing one from Miklasz's post to me was Matheny.  Matheny would be a great coach to add to the staff, but he's still too connected to the current players and has no coaching experience yet.  I would imagine it'd be hard for Matheny to get in the face of Albert Pujols, considering Pujols was helping him with his swing just like 3 years ago.

for Tony to move on.  I'll be very disappointed if he returns.  It's time for the youth movement, such as it will be this year, to begin and I don't think that can occur w/ Tony on the bench.  

Don't misunderstand, I believe Tony to be a great manager and think he's done great things for the Cards, but I don't believe that he's the right guy going forward.  Sticking w/ Tony will mean that we'll be waiting too long to find out if the youngsters like Ryan, Hoffpauir and others can do it at this level.  It will mean too many tried and true mediocre vets that add nothing except gray hairs and $ signs.  It's time for us, and him, to move on.

I think La Russa has outlived his usefullness and should move on but he is quoted in an article on ESPN as saying he wanted to get a good idea as to who was going to be the new GM before making a decision. This tells me no other clubs are ringing his phone, he still wants to manage and will probably be back. I'd prefer Pendelton or Gairdi, as I think both would be good with young players. If not La Russa though, it'll probably be Oquendo.

Torre would not be a fit at all. He is fine to manage a group of allstars in the American League that don't need anything other than to sit on the bench and keep your mouth shut and trudge out to the mound several times a game to change pitchers when it is obvious he is getting shelled and he is getting to old for that. He has no energy, he should get a delay of game penalty every time he makes a trip to the mound. I shouldn't be so hard though because I don't think his health is that good.

If the organization is making a sea change in philosophy towards player development, and it looks like they are, then Tony and Dave have to go.  Neither has a track record of developing young talent.  Both have a long track record of reclaiming veterans who are in a rut or getting the most out of role and utility players.  I'd like to see a move towards youth development.  I don't think Pendleton is going anywhere -- he's beloved in Atlanta and has a great organization and farm system to mine talent from.  Girardi presents an interesting problem: He's going to command top dollar in salary with only a couple years experience, and he reminds me a lot of past player to manager flameouts like Tony Pena; i.e. they were a flash in the pan with a previously  terrible or young ballclub, but couldn't sustain their success over two or three years.  It would be an interesting hire.  I'd much rather see an established manager who's had great success grooming young talent, like a Buck Showalter or Art Howe.

I think Oquendo would be outstanding.  He coached in the WBC and players liked him very much.  

I don't worry about his handling of pitching.  I would expect him to find a pitching coach he trusts and learn from him.  I think you must realize that Qquendo is working with Larussa & Duncan two of the best coaches in the game.  If you don't think he is asking questions on a daily basis you are crazy.  I think Jose would be a perfect fit.  Maybe TLR stays around 2-3 more years and they promise Jose the position when TLR is done.  

I think if the organization really wants to go young they have to prove it by getting rid of all the old guys now.

See organizations/coaches don't play "young" guys unless they have to.  Arizona and Colorado are playing young guys because they don't have but 1 or 2 old guys on their roster.  When that happens you have no choice.  

I have been saying this and Steve Stone backed me up.  Managers don't care if a guy is young or old, if the player produces they get playing time.  Like Albert, he was young and Tony got him in the line up everyday.  So it is fales to say Tony does not play young guys.  I think Brendan Ryan got a great deal of playing time as well and he is young.  So I really don't find much argument in saying certain managers play/don't play young guys.  The young guys have to make the manager play them.  A manager is not going to play a guy if he is hitting .200.

 

I could add a few comments, but why take a chance on taking away from something that was so well said.

for Jose Oquendo. He's familiar with the current roster, is respected by veterans and "youngsters" alike, works his backside off, and has undoubtedly learned a heckuva lot from TLR.

He does have managerial experience, albeit in winter ball and the WBC. Like any new Cardinal manager, Jose would need a solid pitching coach. (It's my opinion that Dave Duncan may be more difficult to "replace" than La Russa!) If the plan is to make the Cardinals younger, a "teacher" is what you need in the dugout.

The toughest adjustment for Oquendo might be dealing with the media in his second language... but given the (relatively) "friendly" news coverage in St. Louis (as opposed to Noo Yawk, Bahston, or Chicahgo), that's a minor concern.