ST. LOUIS -- Almost always, Mike Matheny keeps his cool. Thats what you might notice at first about Tony La Russas successor as St. Louis Cardinals manager, the inner fire without the bombast. Its what you see right now in the glare of October, when the moves pay off big time or fail miserably, and are endlessly dissected either way. Theres a difference in style, but winning is a given. La Russa managed 2,728 regular-season wins in 33 seasons and trails only Connie Mack and John McGraw. He became the first manager to retire a winner after guiding a heavy underdog to the 2011 title, and is sure the Cardinals got the right guy. "Im in no position to compare," La Russa said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I just know that he was always an impressive leader type. "I definitely know he has the ability. I think hes already made his mark." Make no mistake, theres plenty of fire. In Game 4, Matheny took umpires to task over perceived shortcomings. Though every question gets a measured response, sometimes after tough losses the microphone picks up the sound of fingers impatiently tapping away on the lectern. The manager declined to take it easy on Kolten Wong after the rookie was cut down in Game 4 for the first game-ending pickoff in World Series history, pointing out he knew about Koji Ueharas move. "He was reminded once he got on base, and also he was reminded that run didnt mean much, be careful, shorten up," Matheny said. Mathenys playing career as a light-hitting, strong fielding catcher peaked when he played for La Russa and won four Gold Gloves in five seasons. His steady field leadership made an impression, and his resume jumped to the top of the pile for St. Louis without a single game of managing experience. Players climbed aboard right away. Pitcher Adam Wainwright credits not just La Russa, but also 90-year-old Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst, who managed the Cardinals to a World Series victory over the Red Sox in 1967 and remains active as a special assistant to general manager John Mozeliak. "The perfect torch there," Wainwright said from the podium earlier in the post-season. "A guy who was a great leader and a great motivator of men, and a guy whos learned from the best in my opinion." The Cardinals were expected to fade a bit last year with a rookie manager who didnt have Albert Pujols big bat for the lineup. They took advantage of the second NL wild card and rallied on the road to knock off the Braves and Nationals before running out of gas in the NL championship series when they squandered a 3-1 lead against the Giants. Matheny is part of a new breed of manager, a group including Boston counterpart John Farrell, Kirk Gibson in Arizona and White Sox manager Robin Ventura, that didnt require minor league trial and error seasoning. Last fall, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy thought the Cardinals had the same fire and added, "I wish I could tell you theres a difference." "If you played the game for as long as he did, you know how the game is going to be run," St. Louis slugger Carlos Beltran said. "You know the players dictate how the game goes and as manager you know youre going to have two or three opportunities to make a change. "But there are a lot of things you have to do to put your team in position." In Year 2, Matheny has gotten the most out of a roster that by necessity has leaned heavily on rookies. St. Louis is close to making it two titles in three seasons with not just different managers but vastly different casts, too. Rookies combined for a major league-high 36 wins and have provided five more in the post-season, four by Michael Wacha. All the high leverage spots in the bullpen are manned by rookies. Matheny is probably more of a players manager than La Russa, but both can be fiercely loyal. The Cardinals are carrying Edward Mujica, who had 35 saves before fading badly in September and losing the closer job to rookie Trevor Rosenthal, perhaps as a reward for what hes done. Rookie Shelby Miller also seems to be around because of his role in the season-long success. The 15-game winner was in the rotation from the start and the team is giving him the quasi-Stephen Strasburg treatment, using him for just one inning entering Game 5. Matheny came under fire for pitching decisions in Game 4 of the World Series, and seemed to arrive for Game 5 with a clean slate. "La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager, and I think a lot of us wanted Mike," third baseman David Freese said. "There were a ton of us who were friends with Mike and we knew what type of guy he was." "Hes extremely close to his family and I think were his second family."
