STLtoday.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVz9djwJsa8


Interesting analysis by the two former Cardinals.


All three also discuss what player has the shortest leash this year ?

He should have to earn an extension. He has not done that yet.

I'm not sure how you make the case that he "deserves" an extension. You could argue that he may not have gotten a very fair shake with the teams he was given. But what exactly has OM done that he deserved getting the job in the 1st place much less an extension. Lots of coaches in every sport are given subpar teams & then lose their job despite not really having a very realistic chance of winning. Would anyone make the case that Scott Linehan deserved an extension as the Rams coach? Yet he has basically the same justification as OM would.

I get why the Cardinals might do it, it may be hard to find a good manager to come in at the start of a rebuild. On top of that paying a better manager (who given the talent probably doesn't stand much chance of winning anyway) for this season & then having to continue to pay him in what will almost certainly be a shortened season (if not lost altogether) probably doesn't make much sense. It just sounds better to say "Ollie deserves a fair chance" than "we're not paying a real manager to run this turd of a team we're rolling out this year or for next season when we probably won't be playing anyway"

Basil Shabazz wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 14:58 pm He should have to earn an extension. He has not done that yet.

It's not any more complicated than that.

Gibson and Lynn seem like cool guys, but I don't think I've seen them on the right side of a single controversial take this entire offseason. Lynn especially just does not know how the modern business of baseball works.

Basil Shabazz wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 14:58 pm He should have to earn an extension. He has not done that yet.

He has, however, earned a long walk on a short plank.
Hopefully, Bloom possesses the strength and integrity to fire The Marmot sometime before the 60-game mark if the team is under .500.

Oddly, the only place I hear negative reviews of Oli and calls for his firing are from this forum (and probably X if I read comments) and, with all due respect, none of you are close enough to the team to know your head from your backside.

I'm also reminded that this same forum collectively called for the firing of every manager employed during its existence. I have no doubt the beloved and saintly Whitey also would have experience regular calls for his firing if this forum was around then but everything looks better (or less worse) with the passage of time.

General wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 15:53 pm Oddly, the only place I hear negative reviews of Oli and calls for his firing are from this forum (and probably X if I read comments) and, with all due respect, none of you are close enough to the team to know your head from your backside.

I'm also reminded that this same forum collectively called for the firing of every manager employed during its existence. I have no doubt the beloved and saintly Whitey also would have experience regular calls for his firing if this forum was around then but everything looks better (or less worse) with the passage of time.

This forum is indeed a cesspool but one thing it gets 100% correct is the sentiment that Oli should 100% have been fired last offseason (and even more so today). Every Cardinal fan I talk to with a pulse believes that the Cardinals can and should do better than Oli at manager. Perhaps aside from this forum you're mostly consuming team friendly / controlled media?

jusruther wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 16:26 pm

General wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 15:53 pm Oddly, the only place I hear negative reviews of Oli and calls for his firing are from this forum (and probably X if I read comments) and, with all due respect, none of you are close enough to the team to know your head from your backside.

I'm also reminded that this same forum collectively called for the firing of every manager employed during its existence. I have no doubt the beloved and saintly Whitey also would have experience regular calls for his firing if this forum was around then but everything looks better (or less worse) with the passage of time.

This forum is indeed a cesspool but one thing it gets 100% correct is the sentiment that Oli should 100% have been fired last offseason (and even more so today). Every Cardinal fan I talk to with a pulse believes that the Cardinals can and should do better than Oli at manager. Perhaps aside from this forum you're mostly consuming team friendly / controlled media?

It's astounding to me that the forum puts so much energy and dialog into Marmol. Bloom likes him. He'll be here for awhile.

Melville wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 15:39 pm

Basil Shabazz wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 14:58 pm He should have to earn an extension. He has not done that yet.

He has, however, earned a long walk on a short plank.
Hopefully, Bloom possesses the strength and integrity to fire The Marmot sometime before the 60-game mark if the team is under .500.

What about this team as currently constructed do you think makes it a .500 team?

What manager could take this team as currently constructed to a .500 or better record?

Will your tune change if the team is around.500 after sixty games?

3dender wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 15:21 pm Gibson and Lynn seem like cool guys, but I don't think I've seen them on the right side of a single controversial take this entire offseason. Lynn especially just does not know how the modern business of baseball works.

One thing to always remember with Lynn, Gibson, Holiday and so many other active and recently retired players is that they will always deliver the MLBPA answer. Tony Clark’s lips move a little bit every time these guys speak into a microphone. They are all collecting MLBPA pensions.

Did you hear Manny’s comments today about how great the Dodgers payroll is for MLB? Classic players association line.

Strummer Jones wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 16:34 pm

Melville wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 15:39 pm

Basil Shabazz wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 14:58 pm He should have to earn an extension. He has not done that yet.

He has, however, earned a long walk on a short plank.
Hopefully, Bloom possesses the strength and integrity to fire The Marmot sometime before the 60-game mark if the team is under .500.

What about this team as currently constructed do you think makes it a .500 team?

What manager could take this team as currently constructed to a .500 or better record?

Will your tune change if the team is around.500 after sixty games?

If properly managed, the infield should be one of the best in the NL.
The bullpen should be a strength.
The rotation should be deeper and better than a year ago (side note: The Marmot's handling of the rotation last year was one of the worst I have ever witnessed and is consistently an area where he produces terrible work).
Pages and Crooks should a very solid tandem - not great, but good enough.
The outfield is a disaster - but not worse than last year.
Yes - there is enough talent to be above .500.
And winning must be an expectation applied to both the players AND the staff.
If the team is under .500 at the 60 game mark, zero question The Marmot should be terminated.
Otherwise, exactly what is he being paid for and why bother playing the games?
As for my tune - there is not one to change.
Under .500 at 60 games (or any time after 45) he should be fired.
If above .500 at 60, retain him.
But if the team folds yet again in the 2nd half, as it has the past 2 years, and fails to achieve a W/C at year end, he should be fired.
No different from what I have been correctly and consistently analyzing for quite some time now.

General wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 15:53 pm Oddly, the only place I hear negative reviews of Oli and calls for his firing are from this forum (and probably X if I read comments) and, with all due respect, none of you are close enough to the team to know your head from your backside.

I'm also reminded that this same forum collectively called for the firing of every manager employed during its existence. I have no doubt the beloved and saintly Whitey also would have experience regular calls for his firing if this forum was around then but everything looks better (or less worse) with the passage of time.

Yeah but neither are you so your word is no better than anyone else’s here

So maybe just S[top] T[hose] F[raudulent] U[tterances]……with all due respect….

What possible argument could there be to give Marmol an extension on Feb. 16?

Dicktar2023 wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 18:01 pm What possible argument could there be to give Marmol an extension on Feb. 16?

He might feel pressure to win if they don’t

Banner29 wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 19:44 pm

Dicktar2023 wrote: ↑16 Feb 2026 18:01 pm What possible argument could there be to give Marmol an extension on Feb. 16?

He might feel pressure to win if they don’t

Right?

I want to believe that era of idiocy is behind us, but here we are.