re: Cards are coming for the Cubs

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Bob Nightengale Verified account @BNightengale

The #Stlcards will announce that Mike Shildt is now their manager, stripping away the interim title

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What La Russa saw by watching Shildt was the sum of many mentors. Farm director Gary LaRocque, a former minor-league manager, had pushed, nurtured and nourished Shildt’s ability. Field coordinator Mark DeJohn gave Shildt lessons he learned from Kissell and Ted Simmons. This past week, as he described the college of Cardinals Shildt had around him, La Russa paused, gave a slight hum of epiphany and explained his realization.

“Look at the young pitchers and then think back to Jon Jay, Skip Schumaker, and so many others, and the guys the Cardinals brought up know how to play — really play,” La Russa said. “A part of who he is is the job he did developing guys in the system. Mike’s edge is that he was brought up in that same system. Like the players, that system made him ready.”

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Less than 11 months removed from his retirement as Cardinals’ manager, La Russa had a break in his travel for the commissioner’s office and sneaked, unannounced, into Springfield, Mo., on Sept. 11, 2012, to see Shildt manage the first game of the Texas League finals. Before the manager could return, La Russa commandeered the office, sat behind Shildt’s desk, in the dark, set to surprise. His smile and championship rings were about all that could give the godfather away.

“True to Tony, he asked me questions about the game, and then we went to dinner,” Shildt recalled this past weekend in Denver. “Talked about baseball and playoffs and how to manage it, think about it, and what that looks like. I drove him back to the (hotel) in my 2006 Toyota Tundra — which I still have — and we talked for another hour and a half, till 3 a.m. That’s’ what Tony is about. Talk about gracious. Tony has layers of answers. Ask him a question and you’ll get an answer and then a follow-up answer and a residual answer. This is the wisdom he can give.”

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@ESPNStatsInfo: The Cardinals are 26-12 under Mike Shildt, the best record in the NL since firing Mike Matheny.

That includes an MLB-best 19-5 record in August -- tonight they go for their 2nd 20-win month in the last decade (20-7 in May 2013).

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In 2010, Shildt’s rookie-level Johnson City team won the Appalachian League title, and he was invited to join the big-league staff during September. La Russa let him be the steal sign: Shildt’s hand on the railing was the green light. La Russa needled him for staring at the manager.

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