The VOLATILE WORLD OF SPORTS can change quickly, often and sometime dramatically. It happens it all sports but the higher the level, the more the volatility increases. Take a look…
…One of the most VOLATILE college football teams is Florida. They’ve really been up & down in the last decade….In 2015 & 16, the Gators were 10-4 & 9-4 respectively. In 2017 they posted a 4-7 record. In 2018, 19, 20, Florida had very strong years with 10-3, 11-2, 8-4 records. Then in 2021, 22, &23, Florida fell off with 6-7, 6-7 & 5-7 records. Up & down records does not give much stability to the Head Coach. And…that’s what happened… Jim McElwain – 3 years; Dan Mullen-4 years; Billy Napier (3 years). Watch them this year to see their fate.
…Staying in college football…the entire Michigan staff, roster and fans have to be in a VOLATILE state after yesterday’s trouncing against Texas. The Longhorns dominated as they walked over the Wolverines 31-12. Michigan had not lost a regular season game since Oct, 2021 and their 23 game win streak @ home was snapped also. The Longhorns moved the ball, seemingly at will, with a strong passing game and good solid blocking. It seems every top notch (top 10) team is led by outstanding QB’s. No exception here. Quine Evers (TX QB) shined for the Longhorns. One of his key targets was from the Lou—SLUH specifically. Ryan Wingo. Wingo starred in HS Track championships with dazzling times in the sprint events but ended up @ Texas! Apparently, the “experts” feel that he’ll be drafted early next spring by the NFL. Meanwhile, the Wolverines struggled to move the ball –either on the ground or through the air. EVERY top rated Collegiate football team in 2024 must pass the ball effectively. Michigan’s Davis Warren struggled to get the ball to his receivers. Look for a QB change soon for the Wolverines. With their strong run game, Michigan will still win 6 or 7 games.
….The NFL Draft is always very Volatile! Some players drop, some go up, some go uncalled on draft day. For the most part, Mizzou was well represented on draft day. Mizzou had 6 players drafted on the 1st day of the draft. In the 1st round was D-Lineman, Darius Robinson by Az Cardinals. CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was chosen in round 2 by the Lions. LB Ty’Ron Hopper was taken in 3rd round by the Packers. In the 4th round, Javon Foster was taken by Jacksonville. Kris Abrams-Draine was drafted by Denver in 5th round. Also in the 5th round, Jaylon Carlies was the choice of the Indy Colts. I’m sure that some others will be drafted or sign on as free-agents in the upcoming weeks. Congrats to those 6 players & MU!
…Mizzou Mens Basketball has also experienced real volatility recently. In the 22-23 season, 1st year HC Dennis Gates brought home a very sharp 25-10 record. Just 1 year later in 23-24 season, the Tigers fell of the cliff to a 8-24 mark including 19 straight losses to SEC teams. Right now, fans are hoping…maybe expecting.. the pendulum to swing back upwards. Missouri has the No. 4-ranked recruiting class in the nation. Coaching matters but highly skilled players matter more.
….Looking at the Cards, it’s abundantly clear what the fans think about the last 3 seasons. The VOLATILITY of the team from the norm of a couple decades on the field has driven away fans (by the droves). It’s almost embarrassing to write about it. Fans known to be loyal, even in sour seasons, have “jumped ship” lately. The 5 lowest announced crowds @ Busch III history have come this month.. take a look—all in 2024–Aug 27–27,224; Aug 2–28,630; August 26– 28,697; Aug 21–29,580; August 20– 30,022. Why? Of course the absence of wins but, from my opinion, the perceived lack of genuine effort & the big money by management & ownership it takes to bring in talented players. It’s more like a spring-training game with all the “best prospects” on the field. The Cards are now in their 3rd consecutive year of mediocrity to bad baseball.
….I realize that the Cards are in a “rebuild” as they play Masyn Winn–ss, Alec Burleson—any OF spot or 1B, Pedro Pages &, or Ivan Herrara-catcher; Victor Scott &/or Michael Siania-CF, Luken Baker who’s shown he can hit, but where defensively; Jose Fermin—def spot-utility; Jordan Walker-currently a RF. Nonetheless, there is VOLATILITY in this type of major Change! Walker an infielder originally has been pushed to RF. He’s got to be wondering…he goes 5 for 5 one day and is back on the bench the next day? Is that how you develop confidence –that all players require? Rebuilding is ALWAYS tough. Patience is required by the team, the player, and the fans. Excluding the last 2 seasons, the Cards hadn’t been below .500 for a season since 2007! It was 1999 before 2007 in the sub-.500 waters. Sooo in 25 years—2 sub-.500 seasons then the last 2 seasons back-back!! We are…were.. spoiled. Remember, StL teams are NOT going to spend what the Los Angeles & New York teams spend. St Louis has NOT had the volatility in their MLB play & in the standings for 25 years’ish.
