The Cardinal Trade DEADline And A Late-Night Conversation With John Mozeliak

I'll put this disclaimer on what you're about to read: I like John Mozeliak. I think he's a good guy who's approach with treating the media and, in turn, the fans, with respect by making himself accessible is refreshing. I also think it gives him credibility.

With that said, I went "sports talk radio guy" on The ITD Morning After on Team 1380 earlier this week and said I would consider inactivity at the upcoming trade deadline indefensible.

So, before ranting and raving like a lunatic about the lack of a move at the deadline Thursday, I texted Mozeliak after the Cardinals' loss at Atlanta and asked if he had a few minutes. Moments later, at 10:30 Atlanta time, my phone rang, and it was the Cardinal GM.

As I said, that's refreshing, considering Walt Jocketty refused to come on the show if I were present, much less return my phone call.

However, that doesn't mean I'm going to verbally fellate Mozeliak just because I like and respect him personally.

So, we got into the lack of a move issue, and I point blank said that, from the outside looking in, I don't know how the team couldn't make a move when there is one giant, glaring need in the bullpen,and for the first time in a long time, the organization has some prospects to move in order to address that one glaring need. Hence, I considered the lack of a move indefensible...as noted above.

He said he understands how and why people would be frustrated, but Mozeliak pointed to the fact that only one left-handed reliever was traded yesterday (38 year-old Arthur Rhodes to the Marlins) as evidence that clubs either were asking way too much or were just never serious about trading these supposedly available pitchers.

I said the thing that drives me up the wall is that every year---ever since the Mulder trade in December 2004---fans have been told something along the lines of, "Well, we didn't get anybody here in the offseason, but that'll give us the ability to go out and get somebody at the trade deadline."

Then, when the trade deadline rolls around, we hear, "Well, we didn't get anybody at the trade deadline, but that gives us the flexibility to get somebody in the offseason."

And, round and round we go...with really no acquisition of significance to speak of but plenty of blue balls to go around in the Sea of Red. I said it becomes like the "boy who cried wolf" with fans being told that the club is going to make a move...and then no move is made. I told him that both he and Bill DeWitt were and are going to catch a lot of shit for the inactivity.

"Let me take the bullet. If people want to blame somebody, blame me. But, I'm not going to do something just to do something and get my name out there on my first trade deadline experience," Mozeliak said. "I'm willing to take the heat if I believe that what I'm doing is right."

I told him that I knew---first-hand from being around the club---that there were plenty of guys on the 2003 Cardinals who were pissed after the trade deadline, because the club was in a pennant race, and the organization rewarded their efforts with acquistions like Esteban Yan, Pedro Borbon, Mike DeJean, and Sterling Hitchcock. Sure enough, when the going got tough in the first week of September, they folded by losing 4 of 5 to the Cubs and 6 of 9 after that disasterous series. They felt like they were let down, and so they, in turn, let down.

I asked Mozeliak if he feared the same kind of reaction from this club since, much like that club, there's a clear need for help...and they didn't get any.

"You know what? The two clubs are totally different. That was a more veteran team. This one has a lot of guys who have been looking for an opportunity to play and prove themselves. When I walked into that clubhouse today, there were a lot of guys saying, 'thank you' for not breaking this team up. They know that not much was expected of them at the start of the season, and I think they feel like they're good enough to compete with what we already have and with the pitchers we have coming back, and they want to prove that."

We talked for about 20 minutes,and it was clear to me that he was disappointed that they didn't get something done Thursday, because the Cardinals went into the deadline, he said, "really wanting to make a splash. But, it just wasn't there to be had."

In the near future, the solution for the LHP in the bullpen will be, according to Mozeliak, current minor leaguer Jaimie Garcia.

I told him that's not going to satisfy fans who wanted to see the organization deliver on a deadline for the first time in a long time, and he understood.

"If I take a black eye Friday (on the radio), that's fine. I'm also disappointed we didn't get  a deal done, but I can tell you that it wasn't for a lack of effort, and we're not going to overpay with prospects and/or draft picks just so we can say we made a move."

So, what's my verdict after the conversation? I believe him. No question in my mind both he and the organization tried...and even planned on making a move, and perhaps a move bigger than the ones many fans thought was going to be made.

