Well, it hardly seems like a season ago that I first swapped questions with Ray Mileur, intrepid webmaster of the Birdhouse to discuss all things Cardinals. With the meat of the off-season in full swing it just seemed appropriate to catch up with Ray to find out what he thought went right with the season. Throw in some thoughts on the state of the game and what to look forward to in 2005 and you have Ray Mileur, the Interview, part deux …
Joe Mammy: Well, it was a whirlwind season and I think all of us were happily surprised by how well the regular season and even the playoffs went. What do you consider to be the highlights of the season in retrospect?
Ray Mileur: I love it when a plan comes together. Personally, I thought this was the best team that the Cardinals had ever put on a field. I think [Tony] LaRussa [Cardinal's manager] made some minor adjustments in his handling and more importantly in his communication with his players. My problems with LaRussa in the past always had to do more with his communication skills rather than with his managerial tendencies on the field.
Of course we made the jump from a Central Division title and getting knocked out of the playoffs in the first round and made it back to the World Series—that is a big step and one I think most fans are failing to appreciate how difficult it is to make it that far. Of course I would have like to have won it all too, but you have to keep things in perspective, here was a team projected by everyone, (with the exception of a couple of us) to finish in 3rd place.
I really appreciate the effort made by this team and the organization this season. I mean, Walt [Jocketty, Cardinals GM] went out and got Larry Walker when I thought he was talking to the Rockies about reliever Steve Reed.
I'm a very grateful fan and I'm glad I got to share this season with my family, friends and the fans of the Birdhouse.
Joe: Your website, the Birdhouse, also went through some pretty radical changes throughout the season. What about the site surprised/impressed you the most, from Opening Day until now.
Ray: Hopefully, the site continues to get better. There is still so much room for improvement with the site and to be honest, it's embarrassing at times at the job I do. I'm not a writer and I'm not a webmaster. Clearly anyone with any type of education and or training in these areas could do a much better job than I.
There are a lot of sites out there, even in Cardinal Nation, that are more professional in appearance and I'm sure easier to navigate and read. The software I use is a very basic web page program that was not designed to handle the amount of information that we publish.
In spite of all my flaws, I do get up everyday and try to get better. As I wrote in an article a few weeks ago - in life we are basically always competing against ourselves and it's our challenge to continue to strive to get better on a daily basis.
I can look around and come up with plenty of reasons why I should just quit. I'm not a writer, I'm not a webmaster, we don't have the finances to keep up with our competition, we don't have the access we need to be as good as we should be, and someone even said after seeing me on Fox Sports, that I wasn't even that good looking and that I should stick to writing or the radio. So there you have it.
On a positive note, this season we have seen a lot of new writers become part of the Birdhouse team. There are even a few professional writers on board. I'm sure they love it, knowing that I'm editing their stories and reports. But these new additions have gone a long way in improving the content on the site. On a lot of days during the season we may be uploading anywhere from three to six new articles a day and that keeps us on pace with the Post Dispatch.
I have always believed if you want to get better or be better you surround yourself with the best possible people that you can find and I have done that and hopefully together the Birdhouse will just continue to get better.
Joe: The site has the subtitle "Home of the Fans." It's been noted by others smarter than me that Cardinal's fans are the best fans—and by that I mean knowledgeable, respectful and passionate about their team and the game as a whole—in all of baseball. What's it mean to you to be a fan of the Cardinals?
Ray: The bottom line is the respect for the game, period. I am never more proud of being a Cardinal fan than when I see our fans showing due respect to our opponents here at Busch stadium or anywhere, for that matter.
Cardinal fans do tend to know a lot more about the history of the game, because we have had great teachers of the game as part of our organization. Think about the history of the Cardinals, in our lifetime, we have been privileged to have had managers like Red Schoendienst, Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre, and yes, even Tony LaRussa. We had guys in the booth like Jack Buck, Mike Shannon, writers like Bob Broeg and you can say what you want about the guys at the Post Dispatch, but I travel around the world on a regular basis and we have some of the best guys in the business covering the Cardinals on a daily basis.
