One of the things I've always hated about the online chats at sites like ESPN is the filtering of questions asked to the "talent" being featured in those chats. I don't want to see Joe Morgan answering a question about how he feels about CC Sabathia's deal with the Yankees, I want to see him answer a question like: "How in the hell do you keep your job considering that you don't know about anything not concerning yourself or the Big Red Machine?"Which is why I applaud the folks at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who hosted one of their live-chats on their website with Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak on Wednesday when this question from a reader named I Hate Bill DeWitt! came through.
"Please describe what it's like living in your little land of make believe where you honestly believe that Cardinal fans should be excited about this team. If you wouldn't mind, go into details, about how in Mo's world people are celebrating three horrible new lefty relievers, and the signing of our awesome new .213 hitting shortstop."See? Now that's a real question that fans of any team can relate to. Who doesn't ask these types of questions to their friend when sitting around the office or at the bar on a daily basis? Of course, a fan asking this type of question wouldn't be that big of a deal if it didn't garner the same kind of response from the person being asked, which in this case it did. Here was Mozeliak's response.
"First, I rather live in my world then yours ... it is sunny out today? No you're right, it is 30 something degrees, my girl friend dumped me, and my car won't start. First, it is not (that) we stink (unless you ask yourself these questions in the mirror). We make decisions based on scouts, stats, and other information. If we thought (shortstop Khalil) Greene was going to hit .213 we would not, I repeat, not make the deal. Go back to your world, and I hope by midsummer you're ready to come out for air."Now if I were Mozeliak I'd have been a touch more abrasive and sarcastic in my response, but I have to give him credit, at least he tried. Most general managers probably would have just ignored the question or given the stock answer of "we feel that we've made our team better through these moves, and hopefully time will prove us to be correct."
So kudos to you, John.
