Let the Mozeliak era begin
03/30/2008
John Mozeliak is the 11th general manager in the Cardinals' storied history.
(Chris Lee/P-D)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — John Mozeliak understands media. He listens to talk radio in all its informative, entertaining and puerile forms. He reads punctuation. He realizes the court of public opinion's sway.
And then the 11th man to sit in the Cardinals general manager's chair insists the court's verdict is premature.
"We still want to put out a team that can compete within the division," he says. "And if things go well with some of our injured pitchers, we'll be better than people expect us to be. We don't look at this year as a timeout, dump salary, unload talent just to wait for '09 or '10. I think a lot of people perceived us thinking about it. I strongly reject that. ... Frankly, if we are healthy, we have a chance."
Camp ended with Mozeliak asserting himself in formation of the opening-day roster. He insisted Anthony Reyes be part of the bullpen after pitching coach Dave Duncan publicly dismissed the idea. Such public tiffs with Jocketty were non-existent.
"Overall, I thought it was a lot of what I expected," Mozeliak says. "There have been challenges. But when you start looking ahead at games that count, that's what it's all about."
STLtoday - Let the Mozeliak era begin
Antonetti Rejects Cardinals; Mozeliak Named GM
Antonetti Rejects Cardinals; Mozeliak Named GM
Linear Mode