But, if  this club loses out on the posteason by a game or two because of more bullpen collapses in August and September, the swelling from Mozeliak's black eye on July 31st will only increase with a fan base that is, fairly or unfairly, growing skeptical of the organization's commitment to making moves to put their club in the best position to win.

The insideSTL.com Poker Tournament

I'm not sure what to expect Wednesday night at F15teen for the insideSTL.com Poker Tournament. I do know this, however: a number of people are getting on board with this thing, and it's incredibly flattering and exciting all at once.

Poker Pro Phil Gordon, who founded The Prevent Cancer Foundation's "Put A Bad Beat On Cancer," talked with WSOP chip leader and insideSTL.com Poker Tournament participant Dennis Phillips about the event, and he was actually considering flying into St. Louis to play Wednesday.

Dennis called me the other day, and quite honestly, I was assuming he was going to tell me that he wasn't going to be able to make it on August 6th at F15teen. Instead, he said he had been talking to Gordon, and Phil was really sorry he wasn't going to be able to come to St. Louis for the tournament, but as a token of appreciation for raising money for The Prevent Cancer Foundation, he was going to send some autographed copies of his best selling poker books Phil Gordon's Little Green Book and the new Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book as part of the prize packages. He also is sending 200 copies of his DVD Final Table Poker With Phil Gordon for everyone who donates the voluntary $100 Wednesday night.

If you're thinking of playing, I would recommend getting to F15teen at 1900 Locust downtown relatively early. Registration begins at 5 p.m. We cannot pre-register people online. If/when we register 200 people (and I have no idea if we'll have 200 people or not), we can't register any more. So, the earlier you get there, the more likely you'll be able to play. We begin play at 6 p.m. sharp. Once again, it is completely free to play. However, both insideSTL.com and Prevent Cancer would greatly appreciate a $100 donation.

For details on the tournament and to see the official invite in a pdf format that you can send around to friends/family who may want to play, click here.

Team 1380 Fun Facts For Know And Tell

One of the reasons I enjoy selling advertising on insideSTL.com is that we can just sit down with a client and say, "take a look at the numbers. They speak for themselves."

I don't want to jinx it, but everyday since I played in the World Series of Poker (which got us to more than 14,000 unique visitors on that wonderful day when I got knocked out) we've had more than 10,000 unique visitors to the site Monday through Friday. That's a nice, little number for a nice, little website to have. And, assuming ad buyers aren't injecting their personal "I'm scared of what other people might think of me" moral agendas into a business decision of how to reach the difficult 21-35 male audience, it's a stat that tips people off to the importance and value of buying space on insideSTL.com.

It doesn't work that way in radio. Now, you know and I know that Team 1380 is growing in listenership by leaps and bounds in comparison to where the station was 365 days ago. But, the system in which radio listeners are measured (which I have been the beneficiary of in the past...but never a fan of) doesn't reflect that. So, just as an illustration of what has happened at Team 1380 in just the last 10 months, I present this graph, which shows the number of streaming listeners to the station:

 That's nearly a 400% increase in 10 months.

I'll let that speak for itself.

Tonight's The Night At Mike Shannon's

Tonight, insideSTL.com will crown our July 2008 Girl Next Door---and sweet Mother of Mercy was July a nice month---and, for the very first time, we will crown a winner of the Cougar Next Door. It all takes place at Mike Shannon's Outfield (the patio in the back of Shannon's) after the Cardinals-Phillies game.

For those of you still wanting to vote for the Girl Next Door, click here.

And, for those of you still wanting to vote for the Cougar Next Door, click here.

And, here's a little deep tease for an announcement for next week: insideSTL.com's Third Anniversary is coming up. Somehow this stupid idea for a website has survived longer than I expected. So, we're going to celebrate that coming up in the next few weeks...and both the Girls Next Door, the Cougars Next Door, and the radio show will be playing a crucial role in that. Keep Saturday August 23rd open on your calendars...

...and we'll see you tonight at Mike Shannon's for fun and games with Girls Next Door and Cougars Next Door.

Log-in and post your comments below, or you can email me at tmckernan@insidestl.com.