INDIANA, PA – Here in the hometown of Jimmy Stewart and Mrs. Short Matt (more importantly) all sports conversations are centered around all things Black-n-Gold. But the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins are not what yours truly will be talking about today. Instead, Bucs nemesis and star backstop for the St. Louis Cardinals will be focus… That’s right, Yadier Molina is on the hot seat after our crack staff earmarked an AP Sports piece about the Cards monitoring his playing time. Monitor his playing time? What would Yogi Berra have to say about that?!
Let’s start by saying that we are nearly ready to forgive the future Cooperstown catcher for calling Adam Wainright curveballs on full counts to Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran in the final 9th in that fateful NLCS Game 7. Heck, we’re almost considering looking the other way re his pivotal homer off Billy Wagner in that very controversial series. Almost.
Okay, maybe we need to let things go. Or do we? The AP article talks about how the Cards are thinking about more rest, more time on the bench for this benchmark backstop. Their concerns center around him averaging 133 games per season and the fact that he’s 34 years old.
Really?
Doesn’t making $15,000,000.00 a year to stay in game shape allow one to play baseball for 6 months? How many construction workers have their hours reduced as they approach 35? You know what Yogi Berra, the most decorated catcher in the history of the game did once the season ended? He went back to his day job. Ironically, he was from St. Louis and went back their to work. In fact, during the season he and Phil Rizzuto worked part-time selling suits. Think about that. Yogi averaged 134 games per during the prime 14 years of his career, and that included scheduled double-headers in the summer sun. Molina has averaged 133 games since 2004.
In his defense, both Molina and his Manager, Mike Matheny, aren’t exactly proponents of St. Louis Suit and Nancy Boy John Mozeliak’s predilection for reduced playing time. And kudos to the 4-time Gold Glove catcher-turned-Manager for not coddling his star 8-time Gold Glove winner and speaking his anti-suit mind:
“My job description is to win games. And if I’ve got a player I feel is going to help us win games, and that I feel is able to answer the bell, he’s going to be in the lineup.”
As someone that still dons The Tools of Ignorance, that’s a flat-out sexy response.
And there you have it… That’s all for today. Please feel free to comment below and come back tomorrow for Good Matts’ Fun. And please follow us on Twitter @MeetTheMatts , Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