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. Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up.DUNEDIN, Florida – On Wednesday, it was J.A. Happs turn to play in the ongoing game of hot potato, better known as the competition to determine who will comprise the back end of the Blue Jays starting rotation. When the figurative music stops on March 31, Opening Day, general manager Alex Anthopoulos, manager John Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker will make whats becoming an increasingly difficult decision thanks to consistently mediocre to subpar performances by the candidates. Walker said before Wednesdays 11-6 win over the Phillies that the game was a "big start" for Happ. He needed to pitch in the strike zone. Happ needed to force Philadephias hitters to make contact. He was scheduled to pitch four or five innings with a pitch count of 70, give or take a few. Turns out Happ threw 71 pitches but did so in only 2 2/3 innings. Only 34 of those pitches were strikes. He laboured, to be generous, allowing three runs on three hits and four walks. Afterward, Happ saw his afternoon in a positive light. "It was good," he said. "I felt strong out there. Maybe a little too good but everything was good. Health was good." The health to which Happ refers is his back, an ailment which has kept him out of Grapefruit League action since he was pulled in the first inning of a March 3 start against the Twins. Happ intends to focus on developing his rhythm, interrupted due to injury, next time out. Hes looking to more consistently harness the new arm slot he employed in the final month of last season. Happ watched video of his start and noticed hed reverted to an over-the-top angle. Its all in the name of better efficiency. "Thats the same story for everybody," said Gibbons. "To be successful in the big leagues youve got to throw a lot of strikes. Youve got to throw that strike one. You fall behind guys, it turns everything in the hitters favour and just the opposite for the pitcher. Hes capable of doing that." Two weeks ago, the 31-year-old was bothered by Anthopoulos suggestion that his spot in the starting rotation was in question. Happ isnt dwelling on it now, saying he cant worry about what he cant control. Its apparent he will be on the team, as will Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond, his competitors for a final rotation job. The question is who will be the starter and which two will work out of a bullpen which is expected to feature eight relievers. Its believed Happ is in the drivers seat, partly because Rogers doesnt throw enough of his repertoire for strikes and Redmond tends to struggle once the oppositions lineup turns over. Remember, too, that Happ is owed $5.2 million this year on an extension signed the day Ricky Romero was cut from camp last spring. The idea of having $12.7 million on the books for Happ and Romero, with neither in the starting rotation, cant be a pleasant one. "I dont feel like Im far," said Happ. "You guys, youre going to take that outing for what it was and it doesnt look pretty. Pitch-wise, like I said, Im up to 70 and next time be 85-90 and still feel strong thatll be a good thing. Im close." "Im looking forward to his next start," said Gibbons. &qquot;Thats all Ive got to say.dddddddddddd" The game of hot potato continues on Thursday when the Blue Jays visit the Phillies. Another back end of the rotation candidate gets the start. Over to you, Esmil Rogers. ROMERO AND STROMAN REASSIGNED Ricky Romero and Marcus Stroman shipped out to minor league camp on Wednesday morning. Both were outsiders, at best, to crack the opening day roster but both impressed at times during Grapefruit League play. "We just feel they both need more work," said manager John Gibbons. "As far as Ricky, hes moving in the right direction. We really like what he did this camp. Just go down there and polish it up. Stro, hes kind of the odd man out. He had trouble throwing strikes (Tuesday). Hes got to do that. They both need more work." After two down years the bar wasnt set high for Romero. With that as a consideration, its fair to say he exceeded expectations. He had two positive outings before he cratered against the Tigers on Tuesday, reverting to his wild ways. "He showed us enough in the previous two outings before (Tuesday) that you know what, hey, its coming," said Gibbons. "Its a long road and you never really know whether a guy is going to make it back or not but he was starting to show the signs of it." Stroman showed flashes of the pitcher the Blue Jays believe he will become but he was inconsistent all spring, culminating with an ugly performance on Tuesday. The Tigers knocked him around for seven runs on five hits in one-third of an inning. "We brought Stroman in, he pitched in Double-A for us and he had a legitimate shot (at making the club,") said Gibbons. "We dont think hes quite ready. Hes not polished yet so hes got to go down there and work on some things." The Jays still need to add two to a rotation which features R.A. Dickey, Brandon Morrow and Mark Buehrle. While the pitching coach offers praise to Drew Hutchison, Pete Walker wont yet guarantee him a spot. "Not ready to say that," said Walker. "Obviously, were extremely pleased with the way hes thrown the ball. Hes certainly shown hes capable of getting major league hitters out. His velocity, his strength, his bounce back, right now, after outings has been fantastic. Hes shown poise on the mound. Hes done everything you need to do to earn a spot, theres no question, but were just in a position right now, were sorting through some things to make sure we make the right decision." SANCHEZ AROUND FOR EXPERIENCE Aaron Sanchez is getting plenty of opportunity to pitch in Grapefruit League games, often the back end of a starters piggyback. Hes thrown as many as four innings in a game and is scheduled to work in relief of Todd Redmond against the Rays on Friday. "He wont make the team," said manager John Gibbons. "We want to keep him around, pitching in some of these games for the experience factor." Sanchez, 21, is considered the Jays top pitching prospect. He threw 109 2/3 innings combined with High-A Dunedin and in the Arizona Fall League last season. Its expected he will begin the year at Double-A New Hampshire. ' ' '
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