The Cardinals Are Falling Apart, And I Love It

I have to admit that for most of the years watching the Chicago Cubs, I have almost always observe them falling apart towards the later portions of the season and becoming laughing stocks to other teams such as the Cardinals. Well, this time the tables have turned and now Cubs fans have the chance to admire and enjoy the collapse of the 2010 St Louis Cardinals. Despite taking two of three from the division leading Reds this weekend, the Cardinals still sit 7 games out of the division and don’t appear to have a legitimate chance at winning the division. With the 2010 season looking like a disappointment for the Cardinals, it appears that problems are rising within the their dugout.

To begin, Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus reportedly requested a trade from the team while the team was in Chicago playing the Cubs in late July. Many have speculated that the trade request is stemming from Rasmus’ relationship with manager Tony La Russa, but La Russa while confirming the trade request, really did not go into further detail about the matter as he probably did not want to make a big deal of it.

“What do you want me to say? Ask Colby. Just ask Colby,” said the manager. “He can handle it however he wants to handle it. He’s capable of explaining himself and what he was thinking at the time.”“I think he’s thinking probably the grass is not greener other places and that this is a good situation, a great organization, teammates, everything. That’s what I think. You can ask him,” said La Russa, who also said that the outfielder made a similar request in his rookie season. ST Louis Post Dispatch

While La Russa was trying to make peacemaker, Albert Pujols was not making anything better as he verbally blasted Rasmus in the media.

“I’m a player and I’m a leader on this ballclub, and if I hear a player say he doesn’t want to be here, then he shouldn’t be here,” Pujols said. “That’s the way it is. … I’m going to say something to him too. This is something that shouldn’t have gotten into the [media]. This is something that should be between him and the manager, and the GM.“And plus, he needs to get more years in the league before he says something like that and disrespects the players.”“You want to have guys that want to play and want to win,” Pujols said. “You don’t want to have somebody that’s mad about something. With these young players coming up I don’t think you need all that.”“He’s a young guy, but I also was a young guy and you need to know the mistake you made and be accountable to that,” Pujols said. “I think for him to come up and ask for a trade and [the media knows about it], I don’t think that was very professional by him. He should have known a little bit better than how he handled it.” ST Louis Post Dispatch

Albert Pujols obviously does not know what the term leader really means. Because, if he did he would realize that his verbal lashing of Colby Rasmus to media only made things worse and not better. A leader should not put any of their teammates in this situation, let alone a player who has only been in the league for two years.  I also like how Pujols  blames Rasmus for leaking the trade request to the media. When Rasmus actually never said anything to the media to indicate that he wanted to be traded. But it is alright for Pujols to humiliate  Rasmus to the media.

There is also speculation going around that this current rift could tear Tony La Russa away from the Cardinals. With La Russa’s contract being up at the end of the year his future with the team is uncertain. But if the Cardinals miss the playoffs in a year they were thought to be obvious World Series contenders, La Russa may be on his way out of town.