A little Yadi goes a long way for a struggling Cardinals team
Welcome back a true sports king of St. Louis.
I may be feeling a little sentimental lately, perhaps a mechanism to offset the easy-to-tap-into dread of cynicism, but I find it comforting to have Yadier Molina in the dugout for the weekend series against the (once again) rival Chicago Cubs. For an average St. Louis Cardinals team, it’s something to lean on for a few days.
After a dismal start, rousing rush and a resting case of mediocrity settling in, the Cardinals aren’t a bore to watch. However, the team is becoming a second run franchise… at least for a while. They have managed to drop significantly in the standings while seeing Busch Stadium empty out even more than the previous two seasons. Younger players aren’t faring well. Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman find the .250 batting mark to be a high mountain to climb. Sonny Gray, the supposed ace of a motley crew of a rotation, has an ERA that climbs over 4.00.
Molina can only help the situation by tutoring the young catchers, cracking jokes with his teammate pals, and being a valuable presence for everybody inside that dugout. It would be a kick in the ass to know the revered “Yadi” was going to be in uniform for the game. It’s too bad Oli Marmol won’t Roger Dorn his ass, and activate him for a few innings of nostalgia. For all the fans who crap on that timeless drug, this team needs all the good memories it can find in a season that is dipping closer to below average waters.
It’s not like this season was prescribed any differently by fans, pundits, and anybody with a baseball pulse. Finishing with 80-85 wins seemed like the mountain top, but it may not be a good bet if this zig-zag team doesn’t find some level ground. They’re right about where most predicted they would be as August aged. Once again, Molina can only help things.
Pop quiz, hot shots! What’s the difference between Nolan Arenado and Molina right now? Both are former greats sharing a dugout this weekend, but only one is still getting paid to play and costing his team wins. Yeah, it’s a little awkward and disappointing when you think about those things in a logical context. Let’s just appreciate a true legend of St. Louis sports returning.
With no offense to the expiring talent of Arenado, Molina holds a key to the city after spending his entire career here and redefining the defensive abilities of a Major League catcher. Seeing him set up behind home plate with that glare towards first or second base was a signature element of watching daily baseball during the summers. Maybe that’s why I’m not watching as much baseball these days. The sex appeal of legends departed.
For a weekend, it’s back. Seeing those piercing Yadi eyes coming out of the dugout Friday night was a sweeter memory than the 5-0 shutout the Birds put on the small bears from up north. He doesn’t fix much and can’t throw anyone out at the moment, but Molina makes Cardinals baseball better for a few days.
Word is he will return later in season for a couple more series. Let’s hope. This hapless team needs some nostalgia to wash down the gloom of another playoff-less October downtown.