All In For a Rollercoaster Ride?

Opening Day for me was a preview of all the crazy goodness to follow in 2017. That game had everything--stellar pitching, dramatic heroics off the bats, plays made, top 3 guys in the lineup doing the whole OBP thing we all dreamed of during the off season, and best of all, beating the Cubs. We got to Lester a few times and got to their bullpen. We overcame a rare dud performance from Oh to win the game. After all the emotions of the Opening Day ceremonies combined with Yadi's extension, the game was the icing on the cake of that day. Beautiful day.

Then we had an off day. I'll tell you I have a strong dislike for off days during a series. I know it was planned and that is out of my hands, but the momentum has a hard time carrying through when there's an off day. Exhibit 1 of that is Game 2.

Now, not all was lost in Game 2. Wainwright pitched well, with 6 strikeouts, 2 runs, 2 walks in 5 innings pitched. His opponent average was only .167. He famously spiked a ball awkwardly to avoid injuring Yadi, but overall, he showed a lot of life and pitched well. Other than that, some wheels started to wobble. Our top 3 guys had a difficult time doing their OBP thing. Carp continued his struggles against Arrieta, Dex seemed a little lost at the plate and Diaz was kept off the bases as well. To be fair, the team only managed a few hits off Arrieta. The Cubs managed only a few off Wainwright as well. It was another 1 run low scoring game in the making from the first inning. We had a couple defensive miscues, notably a throw home that should have gone to third. Last but definitely not least, poor Piscotty had the worst trip around the bases possibly in the history of baseball, getting hit 3 times by ball. After passing all concussion protocols and other tests, he is fine though, thankfully, and played today.

Losing 2-1 didn't feel awesome, but I felt we were in it the whole time. With strong pitching from Wainwright and Bowman especially, I never felt the game was out of reach.

Today's game started off great. We pounced on Lackey for 3 runs playing small ball. As always, it's fun to see Lackey frustrated. It's fun to see any Cubs frustrated, but with Lackey it feels special. It warms my heart.

Unfortunately, the fun would only last so long. The Cards' offense left the building after those first few runs and their bullpen held it down today, unlike Sunday. In left field, we were sporting a change of scenery. If only it were for fun...a wild whimsical fancy that would only happen in Spring Training. In real life, what actually happened was far from whimsical. It was not a ballet out there, I'll tell you that. Multiple gifs exist of the mighty fall. It wasn't pretty and I hope that was the final nail in the coffin of Adams in left field. I fear it was not, but I'll still foolishly hope anyway. Grich had another blunder in left once he moved back there. Cecil has temporarily forgotten how good he can pitch and has opened the season with an ERA of 36.00. The Cubs won the game and that will be that. I can only stay in the cold, deep waters of negativity so long before I have to swim back to warmer, shallow waters where you can feel the sun.

I'll hit ya with a hearty helping of positivity and optimism to end this opening series recap of sorts.

~Lynn pitched very well for his first time back on the mound officially since Tommy John surgery. He showed a lot of that same Lance Lynn fire and had good velocity which was comforting

~Wainwright had a solid first game, with almost the same line as Arrieta. An ERA in the 3 range to start the season and 6 strikeouts in one game are positive signs. I'm feeling good about Adam this season.

~*Non Cardinal fun fact* Bryant is batting .000 to start the season. Now, that's what I think is cute.

~Carlos is amazing. He was dominant in his first outing, full of all that passion, fire and energy we all love. He's going to be on fire in 2017.

~Bowman is strong out of the bullpen and is quickly getting recognized for his efforts. Nice to see.

~Our offense's positives: we had some deep counts going fairly often in the 3 games, a few hard hit balls, some small ball and a few batting heroics. We'll build off of these moments for better outcomes this weekend. 

~All 3 games were close and honestly, I think they all will be this season. The Cubs showed they were mortal, which if listening to MLB or ESPN, you may not have known was possible. Their rotation showed some weaknesses and their bullpen did as well, so I'm excited to see the Cards keep the fight alive in every game.

Here's hoping for a productive, spirited, well oiled machine type of series win against Cincinnati! LET'S GO CARDS!!!

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice

I may be the only fan of this 80s classic, but I'm using it as a reference anyways.

https://youtu.be/ei-2xTsyL8w

The teeth jumping out, the disappearing acts, the zipper, the metal plate. I wish all of these magical abilities existed for Matheny, Mozeliak and Kolten.

