Cardinals Writer Digs Into Ex-Skipper After Bombshell Reports

New evidence has come to light about why the former Cardinals skipper was fired and what led to his downfall in San Diego years later.

Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals made the news for all the wrong reasons after the 2021 season when ex-manager Mike Shildt was fired. It came as a shock after the Cardinals had won 17 games in a row to clinch a postseason berth.

However, reports from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Jon Heyman of the New York Post painted a different picture and revealed that there was more to the story than just "philosophical differences" and that many of these issues also led to him stepping down as manager of the Padres.

Shildt reportedly was overly demanding of his coaches and did not treat the support staff well in St. Louis. Heyman also revealed that a fight nearly broke out in San Diego between Shildt and another coach.

Cardinals Writer Digs Into Mike Shildt After Sudden Retirement

Oct 6, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt (8) walks onto the field to take starting pitcher Adam Wainwright (not pictured) out of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Former St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz weighed in on the situation and took a subtle shot at Shildt for what took place in St. Louis and San Diego.

"The primary reason for Shildt's firing in St. Louis was based on his harsh treatment of his coaching staff and how he went too far in criticizing them. It got personal. It got nasty," Miklasz said.

"The coaches felt that some of his criticisms really weren't criticisms. They were very personal and basically personal attacks, and they were kind of fed up with it. John Mozeliak's attempts to patch the damage, talk through it, move on, get everyone back together, it wouldn't work because Shildt basically was determined to make multiple firings and settles some scores or whatever and Mozeliak wouldn't allow it. Mozeliak was upset with how poorly Shildt treated the coaches."

This news was not known to the public before Wednesday, and for many years, Cardinals fans directed their ire about the situation towards Mozeliak. However, it's obvious now that there is more to the story than what initially meets the eye.

Now, it has become clear that Mozeliak's hand was forced and that he ultimately made the right call to let go of Shildt and hand the reins over to Oli Marmol, who just completed his fourth season as the team's skipper.

Fans' opinions on what took place will likely change after hearing Acee and Heyman's reports on what took place. There was clearly something Mozeliak saw in Shildt that was troubling to him and the rest of the organization.

In the end, it had to be taken care of.

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