Dexter Fowler

[Tim]

I never thought I'd say this. I miss Joe Strauss.

Same. #developing

[lukethedrifter]

I never thought I'd say this. I miss Joe Strauss.

Same. #developing

Strauss was an old school newspaper guy. Very good writer. But sure loved to [expletive] with fans and with twitter, got to do it on the regular. I had a love/hate thing with him.

[Radbird]

The Matheny-Fowler Rumors Are Seriously Alarming

As early as last week, though, whispers of a roadblock to a potential deal began cropping up in local media. “There are rumors,” said Frank Cusumano on his radio show, “that Dexter Fowler does not want to play for Mike Matheny.” Bernie Miklasz expressed a similar thought. Derrick Goold and Ben Hochman spent a good chunk of the latest Best Podcast in Baseball seeming to acknowledge the “grumblings” and things “in the wind” with regard to Fowler and alluding to unspecified “aspects” of the Cardinals “culture” that might not be a fit for certain players. Cusumano implied again this morning that Fowler is reluctant to sign with the Cardinals, albeit this time without mentioning Matheny.

Yes, these are just rumors, but I’m inclined to think there’s some truth to them. Goold, Miklasz, and Cusumano are pros, and while they’re naturally being careful about what they say, clearly they’ve heard something. Frankly, the mere fact that St. Louis’ habitually cozy and compliant sports media is relaying a rumor that’s unflattering to the Cardinals suggests that that something is pretty serious—as does the fact that Fowler has every incentive not to signal an aversion to a team that is actively bidding for him on the open market. That’s an awful lot of smoke—in an environment in which there should be no smoke at all—for there not to be a fire.

[Tim]

I hope this isn't a trend. Heyward. Now fowler.

[Fat Strat]

I still find this hard to believe. Unless Fowler just wants to play for Maddon, which doesn't seem like an option at this point.

Matheny isn't that hard nosed. He's more of a player's manager than a disciplinarian. If he has a fault with his handling of players its that he is too loyal to them. He respects vets. He's a strong Christian, but so is Fowler. His teams consistently win, so it's not like Fowler would fear coming here and playing for a sure loser. Some of the most respected players in the game (Holliday, Wainwright, Molina, and others) rave about Matheny.

Despite the smoke, it just doesn't add up. There's probably something there, but I sure can't put my finger on what it could be.

[Tim]

I still find this hard to believe. Unless Fowler just wants to play for Maddon, which doesn't seem like an option at this point.

Matheny isn't that hard nosed. He's more of a player's manager than a disciplinarian. If he has a fault with his handling of players its that he is too loyal to them. He respects vets. He's a strong Christian, but so is Fowler. His teams consistently win, so it's not like Fowler would fear coming here and playing for a sure loser. Some of the most respected players in the game (Holliday, Wainwright, Molina, and others) rave about Matheny.

Despite the smoke, it just doesn't add up. There's probably something there, but I sure can't put my finger on what it could be.

Maybe players just don't think he is a good manager. Maybe players see how he handled Oscar, Grichuk and Wong, and think "thanks, but no thanks."

It sure appears that there is more than meets the eye to us fans. But there is a lot of smoke it seems.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

I still find this hard to believe. Unless Fowler just wants to play for Maddon, which doesn't seem like an option at this point.

Matheny isn't that hard nosed. He's more of a player's manager than a disciplinarian. If he has a fault with his handling of players its that he is too loyal to them. He respects vets. He's a strong Christian, but so is Fowler. His teams consistently win, so it's not like Fowler would fear coming here and playing for a sure loser. Some of the most respected players in the game (Holliday, Wainwright, Molina, and others) rave about Matheny.

Despite the smoke, it just doesn't add up. There's probably something there, but I sure can't put my finger on what it could be.

What doesn't add up is why he is not signed. It's known an offer was made on Monday. It's known that 3 different reporters in STL have reported that there's a hesitation on Fowler's part to play for Matheny/Cardinals.

There are only a couple different options:
1. Fowler doesn't want to play for the Cardinals and is waiting/hoping for another offer.
2. The offer is too low and Fowler is waiting/hoping for a higher offer....for 3 days now.
3. The reports of the offer to Fowler were wrong.

That's it. We may never know, but 1 is the most likely at this point, no?

We're not privy to all the players thoughts so guessing is just futile. But, we can certainly deduct that Fowler not wanting to play for the Cardinals is within the realm of possibility.

[go birds]

lol i dont see why it's such a wild idea that people dont want to play for matheny.

[Tim]

lol i dont see why it's such a wild idea that people dont want to play for matheny.

This.

[Fat Strat]

Maybe players just don't think he is a good manager. Maybe players see how he handled Oscar, Grichuk and Wong, and think "thanks, but no thanks."

FO's, players and league types consistently rank Matheny as one of the best managers in the league.

I guarantee you that Fowler doesn't care one bit about how Matheny handled Oscar, Grichuk or Wong. (I'm not even sure we as Cards fans can say those players have been mismanaged.) Fowler would care how Matheny handled guys like Heyward and Holliday, how the team is handling Peralta and Carpenter. Matheny has stuck with them, played them, and supported them even when they didn't fully deserve it.