For what feels like the 572nd time, Mo was on MLB Radio discussing Kolten. And by the sounds of my post up until now, I'm sure you can tell exactly how it went and how I feel.

His direct quote: "If he plays well, he'll play. If he doesn't, well, that's the business."

My immediate thought on this is simple. Enough already. The cows have come home, the fat lady is done singing, that ship has sailed (and sank), the dead horse has been beaten, everyone's blue in the face. I don't know how else to say it but I'm beyond exhausted with our front office and Kolten in the public eye. Stop talking. I've heard everything they've had to say ad nauseam and if they knew how to speak about anything else, I might actually listen to anything they have to say during the next month. For now, I'm ignoring all of them. They're all in a time out as far as I'm concerned. If they behaved like adults, I wouldn't say things like time out.

Honestly, they're all behaving unprofessionally at this point. I get it, Cards fans get it, and now, everyone gets it. Kolten needs to play well to play every day. Mo and Matheny want him to do that but aren't afraid to bench him. He wants to play every day but fears being benched after every bad day. They've all said their peace publicly. They all have blame in this. Promises were made in public that weren't kept. When taken away, it was public, not private. Frustration occurred and was aired publicly, choosing to react in kind.

Learn how to speak privately. Being in management, they have offices with doors that close. These offices are for these moments in "business." Call the player in, have a discussion, and move on. If communication issues, relationship issues, management issues, playing issues keep occurring, do something to change it. Permanently. I've been a patient fan. However, all of this is now hopping up and down on my very last nerve. If it is evident that the player-management relationship here will never improve to a point where it is fair for all, find a trade that works. Kolten can get a fair shake somewhere else. Matheny can revel in the fact that he doesn't have to deal with Kolten and all those emotions anymore. He can focus on the guys he wants to play, like Matt "hot hands" Adams, who's only the greatest left fielder ever, in case you didn't know. Today was grace defined out there. Exquisite.

Bottom line: Stop talking about the situation. See what Kolten can do. Play the guy. If he's truly inept, give someone else a shot. Kolten, in turn, should also stop talking. I suggest "no comment." Heck, plead the Fifth. No pre or postgame interviews is probably a wise choice with Kolten at this point in time. I don't care how they handle it, as long as they all stop talking about this topic publicly. Forever.

Warm Fuzzy Game Face

Sunday, April 2, 2017 was emotional, bright and early. Over the past week, the Molina extension had gone from heated topic of frustration, to worry over the crickets heard from both sides, to finally an announcement of a press conference. A huge sigh of relief exhaled from St. Louis Cards fans everywhere. Listening to the press conference, as Yadi was mentioned in the company of Stan Musial and Bob Gibson, everyone could tell this was all meant to be. Yadier Molina as a lifetime Cardinal is hands down one of the greatest accomplishments of John Mozeliak in his tenure. While we all thought of the legacy and many thought of the sentimentality, Mozeliak stated he extended this contract for performance and service of the future...Molina is healthy and ready to compete, so he's our best option still as a catcher. In the end, Mozeliak and Cards fans were both plenty pleased to have Yadi wear the birds on the bat for his whole career. Mo worked the whole business side as he does, and we got the personal side of getting to watch Yadi retire a Cardinal. And as much as Mo tried to fight it, I think I saw a little twinkle in those eyes as they were shaking hands. He's happy too for he can't help himself!

Now we move on to a few hours later, tuning in to Fox Sports Midwest for the Opening Day Ceremonies. Every year, it's magical. Our organization far and away knows how to put on a show. Hall of Famers in their red jackets, the best we've been blessed to watch as fans. The Clydesdales making their long awaited trip around the stadium. And last but certainly not least, our players. This year fans were given a bonus of sorts as the Cardinals are celebrating their 125th Anniversary as a team. A video played showing highlights through all the years...we are unbelievably lucky to have all those moments to look back on. Cue the tears. Well, for you all anyways, as my tears started with the Clydesdales.

One of my favorite parts of the whole ceremony is watching our current players with the Hall of Famers. They all seem genuinely in awe of the greatness. Smiles light up their faces. The Hall of Famers are always welcoming to every player.