…When the highly paid manager Tony LaRussa left, the Cards also went in a totally different direction for their manager. They went to a completely inexperienced manager, who was very cheap– Ollie Marmol. It’s not Marmol’s fault…heck, I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity either. But we all know, you get what you pay for !!! The DeWitts knew what they were getting as a manager. Was that just the “first” of cutting back in cost? If not “cutting back”, surely no major investments in highly talented free agents appear to be down the road. Thus far, we’ve seen the elevation to the MLB of several, young, inexperienced(inexpensive) players would seem to indicate that path. Or….free agents who appear to be past their “prime” earning years.
… I see a major house cleaning this winter starting with John Mozeliak. Mozeliak has been a good GM since being named in 2007. He’s followed the wishes of his boss (the DeWitts) and led the Cards to post-seasons in 2009, 2011 (Series Champions), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. Now the last 3 post-seasons were just 1 game & done. The last post-season series won by the Cardinals was in 2019 over Atlanta. Then they lost the next series to Washington. Sooo…. the Cardinals fans have been “spoiled” and they expect post-seasons often with an occasional “deep run” to the World Series.
…..Mo’s contract runs through 2025. I expect Cards to “buy him out” and move on to some fresh evaluations & thoughts and do it as soon as 2024 is in the books! BTW.. it’s fairly well known that Albert Pujols would like to manage…of course, to manage the Cardinals. Why Not? Don’t tell me he doesn’t have any experience …after you hired Mr. Marmol. (I’m being as kind as I can be). Bring in Albert & maybe Yadi, who may join him or an experienced (yes…it’ll cost more) manager!!! The Cards need less VOLATILITY to win!!
….looking around the MLB, outside of St. Louis, a team that’s really been in the VOLATILE WORLD has been the Oakland Athletics!!! WHO? Yes..the Oakland Athletics. In the 1st half of this 2024 season, Oakland was 37-61 (just about what everyone expected). In the 2nd half, the A’s are 24-18!! No one outside the Bay Area probably noticed it or cared 1 iota. But….for that franchise, it’s a monumental step. No longer in last place in AL West, the spot is being filled by the LA Angels! Amazingly, Oakland is doing it with the lowest payroll in the MLB $62m. The Angels are 14th as they carry a payroll that’s just a tad under $172m. Wondering about our Cardinals? They are 12th(of 30 teams) in spending as their payroll is slightly under $176m. The average total team payroll across MLB in 2024 is $104+m. The New York Mets have the highest payroll at $316+m.
…There isn’t much VOLATILITY in Cleveland these days. I don’t know why but I’m still a bit surprised when I see that the Cleveland Guardians are in the top spot in the Central division standings. Cleveland has been in the post-season 5 times since 2016! Cleveland has 81 wins (here on sept 5)—only 2 AL team have more—Baltimore & the Yankees! Steven Vogt, the 45th manager in the franchise history, has guided them beautifully in 2024. I guess the fact that Cleveland isn’t considered a “super major” metropolis that garners much attention or that they haven’t won the world series recently (1948 & 1920) seems to have kept their record, standings & key players off the front pages.
….In 1st place with despite some unbelievable stats—a team batting average of .239(8th in AL). The Guardians are led by players that most of us probably don’t know…Jose Ramirez has 34 HR & 106 RBI’s. Steven Kwan is the top batter with a .292 average. Tanner Bibee holds 11 wins to lead Cleveland. Keep your eyes on them. They own just 2 Series championships—1920 and 1948. Sooo…they are “overdue” 😊1st year manager-Stephen Vogt hopes to snap that trend. …Vogt is a story in himself…he played in the MLB for 12 years. He bounced around from Tampa Bay Rays (2012) Oakland Athletics (2013–2017) Milwaukee Brewers (2017) San Francisco Giants (2019) Arizona Diamondbacks (2020–2021) Atlanta Braves (2021) Oakland Athletics (2022). He had no managerial experience until be hired by Cleveland. He was an 11 year MLB player under numerous managers, coaches, etc. Apparently, he learned a lot.
….Currently holding an 81-60 record, Vogt utilizes the “running game” with continued VOLATALITY. The Indians have stolen bases successfully 131 times while being thrown out 39 times. Despite a team batting average of .238 which is #22 in the MLB, the Guardians are 13 in scoring runs! Another very key element to me is that Cleveland is #28 in strikeouts in the league (3rd fewest in MLB). Put the ball in play…ya never know what’ll happen.
…I’m looking forward to YOUR thoughts on any part of this Buzz. Respond directly on Facebook (Bob Ryan) or send to me & I’ll publish it for you. If you’ve missed some of the Buzz articles, they are found on www.bobryansportsblog.com Thanks! Bob
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