Jocketty Out As RedBirds General Manager
Long before she became infamous for her "Super Bowl Wardrobe Malfunction" R&B singer Janet Jackson had a hit called "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" That song could be the mantra for all professional sports teams. They seem to have very long memories when you mess up, but forget very quickly about your successes. ST. Louis Cardinals General Manager Walt Jocketty found that out the hard way Wednesday less than a year after leading the RedBirds to a World Series Championship, he has been dismissed by the team, after missing the playoffs. Jocketty along with field boss Tony LaRussa led the Cardinals to their first World Series Championship since 1982.
ST. Louis Team Owner Bill DeWitt Jr. released a statement that the decision was based on in his words "I think we had a little different philosophy and vision with respect to some baseball issues..." Mr. De Witt, I can understand your being disgruntled, Jocketty coming into the organization in 1994 took over a team that had not been to the playoffs since 1987. During his 13 year tenure, he only made the playoffs six times made it to the World Series twice in three years, and in between lost in the NLCS. Oh, and won the World Series last season, but I could understand you wanting to go in a different direction!
Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa's contract expires at the end of the year, he and Jocketty were a tandem. LaRussa is one of only two managers in MLB history to win World Series in both leagues. LaRussa has not commented on the change, but one doubts he would be doing cartwheels. Jocketty, with his resume will not be out of work for long, possibly he and LaRussa could end up together again. I started this article quoting a song title, I will end it with a quote from an unknown author:"Money And Ignorance Make For A Dangerous Combination."
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