Jocketty Out As Cards GM

[STL FANATIC]

Walt has been one of the best GMs in the game during his 13 year tenure with the Cardinals. But some front office shakeups had him less than thrilled this year, and the Cardinals suffered their first losing season since 1999.

Jocketty had one year left on his contract, but they apparently agreed on a settlement.

I think this move totally sucks. And now I'm afraid Tony La Russa will follow him. Ugh.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/st...D7?OpenDocument

[Mac the Knife]

I'd have to agree. LaRussa's next, though probably via resignation rather than firing. Sad. Too bad this couldn't have happened before Pittsburgh named its GM though.

[STL FANATIC]

I'd have to agree. LaRussa's next, though probably via resignation rather than firing. Sad. Too bad this couldn't have happened before Pittsburgh named its GM though.

Tony doesn't have a contract right now. He always finishes out a contract and then decides a few days after the season what he wants to do. So he doesn't have to resign or get fired. He'll let us know his decision soon, but I'm not looking forward to it now.

And if Tony goes, you might see Dave Duncan ask for his release (he's got one year left on his contract). And then you could see all three wind up together again.

[Mac the Knife]

I'd have to agree. LaRussa's next, though probably via resignation rather than firing. Sad. Too bad this couldn't have happened before Pittsburgh named its GM though.

Tony doesn't have a contract right now. He always finishes out a contract and then decides a few days after the season what he wants to do. So he doesn't have to resign or get fired. He'll let us know his decision soon, but I'm not looking forward to it now.

And if Tony goes, you might see Dave Duncan ask for his release (he's got one year left on his contract). And then you could see all three wind up together again.

But that begs the question... where?

Maybe Tampa? The team's trying to ditch a loser image... hiring the three of them would definitely be a step in the right direction.

[STL FANATIC]

Rumors have had it happening in Cincy.

They've been dispelled, but then this shocker happened, so I wouldn't be suprised to see them come up again.

Tampa is where Tony grew up, but I don't know if he'd go to a team that still needs so much, and I don't know if he'd return to the AL.

It's not a foregone conclusion he'll leave STL either.

[DarkJourney]

LaRussa still lives here in the Bay Area during the off season. I think he just wants to come back to California and take it easy.

[STL FANATIC]

LaRussa still lives here in the Bay Area during the off season. I think he just wants to come back to California and take it easy.

For a couple days. But he's already said he'll manage somewhere next year.

[McCall]

I'd have to agree. LaRussa's next, though probably via resignation rather than firing. Sad. Too bad this couldn't have happened before Pittsburgh named its GM though.

Tony doesn't have a contract right now. He always finishes out a contract and then decides a few days after the season what he wants to do. So he doesn't have to resign or get fired. He'll let us know his decision soon, but I'm not looking forward to it now.

And if Tony goes, you might see Dave Duncan ask for his release (he's got one year left on his contract). And then you could see all three wind up together again.

But that begs the question... where?

Maybe Tampa? The team's trying to ditch a loser image... hiring the three of them would definitely be a step in the right direction.

Plus La Russa's from Tampa.

This really sucks. I thought for sure Jocketty would at least be around for one more season, maybe more. This year was definately forgettable, as was last year's regular season. But with all the success over the last decade or so, it seems like it would only be a short slump and the next few years could see an upswing again. Now with this, I have no clue what to expect. If Tony left, I want them to go after Joe Girardi. However if they are unable to get him, then I don't know what's gonna happen. I haven't always been a huge Tony fan, but he knows the game and has helped this team tremendously, especially in dealing with tragic events, like the deaths of Daryl Kile, Jack Buck, and Josh Hancock, during the season.

While I'll always bleed Cardinal Red know matter what the situation, this could be the beginning of tough times for the greatest baseball fans.

[fiasco!]

...

While I'll always bleed Cardinal Red know matter what the situation, this could be the beginning of tough times for the greatest baseball fans.

Which means we'll get to see just how great these "greatest baseball fans" really are. Will they abandon their team like so many other "fans" when their team goes through lean times, or will St. Louis still sell out the majority of their seats with a suck team.