Game time. Tears over for now, game face on. And goodness, did Carlos bring his game face. After writing the jersey numbers of Oscar and Yordano into the mound (it still gets to me a little), he was on fire. Carlos surprised no one by pitching well, but for Opening Day and all the emotions that go with it, he was out dueling a pitcher repeatedly called one of the best in the game by CUBS ESPN. His final line for the night was spectacular~10 strikeouts, 0 walks, 6 hits, 0 earned runs over 7.1 innings. It truly was an extraordinary first Opening Day effort by 25 year old Carlos...he was composed, steady and firing all night. I won't speak for anyone else, but I am incredibly proud of him and glad for him that all his hard work has paid off. I doubt he'll be under the radar anymore.

Honestly, this game was a battle and probably fairly indicative of what lies ahead as we face the Cubs throughout the season. Many moments followed CMart's mastery. Jose Martinez got a double, and after the game got to watch a video of his family's reaction to the hit. It's impossible not to feel the joy he brings to his game. Kolten Wong joining the game in the later innings and worked a walk, which turned out to be very helpful. Being able to contribute was something he needed (and deserved). Randal Grichuk showed some coveted plate discipline multiple times last night, followed by a 2 run homer which gave us a 3-0 lead at the time and of course, the walk off hit (a few feet shy of a grand slam by the way). This Cardinals loving girl happy danced around the living room for all of these moments.

After all the warm fuzzies here, I hesitate to bring up situations that needed a little more game face. I'll simply say that Carp needed a little more game face in that one inning. And I'm not sure if more game face would fix whatever issues may or may not have happened with bullpen management, but I can say I have not one warm fuzzy for all of that.

My beautiful Cardinals are in first place and the only team in the Central Division with a win two days into the season. I like it. 2 wins after tomorrow's game would be perfect. A home series win against the Cubs--crazy good way to start the year! No pressure, but a sweep would be sweet. Opening Day was awesome for the Cards this year and we'll have many more in the future. After all, these are the St. Louis Cardinals. Happy 2017 Season!!

Going Out on a Limb

It's that time of year. Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals falls on a Sunday evening this year, when they'll face the Cubs at Busch Stadium. ESPN will carry the broadcast (as Cards fans collectively sigh) but Fox Sports Midwest will have an hour of coverage before the game so we won't miss the Clydesdales, Hall of Famers and player introductions. Thank goodness!!

I'm going to make my predictions for the season now. I've been thinking of how this season might play out and how everyone will perform for months. Let's jump in...

Cardinals record: 90-72

I've stood by this number for a long while, before and after injuries, and I'm still hopeful for those 90 wins.

Starting Rotation: Carlos-19-9         2.95 ERA
                           Adam 15-10        3.78 ERA
                           Wacha 12-10      3.98 ERA
                           Lynn 11- 11         4.00 ERA
                           Leake 12-11        3.83 ERA

All of these numbers are improvements over last season. They also might seem a little more optimistic than many are feeling these days. That's alright. Lynn is my only wild card for this year. He was largely consistent before surgery, but predicting the year after Tommy John is nearly impossible. Throwing another wrench into any predictions is the longer recovery time he had compared to most others, as he underwent the surgery in November of 2015.

Outfield: Grichuk-30 Home runs, 260 BA, 95 RBI, 10 DRS, 158 games played
              Fowler-14 home runs, 274 BA, 60 RBI, 3 DRS, 155 games played
              Piscotty-26 home runs, 280 BA, 102 RBI, 7 DRS, 156 games played

I look for a breakout year for Grich, playing almost every game without trips to Memphis and hitting that 30 home run mark. His defense will more than likely improve in LF. With Fowler, I look for a bounce back year without injury as a solid lead off bat with overall positive defense. For Piscotty, I see the power kicking up a notch while having a decent batting average with plenty of RBI opportunities, ideally batting 4th if he puts it all together. Based on his changed workouts in the off season, he is anticipating better defense, so I'm fairly certain we'll see that.

