PAINTING A DIFFERENT PICTURE
First of all, I must admit, that I can’t paint, draw or do anything that requires artistic skills. Thank goodness that I sat next to a really talented guy who could do something in 1 minute that was better than anything that I could ever do😊
But….let’s look at the pattern that’s painted on the facts below.
The Cardinals are off to a miserable start in the 2023 season. With 35% of he season under their belt on June 1, 2023, StL is 25-32. So…I decided to look @ history of the Cardinals records on June 1 from several different seasons. I arbitrarily chose years that ended in zero. When one looks @ the current season 2023 numbers on June 1 and then compare it to the other 5 seasons….it paints a different picture than we might expect. Check below–
June 1 record standings-June 1 End of year results
2023 25-32 4th place Still Hoping!!
2020 late start partial season- weren’t even playing yet on June 1
2010 30-23 2nd place in NL Cent 2nd place in NL Cen, 86-76
2000 30-23 1st place 1st place 95-67,
won Div playoffs then lost NL Champ series
1990 21-27 5th place 5 games behind; finished 6th NL east, 70-92
1980 16-29 6th place finished in 4th 74-88
1970 22-24 3rd place finished in 4th 76-86
…Soooo..an easy painting to see is that the June 1 yard-marker has been rather reliable as to the pointing us towards the end-season outcome for the Birds.
….It’s not too late but…..performances and/or personnel WILL have to change in a BIG way. A totally different picture needs to be painted! We’ve already discussed the musical chairs of the outfield situation. That fluid OF situation that seldom has back/back identical looks & has taken us from a strong defensive outfield to one that sees misplays &/or injuries. A catcher that received $87+m is splitting time with a career back-up catcher. The starting staff is w/o depth in a single game or as a staff. Generally, they are unable to pitch into the 6th inning. I realize that most MLB teams face the same reality. However, the Good teams seem to have at least 1 or 2 pitchers that make it into the 6th or 7th.
….When Miles Mikolas is our ace—that’s not a good Painting. Mikolas has ONE season over .500 in his career as a starter (he was a reliver for 2 years). His records as a starter—2014 in Texas 2-4; 2018 was his only “big” year 18-4 with the Cards. He’s followed with a 9-14 year, a 2-3 year and 12-13 last year. Currently, he’s 4-1 but that’s in 12 starts!! Sooo.. the Cards are painting HIM as our ACE? Ohhh boy….can we start a new Painting?
…The picture that I’d paint….where is Rick who sat next to me to help me?? ….this is a team that really doesn’t have a “personality”. Aside from the 2 “super stars”, most players are unsure of their roles, their position, their expectations. Basically, there isn’t any “every day” lineup. This picture is being painted by an inexperienced, unproven Manager who “follows” the analytics as if it was the only map that guaranteed arrival to a certain destination(World Series). Other managers have used stats (analytics) for years but most have blended that info with their own experiences over the years as a player & manager.
…Before our paint brush drys out, St Louis is still enjoying a good baseball year. Our “friends” in Boston have experienced rough times. Boston was the first city to lose a home Game 7 to #8 seeds in both hockey and basketball in the same season!
…We walk around the Painting Museum and now learn that Nick Saban prefers a salary for the players as opposed to the NIL system currently employed. This is a startling change. I would assume that the salaries would be posted unlike the nebulous NIL money lure. I’m really ol’ school here… I don’t like the NIL nor do I like Paid Athletic Performers with salaries… who generally are pretending..some don’t even pretend… to be students.
…..Let’s PAINT A DIFFERENT PICTURE….let every AD & their HC from a conference attend a “bidding” session for players. Put it out in the open!! Each school would be within a certain range of money (you could never get them equal). There would be different money tiers (levels) for each conference. (e.g. SEC would be higher than the Big 12) So Schools would land in a conference where they could spend close to all the other schools in that conference. Schools would actually “bid” on each player…but there is a limited amount of money for each school. Currently, Mizzou just can’t pay (let’s be honest—they are being paid through NIL system) the athletes that Bama, Georgia, Texas, OU, Oregon & others pay. But…with this proposal, MU could at least land a couple of the highest rated players. You’d really be PAINTING A NEW PICTURE with this approach.
….Well….my paint brush is dry now…soooo….I’ll be moving on. I’d love to read YOUR thoughts on PAINTING A DIFFERENT PICTURE! Thanks for the read! Bob
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