It Doesn’t Get More Awkward Than Mike Shildt Being Nominated For Manager Of The Year After Being Fired As Cardinals Manager
MLB announced their NL Manager of the Year nominees tonight:
Gabe Kapler – still gainfully employed
Craig Counsell – still gainfully employed
Mike Shildt – somewhere standing in a St. Louis County unemployment line
Is there anything more awkward for this? The man responsible for pulling the St. Louis Cardinals season out of the ashes, getting them into the playoffs, and posting a franchise-record 17-game winning streak in the process all before being handed a pink slip from a guy in a pink bow tie (presumably). Apparently those “philosophical differences” must’ve been hella strong for Cardinals President of Baseball Ops and Brooks Brothers catalog model John Mozeliak to kick him to the curb. Especially for the pre-teen they hired in his place. Look, I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. Maybe Shildt was a pain in the ass. Maybe he was just incredibly boring or as socially awkward to deal with as he comes across in postgame pressers, but regardless, the man produced results for a franchise that hasn’t won a World Series in a decade. And for a franchise that prides itself in their 11 World Titles (just ask any Cardinals fan, they’ll remind you in every conversation despite over half of them coming before World War II), that’s a long-ass time. I’m not gonna say the Cardinals aren’t what they used to be. They still make the playoffs, or at very least, are in the hunt every season. But that shine from the 2011 Commissioner’s trophy piece of metal, has really faded. All I’m saying is that front office better hope hiring a millennial as your skipper works or else the Mike Shildt-canning might go down as one of the worst firings in sports. Mike Shildt could’ve won a World Series. I know this because he was able to get underperforming and extremely light rosters to the postseason in 3 of his 4 years. As for this new guy? We’ll have to wait and see. If the Cardinals’ new Doogie Houser can’t get to October (or further), then it’s going to be a nightmare in St. Louis. And rightfully so. Guess we’ll just have to wait for him to earn his stripes. Or in Mozeliak’s case, his seersuckers.
P.S. How awkward will it be if Mike Shildt wins this damn thing? I hope people voted for him just solely for the awkwardness it would produce alone. MLB wants ratings? Give him the award and put that acceptance speech on TV. Give me ALL the cringe!