Infield: Carpenter-27 home runs, 282 BA, 97 RBI, 0 DRS, 147 games played
           Wong-4 home runs, 243 BA, 30 RBI, 2 DRS, 118 games played
           Diaz-20 home runs, 275 BA, 78 RBI, 2 DRS, 149 games played
           Peralta-10 home runs, 253 BA, 62 RBI, -2 DRS, 123 games played

Carp's defense has been a bit of an issue for him, but I'm confident that playing one position all year will help neutralize some of those issues, allowing him to cut down on errors and break even with defensive runs saved. Clearly, I'm also betting on health, with Carp getting to play most games. Kolten's stats are fairly typical based on last year, although the defense in my prediction is up. I don't think he plays close to every game with Greg Garcia and Jedd Gyorko deserving of time off the bench. Either of them can spell Diaz and Peralta as well though. However, they're still being managed by Mike, so beware of too much bright eyed dreaming of Kolten's playing time. With Diaz, I'm expecting a solid defensive year, hopeful for health and fairly confident in his avoidance of a sophomore slump. As Peralta ages, his defense continues a downward spiral, with negative 2 defensive runs being an overly kind prediction of improvement on my part. Again, I don't see him playing most games with Gyorko and Garcia waiting for time to play on the sidelines.

Yadi: 23 home runs, 285 BA, 70 RBI, 6 DRS, 154 games played

Yes, Yadi got his own section. And yes, these numbers are somewhat otherworldly for a catcher turning 35 in July. Did you see him in the WBC though? Have you heard his interviews lately? The man is straight fire and passion these days, moving faster and hitting better than he has in a couple years. Staying healthy will be key, but if he does, I look for an electric year from Yadi.

Bullpen: With Matheny managing the bullpen much like the Swedish Chef, I have so few guesses of how the bullpen will perform this season. I do, however, feel very confident in their abilities and think this is a strength of our team. I know we took a hit recently with Rosey going on the DL, joining Lyons. On the flip side of injury though, we (fingers crossed) get a good look at Soco and get to enjoy repeat performances from Bowman and Oh. Siegrist will pitch decently and potentially be allowed more rest with the addition of Cecil, who has been solid in the past. A rough spring for Cecil doesn't concern me. Broxton will most likely be much of the same, handling low leverage innings and being a mixed bag in all other situations. Honestly, he's the only concern for me out there in the pen. With Rosey returning to a bullpen role, I'm leaning towards him focusing on command and getting those strikeouts again. The key will be for management to give him a specific role and for him to focus on that role. Going back and forth between bullpen and starter can't be how he spends the season.

Overall, I'm feeling positive for the 2017 Cardinals. Watching Spring Training, it seemed the defense was improved from last year, especially on the infield. I see the majority of our players putting in strong efforts and having great years, offensively and defensively. Our pitching staff will see improvement in my eyes, but again, every single game counts. Last year, many said often that "it's only April" or "only May" and we watched the season slip away. When one game is the difference, it lights a fire. No one on this team took missing the postseason lightly and they are ready to play. Game on.

Let's do this Cards!!

Loose Ends and Head Scratchers

We are mere hours away from Opening Day for the St. Louis Cardinals and I'm happy dancing most of those hours away. The off season of 2016-2017 has felt at times to be about 579 days long. I'm ready to watch our Cards!!

Spring Training and the few months before have left us with some loose ends to tie up. Some aren't necessarily loose ends so much as head scratchers. I think you'll be able to tell. This is my list. Your list could be totally different. It's fairly safe to say if you glance at your TL, we all have varying opinions ;).

*Stephen Piscotty-his spring fell under the head scratching column. As 2016 progressed through the dog days of summer, Piscotty fatigued. Who can blame him? He put a lot of work in offensively on and off the field and this was his first full year in the bigs. It wasn't shocking to see him tired and his offense slipping a little. During the offseason, Mabry contacted him often with articles and thoughts directed towards a more academic approach to hitting. There's definitely a place for that in the game, but I wonder if they've taken it too seriously with Piscotty and gotten a little too far off the beaten path. Maybe it's time to be a little more ball player and a little less Stanford student. I could be completely off about this, but I find myself brainstorming to figure out where Piscotty has gone offensively. I hope it was all a matter of using the Spring Training for just that-training. Then when the season opens in a couple days, he figures out ways to get hits. For now, he has been hitting 6th or so in the lineup and while that's no direct indication of any intentions, it did make me take notice of Matheny possibly having concerns as well.

