Official: The Cardinals Receive More Magnificent Information About Oliver Marmol and Nolan Arenado
Fans of the St. Louis Cardinals jeer at the retiring executive during the opening day tribute.
When asked about the response he expected from the crowd that poured into Busch Stadium for opening day festivities, the St. Louis Cardinals’ face was friendly and upbeat on Thursday morning. “I can say, ‘I’m leaving,’ when they jeer at me,” said John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations. Enjoy the moment! Don’t shout at me. At any rate,
it was worth considering. In a special tribute video, the Cardinals emphasized Mozeliak’s accomplishments during his tenure, including his 15 consecutive winning seasons and five consecutive postseason appearances. Then, to an unrelenting chorus of jeers, he ascended the steps of the dugout and waved.
On Thursday, Mozeliak arrived at the ballpark at approximately 7 a.m., which he estimates was a little earlier than in previous years. He arrived from Colorado as a scouting assistant at the beginning of the 1996 season, and his final opening day with the Cardinals—at least in his current position—marks the beginning of the end of a story. He remarked, “I’ve been moving a little more slowly than probably usual, making sure to say as many hellos as I can.” It’s a little,
sort of depressing to consider that it’s the final. But see, I can’t be too depressed because it’s my decision. Perhaps more than anyone else besides Bill DeWitt, Jr., his decisions have come to define the last thirty years of the franchise’s history, and regardless of what the general public thinks on his final day of operation, his legacy and future are assured. The day will come when he’s awarded a red jacket and a plaque in the team’s Hall of Fame, and when his return to the ballpark will come with celebration and appreciation. That day was not Thursday,
which did not come as a surprise to anyone involved. A winter of many quiet nights arrived by purpose, but it did not come with exceeding delight from the masses of red-clad supporters who packed seats beneath dreary, rainy skies. The only major league free agent the club signed before opening day was reliever Phil Maton, who grew up in Chatham,
Illinois, in the Springfield metro area. His brother, Nick, is a utility player who joined the Chicago White Sox at the last minute, presenting a travel nightmare for a family which suddenly has boys stationed at opposite ends of Interstate 55. Maton noted that his family will be at Busch Stadium for Thursday’s celebrations before driving back to the highway and visiting his
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