You take all of this in consideration and you can't help but have fans that know a lot about the game.
Joe: Okay, we did this at the beginning of the season: "You're GM for a day, what do you do?" I know there are at least two items you'd change, any others? Let's take a look at that list:
i. This is LaRussa's and Duncan's last season, end of story.
Ray: The bottom line here is I was very upset with LaRussa and Duncan after the 2003 season's third place finish. It wasn't so much that we finished third, but it was how we finished in third. I don't believe in making excuses and from day one—out of the gate—all I was getting from the Cardinals were excuses. I swear if I had heard one more time about people and their roles on the team I was going to pull my hair out. Oh, never mind, too late. But the bottom line is, when you start making excuses for your players, what you have done is what they call in the legal profession, given “implied consent” to fail. If in fact, you are saying that a player is not playing within his “defined” role you have given him permission to fail because he now has an excuse.
Do I dump LaRussa and Duncan now? No. Did they just get smart or lucky this season? No.
The keys to their success this season had a lot to do with the make up of the team and bringing in professionals like Tony Womack, Ray King, Jeff Suppan, Reggie Sanders and Larry Walker. These guys made an impact on this team in the area of those intangibles that we as leaders talk about all the time. In addition to this, what we saw this season, when the manager made a move, more often than not, the players executed. In the 2003 season I did not see so much that LaRussa did a lousy job of being a manager, as I saw players not executing. Here's my bottom line, if I'm paying somebody to do a job, by God I'm running him out there and he's going to do it. Of course you have to take a little heat if they fail, especially if you played a key role in signing them.
ii. You have to sign Renteria & Morris.
Ray: The key thing here was, getting Morris and Renteria signed before the season or at least, before the All Star break. I'm a fan of Renteria, but next to JD Drew, nobody drives me crazier than Matt Morris.
I guess part of your question is do we still have to sign Renteria and Morris?
I would like to see the Cardinals sign Renteria, but he is not worth $10-$13 million dollars a season, I'm sorry. I would probably try to structure a three year deal in the range of $18 million, but I'm not sure that is possible. As to Matt Morris, good luck Matt.
[And just to toy with us further, the Cardinals re-signed Morris to a one-year deal to everyone's surprise and my chagrin…-Joe]
iii. I'd invest $5 million dollars to improve our minor league system and complex in Jupiter Florida to include a dormitory for players, and a year round coaching & training facility.
Ray: I don't think we take very good care of our prospects and their families. I would begin a sponsorship program similar to the ones I oversee in the military.
I‘d make sure guys can at least find the ballpark. J And I'd try to make their transition to the minor league system and hopefully to the majors, as painless as possible. My goal would be not so much to hold their hands and baby them, but to make every effort to ensure that their attention and focus is on baseball and my staff would take care of all the other details of day to day living.
For our minor league players from the rookie league - AA, I would keep in a dormitory atmosphere and make sure the proper facilities and coaches were available for year-round training.
Personally I think we have too many prospects that fall through the cracks—that don't live up to their potential and what a waste, not only from a financial standpoint, but from a personal one, also.
iv. I'd hire a full time sport psychologist as a management consultant.
Ray: This hasn't changed. Trust me, 90% of the game and 90% of life is mental—get your head on right and everything else will fall into place. I tell the story of the little girl who was bothering her daddy one day and to get rid of her, the father tore out a picture of the world from a magazine and then tore it up into little pieces to make it into a puzzle and gave it to his daughter and told her to go put the puzzle together and bring it back to him when she is done. He figured that would keep her busy for a couple of hours. Much to his amazement she came back in about five minutes and the puzzle of the world was altogether with every continent, ocean, and sea in its proper place. When he asked her how she did it so fast, she replied that on the back of the picture of the world was a picture of a man and she figured if she got the man right than the world would have to be right.
That story has stayed with me for over 30 years. Whenever I'm having any problems, be it at work, with my businesses or with family, friends or with our readers, my first thought, and where I look to first, is at myself. Am I right? More often than not, it is I who makes the adjustment that leads to my world being right again.
v. I'd bring Danny Cox aboard as a minor league manager.