*Kolten Wong-will he or won't he? That's the question. Honestly, it shouldn't even be a question for my two cents. He was promised a stint and never really give one, and now while working on things during Spring Training as players tend to do, he is looking at a platoon situation at 2B with Jedd Gyorko. I understand his frustrations, handled however poorly in public, and I do get that results need to be there to help the team win. Bottom line in all of this for me: Kolten could make defensive plays that save runs for our ground ball inducing pitching staff and bat around .240 with a few home runs and maybe 50 or so RBIs batting 8th and I'd be perfectly fine with that. I do like Gyorko though....

*Jedd Gyorko-the guy who hit 30 home runs in a season while not playing every day doesn't have an every day position yet again. I'd love, instead of platooning with Kolten at 2B, for Jedd to start at 3B. I've felt since last season that Peralta should be the odd man out. Defensively he isn't outshining anyone at any position and offensively, no one can necessarily be sure 2015 first half Peralta is ever going to show up again. Give Jedd a shot and see what happens. Put Peralta in if Jedd struggles in every day play. I don't think he would though. I'd be ecstatic if Jedd was starting and being spelled by Peralta than the other way around.

*Matt Adams-I saved the best for last. Oh wait. No. This is the biggest head scratcher and I hope it's a loose end that's going to be tied up by Adams being a bench bat. I fear every time he has started in LF lately that Matheny's getting ideas I don't like...such as starting Adams in LF more often than the occasional off day for someone. Walk with me here...if Adams is a bench bat, he can't get hot handed enough for Matheny to play him at the expense of others. However, the whole idea of this experiment was to get his hot hand SPRING TRAINING bat more opportunities. We have a LF and his name is Randal Grichuk. Behind Grich and Piscotty should be our 4th OF, Jose Martinez. Adams should not get opportunities over either at this point in time, but Mo and Matheny have both mentioned getting his offense in. After all these years, they should know full well that they have no reason to know for a fact that this offense will continue against the starting pitching rotations of teams playing in games that matter. Gone are the days of pitchers with pitch count/innings limits and/or days for minor league pitchers to showcase what they can do (all working on things as well, so not necessarily pitching their best). I don't know how the FO made such leaps to Spring Training counting for so much, but they have some delusions of grandeur that they have to reign in a smidge.

That sums up all of my loose ends and head scratchers as we wind down the hours left until the 2017 Cardinals season opens. I'd love to hear yours! 

Love Letter of Sorts

This past week, it was announced that Carlos Martinez will be our Opening Day starter. Adam Wainwright will be our #2 starter. The phrase "passing of the torch" was mentioned on a constant loop. My mind was perfectly accepting of this and not even surprised. My heart took a minute though. Or a few days. As I predicted, he handled the news with grace. He was proud of Carlos and he respects him. The feeling is mutual. It's obvious that Carlos respects and appreciates Adam.

For those who may not know, Adam Wainwright is the reason I'm writing this, the reason I'm on Twitter to find other people who love the Cardinals as much as I do and the reason I love the Cardinals at all. In 2006, as I watched him close the NLCS game 7, I fell in love with baseball, especially Cardinals baseball. The strikeout of Beltran was a completely magical moment for me. Everything about that last out was beautiful.

We are blessed beyond belief to have one  of the very best leaders on our team that you could ever hope to have in Adam. He is all heart, the glue keeping them together. He is the constant cheerleader, the mentor, the dancer and the one with the greatest smile (although Carlos can give him a lot of competition). Adam puts his arm around Wacha when he's having a tough day on the mound. He brags about everyone on our team, especially Yadi and Carlos...so very proud of his teammates. Waino is unquestionably there for everyone. Even when you don't ask, he'll find a way...just ask Ryan Sheriff.

As Twitter discusses Yadi's contract negotiations, a few times it pops up from some that they're okay if Adam doesn't retire here. I hope with all of my heart, they both retire Cardinals. Adam has been saying for years that he never wants to play anywhere else. He loves the Cardinals and he loves us.

Career highlights: 3 time All Star
                           2 time Gold Glover
                           NL wins leader two years
                           Cy Young top 3 candidate 4 times
                           2014-first pitcher in MLB history to have 7 innings pitched w/no runs allowed in
                           9 of his first 18 starts (insanely fun year to watch)
                           3rd all time Cardinals in strikeouts, trailing only Gibby & Carp                  
                           Career ERA 3.17 with .638 win/loss %

I went back and forth on including his accomplishments. I ultimately decided to share a smidge as a little reminder to some who may have forgotten how good he's actually been.

