Cardinals Fire Mike Matheny

The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Saturday that manager Mike Matheny is out as their manager. Also leaving the team are hitting coach John Mabry and assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller. Bench coach Mike Shildt will serve as the interim manager for the rest of the season.

Also being promoted are minor league assistants Mark Budaska and George Greer to serve as hitting coaches. This is all according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. There is yet to be word on whether or not the Cards will name a bench coach to take over for Shildt, though it's likely that they will not name one before the end of the season.

Matheny has been at the managing helm for the Cardinals for the past six seasons. During that time, he helped the club get to four consecutive players from 2012-2015. It included an NL pennant in 2013. His Cardinals tenure will end with a 591-473, which is a pretty great record, considering what has been going on there lately with that team.

President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak scheduled a news conference this morning around 11:00 AM to address the firing, releasing this statement below:

“These decisions are never easy, but we felt that a change in leadership was necessary as the team prepares to enter into the second half of the season. I would like to thank Mike for his exceptional commitment and devotion to the Cardinals organization, including many fond memories of our years working together.” 

While many were surprised by the sudden firing of Matheny, he was actually on the hot seat going into the 2018 season, as his team had been struggling the last couple of seasons, including one of the seasons that saw the Cubs win the World Series. If the Cardinals again fail to make the playoffs this season, it would be their third consecutive season without a playoff berth. That would've been unacceptable to the Cardinals brass. That hasn't happened since the 1997-1999 season. And also certainly, the Cardinals didn't expect to take a seat backwards with the latest additions of Marcell Ozuna and Bud Norris. They also some pretty good talent coming up through the farm system.

Lately, however, this team has been surrounded by controversies, mostly in regards to player management. Recent reports have been surfacing that Bud Norris has been "mercilessly riding" 21-year-old rookie Jordan Hicks, who is expected to take over the closer role at some point. Many have described it as bullying in the clubhouse. Matheny's response to the whole thing? Norris was "from a different generation of players." It's still unclear whether this played a role in his dismissal, but it now raises questions about his performance as manager and whether or not it becomes a factor in his next job.

Another controversy that has been brewing is his current relationship with players like Dexter Fowler.  Even Mozeliak recently criticized Fowler's latest performance. Despite all that, this Cardinals team is much younger than previous teams, thus the emotions and the controversies seem to bubbling up more than usual for such a championship-caliber team.

Looks like the Cardinals now will be searching for a candidate who can get the most out of the young players on this team as they gear up for a second-half push towards the playoffs. It could be Shildt or it could be somebody else.

Hoby Milner Heading to the Rays

The Rays and Phillies made a trade earlier today.

The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired left-handed reliever Hoby Milner from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations, according to the Rays. Earlier this week, Milner was designated for assignment by the Phillies and were looking for a trade since then. Looks like the Rays were first to cash in.

Many had expected Milner to stay with the Phillies long-term as a result of their success so far this season. He got out to a 2.01 ERA across 31 1/3 innings back during the 2017 season and was helpful in preventing runs from scoring.

This season, Milner has only made ten appearances for the Phillies over 4 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs, including three of those coming in one appearance. In his Triple-A appearances this season,  he has out pitched his numbers like he did last season. He's had a 2.39 ERA despite a 4.78 walks per game. However, his strand rate was 87.7%, which can be attributed to the walks per game.

For the Rays, he'll most likely serve as one of their depth relievers in their bullpen and in Triple-A. He could also start for the Rays at some point this season. They've become known lately for having their relievers become starters for 2-3 innings.

Are The Anaheim Ducks Done?

Many expected the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks to go toe-to-toe in their first-round matchup. Not only that, but considering that the Ducks had home-ice advantage, you would've thought that the Ducks were going to walk out of their own building with two big wins.

That wasn't the case.

Games 1 & 2 found the Sharks sitting in good leads and eventually winning both games. Now, last night in Game 3, the Sharks showed up while the Ducks may have had their worst performance of the season. They got blown out 8-1 in Game 3. For many of us, that's unacceptable. What's even worse is now the Ducks sit themselves in an 3-0 hole and many are expecting the Sharks to just finish them off and head off to the second round.

Is there still a saving grace for the Ducks? Perhaps. And considering their opponents, they're going to have a big uphill battle.

In Game 3, the Ducks had terrible penalty issues, and the Sharks capitalized on that with eight power play opportunities, getting goals in four of those opportunities. The Ducks also couldn't find the net. In the three games in this series, they've only scored three times. That's also unacceptable.

Ryan Getzlaf has two assists in the three games while Rickard Rakell has one goal in three games. Rakell led the team in scoring during the regular season. Another high-profile player for the Ducks, Corey Perry, has yet to make an impact this postseason, having a minus-3 rating, eight penalty minutes and seven shots on goal. Ryan Kesler is also not showing up, with only four shots and an assist.

While those figures may seem like a worrisome trend, it also shows the toughness and the great play that the Sharks have gone through right now, and if the Ducks have any chance of turning it around in this series, they're going to have to step up, and that means the big players on this team will have to step up as well.

The bigger question is: Whether or not the Ducks are ready for Game 4, are they done for the rest of the postseason? It remains to be seen, but if they keep playing the way they did the first three games, then they are officially done. The Sharks are not a team that you want to pushover and the feeling for the first three games is that the Ducks have underestimated. News flash: The Sharks are not a pushover, unlike many other teams. They play defense, they have toughness, and they have great goaltending that many teams struggle against. The Ducks are certainly one of those teams.

