As The Cardinals Toil Away, Even Opposing Broadcasters Are Noticing An Empty Busch Stadium

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Brenden Schaeffer discusses the Cardinals loss to the Padres on Monday at Busch Stadium in front of a light, light crowd. The lack of a vibe in the stadium immediately caught the eye of the opposing broadcast crew, who commented upon it during the first batter of the game.

It's getting undeniable that the Cardinals organization is in a decline. It seems more and more people are noticing. Can the Cardinals right this ship down the final weeks of the season?

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[toddhaeffner]

I have philosophical differences with the front office. They will probably fire me next.

[billbayes]

The ownership and the management and the front office really suck. I would hate to be a player on this team right now knowing that management is not going to change.
The definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over again and expect him different results.

"I'm not going to lose with the same faces twice."
Vincent Lombardi

They brought up Luken Baker and have mainly let him sit on the bench. All I can do is shake my head.

[prestonbucher]

I’ll preface by saying that I’ve been a Cardinal lifer. I live in Indiana, but like clockwork, you could count on me going to 12-15 home games a year, a trip to Cincy, a trip to Wrigley and any home playoff games we qualify for….and this goes back to the days of MV3….I coulda bought a Ferrari with what’s been spent on Cardinals tickets.

This shit is killing the fans….BUT….The fans have been loyal over the years…..Almost to a fault….And there has been billions of dollars that have been pumped into ownerships pockets by the fans since Bill DeWitt took over as owner. Things have been good all around.

Loyalty however, can only go so far and even fans as loyal and as smart as the Cardinals have a line in the sand that they will draw if they don’t feel ownership is keeping their end of the deal. You are seeing that play out in real time. Do I think it’s an over reaction of a spoiled fanbase….If this were last year, I would have said yes. But with the way things are starting to trend this year and the prospect future seasons on the horizon…..I’m not sure that it is…


The problem boils down to the organization’s approach to fielding a team and building a consistent winner. The goal used to be contending for World Series championships. The goal now is just skating it to the playoffs and getting in has never been easier.

Too much complacency from John Mozeliak. Too little urgency from Bill DeWitt to make changes that should have came long ago.

The question for ownership now becomes The fans have made their frustration known…..Do we play “Who blinks first” or does something drastic get done…because whether ownership admits it or not…we all know what’s in the pipeline and we all know that ownership isn’t spending……So what the fuck is there to get excited about going into next season??

[geoffb]

So let's take a look just why the Cardinals might be struggling to find their way.
A hitting coach Turner Ward who is 59 years old, did play for 12 seasons in the majors and was known for his hitting prowess batting .251 with 39 career HR's?? With 8 different teams?? Before the Cardinals hired him he was the hitting coach for 3 different teams in 5 years???
Pitching coach Dusty Blake He became a pitching coach for Catawba College from 2006 to 2007, Wofford College from 2008 to 2011, and University of South Carolina Upstate in 2012. Blake was hired as the head coach for Pfeiffer University for the 2013 season.[3] He coached at Pfeffer from 2013 to 2017, and then was the pitching coach at Duke University. Never pitching in the majors, really not knowing what it takes to compete at this level himself??? Do the pitchers really have respect for his opinion??
Finally manager Oliver Marmol 4 years at class A as a utility player. Again not sure the players really value his opinion??
This is the STL Cardinals for Pete sake, not the Fox high school Warriors. Just having a hard time wrapping my head around these hiring's.

[docholliday]

Question: Once again the Cards called up a minor leaguer and dont start him...why is Baker on the team if they wont start him? Cant be any worse that Goldy... This is just a bad, boring team.

[ScottyPeabody]

There were a bunch of content creators who raged at fans skeptical of the SP and were told “eh, they just need innings eaters”.

Whenever you’re constantly pitching from behind in games you’re just not gonna win very much.

Great job, sir, it’s easy to read when you’re thinking!

[Reena_Ash]

The lack of attendance is sad but not really shocking. And I do not blame anyone who decides to spend their hard earned money elsewhere. But I can't help but feel for the those this will have a trickle down effect on, the workers and surrounding businesses. As someone who has worked concessions (not at Busch) to raise funds for a 501c, I hope the org can do something to bring the energy back into this fan base for next season. The city needs it.