It's difficult to mention Adam without thinking of his charitable work. Receiving the Clemente Award has always been the bigger honor and goal for him over the Cy Young. His work has changed lives and that is extraordinary. He has a very generous, caring spirit and you always have to hope that rubs off on everyone around him.

2017 will be a good year for Adam. Being strong, healthy, smart and hard working, he will figure everything out. My faith has always been there and always will be. Everyone has a guy on the team that is their favorite, the one they cheer for no matter what. Maybe it's a couple guys or even a few. It might change every year or every decade for some, but mine is constant. Adam Wainwright is the reason I love baseball...I owe him. 

Along with "passing the torch" sometimes comes the phrase "closing the book" or "turning the page." As the torch was passed to Adam, I knew the day would come that he would pass the torch to someone else. And we can turn the page on last season's struggles. All I ask is that you don't close the book on Adam. He's still writing this book. He's still got a few chapters to go. It's already been a best seller for me. 

What Have You Done For Me Lately?

Time to go ahead and dive into the Kolten Wong conversation. I've been thinking about things to say about this long before the articles arrived in my Twitter timeline today. Kolten's situation has been boiling under the surface, and sometimes boiling over publicly, for what feels like 47 years. In reality, he's only been here since 2013. And even though it seems as though he's a veteran, he's only 26 years old.

Today Kolten expressed his frustration over yet again having the rug pulled out from under him. Again the promise of being the every day 2B was empty. Instead of being told (or better yet discussing it) in private, Matheny and Mozeliak both made public comments about how the start of the season would once again have a platoon set up at second base. Gyorko is the name most often mentioned, but Greg Garcia has gotten some recognition as well, based on his spring stats.

I mentioned the abysmal front office communication skills months ago when Grichuk wasn't told about left field and had to assume it was his position based on whatever was posted in the papers or social media. Unlike Matt Carpenter, Grichuk received no phone call, post card, email, text or carrier pigeon to notify him of his new position. Essentially, Dex introduced himself and Grich knew he wasn't the center fielder anymore. Now, Kolten is being told via social media and other news outlets that he is essentially in a timeshare with one or 2 or who knows how many players at the position that was supposed to be solely his from Opening Day on. Honestly, I wouldn't be shocked to see Matt Adams there. Annnddd that's another story.

Wong is playing with a chip on his shoulder the size of Hawaii. He's embarrassed, frustrated and confused. Rightfully so. I felt for the guy in the interview. Kolten has always been a smidgen cocky in the public eye. It rubs some people the wrong way if you scroll through Twitter. Some feel the need to knock him down a few pegs. I think it's a bit of an act. He carries his offense to his defense and vice versa. 0-3, then comes an error. Bobbled play, here comes a strikeout. Kolten is a guy who can get very stuck in his own mind. He needs cheerleaders. And he won't find that here at the corner of Adversity Lane and We Love Platoons Drive. Matheny has a set of guys each year that he'll play till the sun doesn't shine and Wong isn't ever on that list. After being at this since 2013, he likely never will be.

I'll readily admit, his spring is out of whack and isn't doing him any favors. However, he is working on things, which is Spring Training's expressed purpose. Instead of viewing it as a time to work, Matheny has decided Wong has lost his every day playing ability. Kolten may never be a 280 average guy who hits a few homers and has 75 runs batted in to his credit. With his defense and batting 8th, I honestly question the need to have him be a great hitter.

If given the space to legitimately try--no platoons, no LHP vs RHP days, no 0-3 you're sitting days, no bus to Memphis gassed up in the parking lot--what could Kolten do? Do any of us even know that anymore? In 2015, he played the majority of games with a decent BA of 262. His OPS+ that year was 83. It was his best year so far. Offensively, Kolten may very well always be average. But his defense can shine and if batting 8th, I'm not asking for a power bat who's going to do damage. I'm thinking a fast guy who might hit a single can get advanced by the pitcher and brought home by someone else. I know, that's ideal and doesn't always work that way.

End of the day, the St. Louis Cardinals and the fans may never know Kolten's true potential. His career has been grossly mishandled by Matheny and Mo has played a role by not stepping in enough. And it's true Kolten may not be playing well enough to grab hold of the less than stellar opportunities given to him. Something has to change. And since we're doomed blessed with Matheny due to his extension, it may be time for Kolten to try to shine with a valid, no holds barred opportunity on another team.