In my best estimate, the Ducks look like they're done. Even if they win Game 4 and perhaps Game 5, this is not the Kings-Sharks series of many years ago, when the Kings came back from a 3-0 hole to win the series. The Ducks are struggling on offense, their stars are not stepping up, and they're taking penalties. You can't have that for the rest of this series and beyond. So right now, the Ducks are not done but more mistakes like this and that could seal their fate.

Trouble Ahead for the Padres?

The San Diego Padres were hoping not to get off to a bad start this baseball season. Well, unfortunately, they did, and with the why things are going right now, they definitely don't want to be playing the Houston Astros this early in the season.

Yesterday's 3-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies dropped them to 1-6 to start the season and questions have been surrounding this team, like the closer role of Brad Hand the ineptness on offense from most of their starting players. However, it didn't just start at the beginning of the regular season. Their chief-run producer Dinelson Lamet landed himself on the DL even before the Padres left to go back to San Diego from spring training. And now they're feeling the impact of his loss, since he is a big part of their run-production.

In Thursday's game, however, Joey Lucchesi was the main reason the Padres stayed in it til the end, and for the time being, the Padres are going to keep him in the rotation, with the hope that their offense will get things going and allow him to get some wins under his belt. However, that is hard to force, considering the Astros are up next and they've got good teams on the horizon.

The big question mark might be Brad Hand. Although he's had a fine career with the Padres so far, questions are now starting to arise if he's going to be able to be the closer role for the foreseeable future. My guess is no and that he'll return to the eighth inning role, where he's been good for the past few seasons. But right now, he's in the spot where he is, and the Padres might have to bite their tongue and wait for better results. However, I can understand their impatience with this.

Last Friday, Hand allowed five runs and blew a save, allowing the Brewers to walk away with the win. On Thursday afternoon, he walked the two first batters and eventually had the bases loaded before giving up another walk to bring in a run. There was groans from Padres fans, because they knew they had lost this game on him.

In his first four innings of 2018, Hand allowed eight runs on five hits and three walks. Those are numbers that are alarming, especially to manager Andy Green.

So with all that being said, are the Padres actually in trouble this early in the season? Perhaps, and especially since they have a hard schedule this early and with a weekend with the Astros on deck. I can't blame the whole thing on Brad Hand yet. He may be able to turn this around, before things get out of hand. But right now, the offense is the biggest blame in all of this, because Eric Hosmer hasn't really done much yet to move the needle. He's had a couple of hits, but not enough to really turn the tide for this team, while Wil Myers just landed himself on the DL with injuries. You also have Carlos Asauje and Freddy Galvis, who have yet to pick up the hits and the runs they need to get them some wins for this team. It's really not looking good on paper right now.

Here's the thing: We're still early on the season. There's time to turn things around. This is not the end of the world yet. However, I do understand the concern on a bunch of Padres fans and management. This is not the trend you want to have at the beginning of the season, especially when your offense looks inept at times. Perhaps things will change as the season goes along and people get adjusted to their roles. I just hope Green is not ready to push the panic button on this season, because the way things look, that's where it's headed: Panic mode.

Is Dana White Responsible For Conor McGregor's Action?

Dana White was probably hoping to wake up on Thursday morning with no incidents or actions ahead of UFC 223 in Brooklyn, New York. Well, unfortunately for him, Conor McGregor did not let him have a good day, and now we're beginning to wonder if Dana White himself is responsible for all of the McGregor antics.

On Thursday, McGregor, along with a few other fighters, attacked a bus that was filled with fighters fighting at UFC 223 at Barclays Center. One of those fighters suffered some facial injuries while another suffered an eye injury. McGregor is now currently in police custody, facing multiple charges of assault and criminal mischief.

If you were all watching this video on Thursday, McGregor acted like he was above the law in this and didn't expect any punishment, which was basically what he had been doing all these years and yet Dana White had done nothing to curb it, which is understandable from a money standpoint but not from a humanistic standpoint.

The UFC, and Dana White in particular, had reinforced for years that not only is he the new face of the UFC but that he is able to do what he wants without facing any repercussions or any sort of punishment. For many of us, it's almost sick to hear that. However, it's true, and it might be time for Dana White to do something to curb this behavior.

On Thursday night, Dana White did issue a statement on the matter, calling it "the most disgusting thing that has ever happened in the history of the company." Honestly, when one of your fighters injures another fighter outside of the ring, it clearly isn't a good thing, and it's Dana White that's going to have to face the biggest battle to not only protect Conor McGregor, but also to protect the brand.

So what's going to happen? Is Dana White actually going to follow through and give punishment to McGregor? I find it hard to believe that Dana White will actually punish McGregor, as the UFC hasn't done anything about his actions in the past. The only time that he's really faced any consequence was a fine of $150,000 from the Nevada Athletic Commission for his actions back in August 2016 when he threw bottles and an unopened energy drink before his fight with Nate Diaz. Since then, nothing.

Dana White, whether directly or indirectly, is responsible for the actions of his fighters and anyone else that is under his command. I understand why McGregor has the personality he does because it brings in a lot of money for UFC and a lot of money for White himself. But, at this point, the recent actions by McGregor don't show money-grabbing or fight promoting. It just shows somebody who can't get out of the spotlight, no matter if he's fighting or not, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to stay there. That's somebody I would actually fear for his safety. Dana White should as well, and that's why he may face the bigger music if he does not bring any sort of punishment towards McGregor.

Yes, Dana White is responsible. This is his brand and this is his fighter. He's part of the problem for McGregor and part of the problems for any of the fighters involved in his brand. That's not good for him and it's not good for those who are also involved in the management of his sport. If White doesn't impose some form of punishment on McGregor in order to curb his actions, it could spell the end of the UFC, Conor McGregor, and maybe even Dana White. That is something that this sport can't afford to lose.