[Austin_Dale]

At this point I’d like to see them either sign good/decent pitchers and call up young guys. I’m tired of the 35 year olds with a 5 ERA.

[boomerbutler]

The Cards have critical pitching and hitting issues for next season. Gray has not been pitching like a number 1, and to make things worse, Gray will earn $25 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026. Mikolas has been as bad if not worse than Gray and is owed $17.5 million next season in 2025. Not to mention, Matz earned $12.5 million to start 6 games this season and is owed $12.5 million next season. You mentioned that starting pitching is ranked 23rd and looks bleak for next season, with all our starters 35 years or older (that's just some of the pitching problems, not Lance Lynn's age).

The Cards offensively are 24th in the league in total runs and RBIs. Cards are 22nd in stolen bases and slugging percentage, while only 20th in OPS. Goldy has 148 strikeouts and is hitting a .227 average and .670 OPS while making $26 million this season. Noot is hitting .232 and Carpenter is hitting .236. Burleson has more home runs than Goldy and Arenado ($24 million this season to hit 14 home runs).

In sum, the Cards are near the back of the pack in hitting and pitching, contributing to a team that is 65-66. The team sucks from top to bottom with a few bright spots, but what is even more disheartening is the farm system being ranked 22nd overall. The only way forward is a complete reboot in safe mode.

[donttreadonme]

Fans love to say that they don't spend enough. That's an ignorant argument. It's how they spend, it's decision making from Dewitt and Mo that sunk this franchise. Millions squandered on terrible FA signs, zero SP development, terrible talent eval, clinging to the past, etc etc. Personnel decisions from the top over the last decade has put us where we are. Why are we drafting 1st rd college pitchers who throw 91-92? Why do we spend 25M on Lynn-Gibson and not just get another 25M/yr starter and roll a young #5 until we find a palante? Why not trade an aging Goldy last yr deadline after a Mvp season? We might have the bfib and the smartest fib, and the crowd size proves it. Thanks Dewitt, Thanks Mo.

[ACErob-mess]

Last year, i was in my 11th year of season tickets. And after last year i said im not paying for another year with this team and coach cause i saw the team for what it was, and i wasn't wrong

[BillDownton]

I don't think Dave Robert's could get anymore with this team other than maybe 5 to 7 games wins

[mikekeeler]

Sonny Gray would have been better off for signing with the twins

[madzaven]

What sucks is I’ve been to at least one game every year since 2005. Except this year. What also sucks is the organization will very likely blame the fans for all the issues instead of themselves and Mo.

[denniskelly]

Very boring offense and mostly poor ancient starters is a recipe for disaster.
Mo and his evaluators have put a big chunk of payroll into too many #4 and #5 starters.
Now along with needing a top of the rotation starter they need 1 or 2 impact bats. Sadly Goldschmidt doesn't look like he has enough left to be what they have to have to drive this offense.

[brandonsnyder]

Shildt, Arozarena, Alcantara, Gallen, Adolis Garcia, Carlson, Bader, O'Neill, Walker, Lane Thomas, Nootbar, signing 3 old pitchers, Gorman, Matz and not producing any starting pitchers of relevance since Carlos Martinez. All under Mo in last 3 to 4 yrs. Almost all GM's would be fired for a few of these blunders let alone all of these in some capacity.

[mikekeeler]

Who would think that the Cardinals could even beat Padres

[sunneekee]

Yes, I'm a spoiled Cardinal fan. I have had the privilege to experience 3 World Series & so many Cardinal playoffs. I feel I'm experiencing a love that's gone wrong, leaving me to heal my heartache.

[TheCoxMan]

People can complain all they want about players or coachers or Mo, but if Dewitt is happy then nothing is going to change. So Dewitt is 100% compliciit in the Cardinals failures over the past few years.

[nickelliott]

Well, everyone can see that the organization is off the rails except for Dewitt. Unfortunately he's the one that counts.