Cardinals Trade Brendan Ryan

I'm in a strange headspace over this Brendan Ryan trade. Intellectually, I know that starting Ryan Theriot at shortstop over Ryan probably doesn't make much difference in how the Cardinals finish. Yeah, Theriot's a worse player. In 2009, Brendan was wroth 3.4 wins above replacement, while Theriot was worth 1. Last year, Boog was worth 0.9, while Tally Ho* was worth -0.8 WAR. That suggests 1.5-2.5 wins difference. The Cardinals already finished 5 games behind the Reds last year, so who cares if they finish 6 or 7 games back this year?

So that's intellectually. Emotionally, I liked Brendan Ryan. He seemed to be having fun, not taking things overly seriously. He was quirky, in a way that didn't seem detrimental to the team from my perspective. It wasn't like he was Milton Bradley, flipping out and attacking fans or umpires. And he was the best defensive shortstop the Cardinals have had since Ozzie. He made the team more entertaining, so his departure makes them less so. That it happened, not because the Cards thought they could get something to improve the team, but because Tony LaRussa is a humorless jackass, makes it worse. And they're replacing with a clearly worse defensive player, so it's a good thing they don't have a pitching coach who preaches getting groundball outs. Oh wait, that's exactly what they have, so this'll be swell.

And don't try and sell me on the idea that Maikel Cleto is some great haul. The guy has been in A-ball for three years. There's at least 6 or 7 righthanded relief pitchers ahead of him in the Cardinals' farm system alone, to say nothing of the three in the major league bullpen (Motte, Boggs, McClellan). I have zero confidence he will ever be of any use to the major league squad whatsoever.

So I've been deprived of watching a player I enjoy play for a team I root for because of LaRussa. Because Bill DeWitt has basically said the managerial job is Tony's for as long as he wants it, which leaves the GM in a situation where Tony clearly seems to have more clout. Certainly, DeWitt hasn't made any similar statements about Mozeliak's job security. Nor should he, since I can't say I love the job he's done. But I think it's stolen any spine he might have had to look at Tony and say "No, I will not trade this player. He's better than the guys you want, so he stays. Period." Tony might not like that, but he's a big boy, so he ought to be able to work with it. I have this vision now of the Cardinals clubhouse as a Dickensian orphanage, or an Industrial Revolution-era coal mine. Gray, glum, bleak, joyless. Anyone who exhibits a spark of cheerful personality must be banished, in favor of raging assholes like Chris Carpenter. Hey, I'm glad Carp's a good pitcher, but he still behaves like an asshole on the field screaming at his temamates, the other team, so on and so on.

Here's the options I'm weighing right now. One, the Cardinals resign Aaron Miles, because Tony must have 3 undersized, scrappy white middle infielders, none of which will have any actual skill. At that point, I renounce the St. Louis Cardinals as my team, at least until Tony LaRussa is gone. I can become a baseball vagabond, in the same way I am with the NBA. Second possible outcome: The Cardinals stink up the joint like it's 2007. They're so bad it drives Tony away. Where he goes, I don't care. Could be back to Oakland, to Baltimore, Acapulco, Luxembourg. Hell would be fine, just so long as he's gone.

Now, the team crashing and burning, and TLR leaving probably also signals the end of Albert Pujols' days with the team. But you know what, in my current mindset, I don't give a shit. They probably can't afford to resign him anyway, and if they do, it's gonna cripple the team's payroll more than likely, and guarantee LaRussa's continued presence. Which would mean the Cardinals would constantly be scraping the bottom of the free agent barrel to fill the roster, since Tony would want his veterans, rather than rely on prospects, and they won't have any money for good free agents. And the whole thing will be a joyless and miserable experience for a fan, so who wants to go through that? So screw it. Let them stink, part of me says, drive the manager and Hall of Fame first basemen and off, and start over.

At this point, I have no excitement for this team. I don't think they'll be fun to watch, whether they win or lose. I'm sick of Tony. I'm sick of his stupid sunglasses, of his bullpen manipulations, of his aversion to younger players in favor of shitty veterans. I'm sick of his crap about keeping things in house, except when it suits him to blast them publicly, thus turning public opinion against them and in his favor. I'm sick of his personality clashes that always end with the player losing. By my count, he's feuded with Ozzie Smith, Ron Gant, Garrett Stephenson, J.D. Drew, Steve Kline, Scott Rolen, Anthony Reyes, Jim Edmonds, Colby Rasmus, and Brendan Ryan. Those are just the ones I know of. These are widely disparate players, and all they have in common - besides bilateral symmetry - is they fought with Tony LaRussa, or were the subject of his ire. Yet he remains, and they go, Colby being the exception. Thus far, and that may only be due to his trying to become a Skip Schumaker-like slap hitter. I hope that's a joke, because if the Cardinals are really trying to make their third best hitter (.859 OPS) hit more like Skip Schumaker (.667 OPS), I may not wait for the Miles' signing to say "Fuck it".

In conclusion, I hate this trade, I'll miss Brendan Ryan, I think Mozeliak's a gutless worm, and I despise Tony LaRussa more than I have since the '96 season when he was at odds with Ozzie. Perhaps he'll be pulled over for another driving while intoxicated, and that can be used as pretext to fire him. It won't work that way, I know; Tony's job would survive it, unfortunately.

* I've been thinking about why the nickname works for me. The British believed their intangibles would carry the day. The spirit, or love for the Queen and the Empire would overcome the fact they were a bunch of dudes on horses charging entrenched Maxim guns emplacements. And the Cardinals somehow believe Theriot's intangibles will overcome the fact he is not a good professional baseball player.