Jim Edmonds interview reveals cracks in the facade of the St. Louis Cardinals' organizational culture
The former color analyst wanted out of the broadcast game, a feeling he also said was given off by the organization in recent years towards the alumni.
Criticisms of his color analyst work (especially in the last few seasons) aside, Jim Edmonds always seemed like a cool dude and soldier-type baseball player. Outside of being a hitter who could plant a batting practice home run into the same loge section at old Busch Stadium, he did things right on and off the field.
Someone who didn’t mess with a manager’s way but wasn’t afraid to dish honestly with the press. The candidness hasn’t died down during his broadcast career and the aftermath, something that was very apparent if you listened to his appearance on The Morning After this morning.
With a boosted frequency (101.1 ESPN morning drive slot is gold) and less competition with 590 The Fan out of the game, big sports news breaks up into juicy interviews on Tim McKernan’s show. Co-hosted by Doug Vaughn, Martin Kilcoyne, and board-operated by the great action Jackson Burkett, the show has been home to deep chats with the likes of St. Louis Cardinals ownership and former players.
Less than 24 hours after FanDuel Sports Network sent out a press release that Edmonds wouldn’t be returning for the upcoming Cardinals season, he was on TMA Monday morning talking about what the last few years have looked like around Busch Stadium.
While he points out respect and love for current manager Oli Marmol (they text and communicate) and the DeWitts and John Mozeliak, he admitted to a culture shift in the clubhouse and from the organization. “Something different” was the way he put it, trying to be respectful in his comments but also flip over the dirty brick to tell the truth.
The sad truth is that alumni and red jacket owners aren’t exactly welcomed around the team like they were during Edmonds’s playing days. He pointed out that Bob Gibson and others were always around the team and in the dugout during spring training. That’s gone away recently, with an annual email sent out to alumni and little else.
One of the biggest bombshells dropped by Edmonds is that a third baseman (he wouldn’t name Nolan Arenado, even if McKernan laughingly did) wanted to have Mark McGwire come to camp a couple of years ago and the team rejected his offer. Think about that. Your highest paid player asks for an instructor and you turn him down. They told him the team had everything they needed to win 71 games.
As far as preparation for his job, the FanDuel Sports Network brass just wanted him to sit there and talk about the players. No prep, just be a puppet. Edmonds grew tired of that in recent years and was already set on not returning before someone reached out to tell him they were moving in a different direction. It sounded like me wanting out of the Critics Choice Awards voting and getting an email that I was already on associate member status within a few hours of sending an inquiry.
Pound for pound, lots of travel included, Edmonds was done with it all. Good for him. Early on, perhaps when there was more love and care for alumni around the team, he was a great analyst and offered a rare commodity for the team: An outspoken former outfielder who was elite for six seasons. Eventually, it boiled down into non-baseball conversations and veering off topic into his text chain. He was bored, I get it.
The Cardinals need to fix the cracks in the facade of their team. Since they can’t move all the salary they would like, welcome the alumni back in and let them instruct. Start there. The furloughs should be over. Funds for instructors via the alumni chamber shouldn’t be too scattered. The pandemic has eased up on things. The television money isn’t too much of a dip. Bring them back in and make things right.
One hopes that this is a Mozeliak thing and not a DeWitt thing. The latter always liked having All Star players on his roster and never shied away from having the alumni present and involved. Chaim Bloom could come in, take control, and restore that history and respect. It also helps that guys like Edmonds and Chris Carpenter could help young players right now during a time of roster and team makeup transition.
Edmonds talked about Carpenter finding success as a coach for the Los Angeles Angels after being let go by St. Louis. He noted that any young pitcher should be all over Carp for tutelage. Too bad young Quinn Matthews can’t pick Carpenter’s brain, and Victor Scott II can’t run to Edmonds for instruction. He’d have to drive to Tennessee right now to get instruction, since that’s where the former centerfielder spends half of his time these days.
The guy wants to be a dad and stop missing all of those special dates with his kids, some of which are passing high school age. I get that completely. Being home for all of Vinny’s things and getting to watch movies on a whim corrects a rough day every time. There’s a version of life where KSDK or Fox 2 accepted my application and hired me after an interview, and that could have taken me away from a lot of cool nights. Life sets you down where it sets you down; there is no real compass involved but there is some control.
Edmonds made his choice before the television network could let him go. Good for him. Now, get Bloom’s number from Oli and start calling him about rejoining the team in two years after a good break.
Let’s be honest. The Cardinals need Jim Edmonds more than he needs them, and that’s a situation that needs to be changed before any scent of the playoffs can be expected again.
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