Ray: Danny Cox would be on my short list of former players that I would try to bring back into the organization as coaches. I talked with Danny last season, and man, he thinks just like I do, which means he probably doesn't stand a chance of being a manager in the Major Leagues today.
vi. I'd break the cycle of Free Agent Dependence and focus on internal player/coaching/management development. I want players/coaches/managers & employees and fans to be Cardinals for life.
Ray: The Free Agent Dependence cycle tells me that as an organization we have to some degree failed to prospect, recruit and develop our own players and as a result we end up paying dearly for it in the free agent market. It's almost like we have the attitude if all else fails (we fail), we can always go into the free agent market.
What if you ran an organization, knowing that the pursuit of free agents was only going to be used as a very last result, as compared to, it's just business as usual? Don't you think that would impact your organization in a very positive way on many levels? I could probably write a book on this alone.
I'd look at any business or personal relationship in long terms. I don't make a business decision that may profit or benefit me on the short term that may cause harm in the long term relationship. It's the same thing in my personal relationships.
As far as the “Cardinals for life” comment, I'm a Marine, the old: ”Once a Marine, Always a Marine” holds true with me. You can see it in my office—the Marine Corps memorabilia, awards, signs, flags etc. But more importantly, you can see it in how I walk, how I talk and how I attack each project or problem in life.
I would try to recreate that culture within the Cardinals organization. If we were successful you would be amazed on how it would change how everything is done within the organization and how it would contribute to our long term success as an organization, a team and as people.
Within that culture, there would be no room for giving the finger to the manager, or breaking your hand in the dugout and other childish behavior we witnessed this season, because you were a Cardinal. It's not so much as to what you do but it's who you are.
Being a Marine is not what I did - it's who I am.
Being a Christian is not what I do - it's who I am.
Being a Lawman is not what I do - it's who I am.
As I go through life, I respond to challenges, problems, crisis, emergencies, opportunities, not because of what I do, but I respond because of who I am.
I teach my reserve soldiers today in a world and a military that is constantly changing with new & bigger challenges facing us everyday, not to concern themselves, because the one thing that remains constant, is who we are and because of who we are, we will succeed.
This is what I would like to bring to the Cardinals organization.
vii. I'd ban business suits and agents and player's entourages from the Clubhouse.
Ray: I'm a strong believer in the "Warrior Ethos," if you are wearing 3-5 thousand dollar business suits and think you are more of a business executive (Barry Bonds enterprises) than a ballplayer, then I don't need you.
Give me that Gas House Gang attitude.
As to the agents and entourages, unless they can pitch, hit or field they have no business in the Clubhouse, at this point it's time to focus on the job at hand.
Joe: So, in light of last season with the heart of the off-season coming up, if you're GM, what do you do now?
Ray: As far as I'm concerned the future is now. It's now or never, and my rotation is set for next season. I'd sign Woody Williams, and I'd go with Carpenter, Marquis, Suppan, Williams and Haren or Ankiel. I'd also get deals done with Renteria and Womack. I d bring back Matheny for one season and I'd keep John Mabry on the bench. I'd let the players on our 40 man roster know that they will be given every chance in spring training to make the 25 man roster.
This is what I mean when I'm talking about creating an organizational culture— future Cardinals are going to come from within our organization. Can you imagine the impact on players at the AAA or even AA level if they knew that there was really a very good chance that they would in fact be called up, before the Cardinals would result to jumping into the fray for another free agent?
I'm not opposed to the free agent market, but as far as I'm concerned, with very few exceptions, you are always going to overpay for talent. That's the price you pay for a dysfunctional organization.
I'm not opposed to looking at potential deals with Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano, but I wouldn't mortgage my children or sell my soul to the devil to get it done. Sorry devil, I'm not capitalizing your frickin name. You wanna mess with me, you know where I live.
Joe: Now I'm going to get on my soapbox a bit. I'm all for players getting paid what they're worth, but there seems to be something inherently better about the way someone like Matt Morris or Mark McGwire negotiated their contracts—just the player and the organization sitting down and taking care of business, then leaving it in the hands of guys like Scott Boras. What role should agents have and how much are they to blame for some of the problems we see in the game today?
