Written by By Linley Slater, CNN
The St. Louis Cardinals are naming former star player Michael Carrick as manager on an interim basis, the club announced Monday.
Carrick, 36, who played for the club from 1998-2003, has been a club official since 2013. He will lead the team through the rest of the season following Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
In a statement posted on the team’s website, club president Bill DeWitt Jr. thanked Solskjaer for his leadership, and said he expected the club’s supporters to support the appointment of “one of our own.”
“What we believe is, that in six weeks, Michael and the staff can lead the players to perform at a championship level,” DeWitt said.
The news is a mixed bag for fans, who hope that Solskjaer’s appointment as their manager coincided with the end of a 12-year postseason drought for their baseball team.
Fifty years of top class highs, and watching the team we once held so dear get close to 50-10 for the season. https://t.co/iTXn3QtJ2B — Joe Buck (@brosielz) July 4, 2017
First challenge
He begins his job the day after two teammates — former St. Louis slugger Matt Holliday and catcher Yadier Molina — were chosen to be members of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game team.
And one day after Yoenis Cespedes was shipped to the New York Mets, the team’s star player Matt Carpenter was sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
When the 33-year-old Carpenter joined the Cardinals in 2007, he inherited a perennial powerhouse in baseball’s National League Central Division.
But following his departure to the Dodgers on Monday, Carpenter had become the second player in the past month to be dealt by the team with aspirations of rebuilding their squad.
Not only did Carpenter have the misfortune of having his team have to start over, but he also helped orchestrate the departure of a friend and leader.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought us new hope. I’m so sad to see that it came at the cost of @mattholliday31 and @YMolina13 — katherine (@katherinesloventh) July 4, 2017
What does it mean for the future of the #Cardinals? This race is only going to get stronger #HTownSox pic.twitter.com/gTRcRFk2T0 — Derek Harriss (@DerekHarriss) July 4, 2017
Watching St. Louis, you could be forgiven for thinking there would never be a day where its old stars (and rivals) are no longer around to lead the team. But baseball is not a one-team sport, and it is undoubtedly in the team’s best interests to part ways when they can.
So to Carrick, whose nickname is “Mumbles,” and his assistant coach Dave Duncan — both of whom have been key figures in the team — it will be the crucial challenge of establishing a winning culture with a team in rebuild mode.