My vote is on the former.

[rams80]

My vote is on the former.

*scans Rams and Blues attendance numbers*

Ditto.

Hopefully the new GM will actually, I don't know, BRING IN SOME PITCHING!!!

Methinks LaRussa's gone as well. At least the Cardinals won one title, though.

[McCall]

...

While I'll always bleed Cardinal Red know matter what the situation, this could be the beginning of tough times for the greatest baseball fans.

Which means we'll get to see just how great these "greatest baseball fans" really are. Will they abandon their team like so many other "fans" when their team goes through lean times, or will St. Louis still sell out the majority of their seats with a suck team.

My vote is on the former.

We didn't lose any fans after Whitey left. We stayed true to the team, even through Joe Torre. The 90's weren't that successful, yet we still stuck by them. Cardinals fans are true. We'll be here no matter what.

[STL FANATIC]

...

While I'll always bleed Cardinal Red know matter what the situation, this could be the beginning of tough times for the greatest baseball fans.

Which means we'll get to see just how great these "greatest baseball fans" really are. Will they abandon their team like so many other "fans" when their team goes through lean times, or will St. Louis still sell out the majority of their seats with a suck team.

My vote is on the former.

We didn't lose any fans after Whitey left. We stayed true to the team, even through Joe Torre. The 90's weren't that successful, yet we still stuck by them. Cardinals fans are true. We'll be here no matter what.

In all fairness, it's somewhere in between. I'm not old enough to remember, but from what I've read... Busch II wasn't exactly packed during the Torre era, was it? It wasn't a dead house like Florida, but we weren't coming close to selling out most games, were we?

I think Cardinals fans will stay true, and I think we'll always have good attendance, but losing would create a dip I believe.

That said, I'm not willing to concede we're in for a bunch of losing. I just don't think this was the best way to go about things.

[kewp80]

Damn, this sucks, LaRussa is sure as gone know. If he does leave what do you think the Cards will do? Bring up somebody from the organization, like say Oquendo, or bring in somebody from the outside?

And just because Jockettey, LaRussa, and Duncan leaves, doesn't mean the Cardinals are gonna suck, but it is gonna be tough to move on without them. I think Duncan is gonna be the biggest hurt for the team, he is one of the best, if not the best, pitching coach in baseball.

It could be a crazy offseason for the Cardinals, hopefully thinks will work out for the better.

[STL FANATIC]

Damn, this sucks, LaRussa is sure as gone know. If he does leave what do you think the Cards will do? Bring up somebody from the organization, like say Oquendo, or bring in somebody from the outside?

And just because Jockettey, LaRussa, and Duncan leaves, doesn't mean the Cardinals are gonna suck, but it is gonna be tough to move on without them. I think Duncan is gonna be the biggest hurt for the team, he is one of the best, if not the best, pitching coach in baseball.

It could be a crazy offseason for the Cardinals, hopefully thinks will work out for the better.

Bernie says John Mozeliak (sp?), the interim GM and asst. GM is well liked by Tony. If he's given the head job, I could see Tony staying.

Tony might actually decide first, but I could see Tony staying and requesting that and DeWitt agreeing.

[Blackjack76]

...

While I'll always bleed Cardinal Red know matter what the situation, this could be the beginning of tough times for the greatest baseball fans.

Which means we'll get to see just how great these "greatest baseball fans" really are. Will they abandon their team like so many other "fans" when their team goes through lean times, or will St. Louis still sell out the majority of their seats with a suck team.

My vote is on the former.

We didn't lose any fans after Whitey left. We stayed true to the team, even through Joe Torre. The 90's weren't that successful, yet we still stuck by them. Cardinals fans are true. We'll be here no matter what.

In all fairness, it's somewhere in between. I'm not old enough to remember, but from what I've read... Busch II wasn't exactly packed during the Torre era, was it? It wasn't a dead house like Florida, but we weren't coming close to selling out most games, were we?

I think Cardinals fans will stay true, and I think we'll always have good attendance, but losing would create a dip I believe.