Ray: I don't have problems with agents, believe it or not as people we tend to underestimate our value in this world. I know that may sound a little crazy, talking about professional athletes, but it is true. It's much easier for me to sell someone else, than it is for me to sell myself.
Agents aren't the problem. It's kind of like this; prostitutes are not a problem, unless of course they have customers. Herein lies the problem.
The owners are their own worst enemy and I don't feel a bit sorry for them. The sad thing is how it has affected the game in terms of the average fan can't afford to take his or her family to a game on a regular basis. It's coming down to do we pay the light bill, buy groceries or go to the ball game?
But what we see now is the owners are paying for all the years that they took advantage of the players, before Curt Flood put it all on the line for the players, making it possible for them to even be free agents today.
Greed is the problem, greed among the owners, the players and even the fans who scalp their tickets. Greed .
As to Matt Morris, he has an agent now and the bottom line is, he knows, and you know he knows he's not going to be worth the money he's going to be demanding. So it's much better to have someone else negotiate for you.
As an owner, no player would be bigger than the game itself. Bonds would be part of the MLB players agreement, Sosa would bat where I told him to bat and players would be on time and would give 100% or take their sorry butts back to Iowa and stack groceries.
The basic problem is lack of character and integrity in the game and we all pay for it.
Can you imagine Sosa doesn't leg out a grounder and you take him out of the game right there and bench him and fine him? Can you imagine someone doing that, with 35,000 fans in the stadium that are there to just to see Sammy Sosa play? Well I would do it, but until managers and ownership would do it, we have a problem.
If everyone put the game first, everything else would eventually fall into place...
Joe: The Expos have finally moved—I know this had to be embarrassing for MLB and frustrating for fans, but do you think that there are too many teams? Is moving a team like the Expos the answer or is there some credence to the idea of contraction?
Ray: I have no problem with the Expos moving to Washington D.C.
Are there too many teams? I prefer to let the market dictate that, but it has had some impact on the level of play at the major league level. I mean, there are guys signing multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts that would not have even played major league baseball in the 50's or 60's.
I'm hoping with the success and expansion of minor league teams across the country that this will have a positive impact on the quality of players coming to the major leagues.
There is some credence to the idea of contraction, but I would hope that this would lead to a better stocked minor league system, that would provide a higher quality of play and entertainment opportunity for the fans.
Joe: So are there any big plans or changes on the horizon for the Birdhouse?
Ray: At this moment there are contracts on my desk for me to review that could have a major impact on the future of the Birdhouse.
What started out as a hobby has turned into a business. Trust me you would never believe how much time, work and money is involved in keeping this site up and running on a daily basis, basically 365 days a year.
One of the challenges facing us is what started out as a fan site is now on the borderline as being recognized as a news source and with that comes additional responsibility.
As a result we are considering becoming a part of a major media group and that would lead to some major changes to the Birdhouse—hopefully the changes will all be good and in the best interest of our readers.
In the longer term, we are also in the early stages of talks in developing a monthly Redbird Magazine that you could buy at the ballpark or off the news stands and book stores.
On a personal level, I have to make the decision—can I commit to all of this and am I even the right person to do it?
Joe: Who should have won the NL MVP and why?
Ray: Barry Bonds, and the less I say about him the better.
Joe: Free rant: doesn't have to be about the Cardinals or baseball, just go ahead and get something off your chest.
Ray: Here's my rant and it's to me and to all sports fans everywhere—what a wonderful world we would live in, if we all held ourselves to the same level of high expectations and even perfection that we expect from our ballplayers.
Joe: Any parting words of wisdom?
Ray: Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you have never been hurt
Sing like no one can hear you
Dance like no one is watching
*****
As always up-to-the-minute updates and Cardinals news, speculation and general shenanigans can be found at http://www.thestlcardinals.com . Follow the post-season moves and, no doubt, accompanied happiness, ranting, raving, and head-scratching with Ray and crew.