That said, I'm not willing to concede we're in for a bunch of losing. I just don't think this was the best way to go about things.

This ownership group is beginning to resemble what happened with Bill Laurie and the Blues two years ago. From a business standpoint, this has all the markings/makings of an impending sale. Consider it...new ballpark, huge stake in new radio rights partner, All-Star Game in 2009, etc. etc. etc.

And as for the "greatest baseball fans" quip...when you fire a well-liked GM, raise prices exorbitantly, refuse to increase payroll on par with the tremendous amount of revenues coming in (including auctioning off toilets from Busch II), switching radio partners from one that reached the entire Midwest at any time of day in a purely money-grabbing move...you not only push them away...you DARE them to go away.

As a born-and-raised St. Louisian, this ownership group, who allowed real baseball people (Jocketty, La Russa) and successful businessmen (Lamping) to run the franchise...that led to winning season after winning season and two World Series trips (one win) in the past three years...and now they are inserting themselves in both baseball and business operations (every VP has a last name of Dewitt or Hauser; at least it seems) and effing everything up.

I am not happy at all right now.

[pcgd]

I've been a Cardinals fan my whole life. I know there are diehards but there are diehards for every team. But I can't remember honestly how packed the stadium was when I went to games in the late 80s, early 90s when they were a bad team for a number of years but if memory serves me correctly, it was never an easy ticket to get.

The thing that always impresses me about the Cardinals attendance is the fact that the population of the Metro area is around 2 million people and they draw 3 mil plus most years. I don't know how many teams out draw their market size, not too many I'm thinking. The only teams with smaller markets than the Cardinals are the Rockies, Devil Rays, Pirates, Reds, Royals, and Brewers. I know, its impossible for the Yankees to draw 22 millions fans in a season, or for the Cubs to draw 9 million. But it makes it rather easy for them to draw the 3 million bench mark every year.

I can't think of too many teams that maintain a rabid fanbase when times are bad. The Cubs is one that comes to mind, but I think alot of the fans that go to Cubs games are there because its a giant bar and for the experience. Plus Wrigley was dead in the 70s and 80s.

I know that there have been alot of "Pink Hats" at cardinal games the last few years, and I'm sure they won't be showing up next year but I think you'll see consistant sell outs for the near future. Perhaps only because there isn't much else to do in St. Louis on a summer night than go see a Cardinals game.

Anyway, with Jocketty, I was honestly going to be ok with everything if LaRussa left. I thought you had a good guy to fill in with Oquendo and unfortunatly Duncan would leave but it was going to happen eventually. I was really hoping Jocketty would stay on.

The rumors I've heard is all 3 ending up in Seattle.

[kewp80]

The rumors I've heard is all 3 ending up in Seattle.

This would be alright with me, as long as they all three don't go to another team in the NL. I wouldn't be able to stand watching the Cardinals play another team with LaRussa and Duncan as coaches.

I'd love to see Oquendo as coach, and I think he would be well accepted in the Cardinal community because well... he was a Cardinal! Plus he seems like a really good guy, and someone who knows the game well. I just think Duncan is gonna be harder to replace than either Jockettey or LaRussa, that guy was like a miracle worker when it came to pitchers, with the exception of this year maybe, even though they lost a lot of good pitchers and had a lot of injuries to the pitching staff.

I dunno, I have faith in my Cardinals, as I always have and will

[STL FANATIC]

The rumors I've heard is all 3 ending up in Seattle.

I heard that as well, but then Seattle just re-upped their GM and Manager, right?

[leedsunited]

Time for some fresh blood in that organization, no? The troika of Jocketty, LaRussa, and Duncan have been in place for eons.

[floydnimrod]

I've also been hearing thhe Cincinnati rumor all year. It's mainly becasue of Reds' owner Bob Castellini's previous minority ownership stake in the Cardinals' organization, so he has ties to all of them. As much as I love Reds' manager Pete Mackanin, and Wayne Krivsky(the GM) I would welcome those guys to Cincy. My only concern is how La Russa said this season was exhausting, and that makes me wonder if he still has it.