Wainwright's apology shows class, leadership
For the second time this year, St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright voiced his frustration about being pulled from an inning he believed he could have finished.
It happened once before in May following a game against the New York Mets, only to a lesser degree and was quickly shrugged off.
On Sunday night after a loss to the Texas Rangers, however, he was considerably more vocal. The "situation" ended as quick as it began when on Tuesday, he apologized both publicly and privately for calling out his manager.
To be upset with being pulled from a game is just part of being a competitor. Wainwright is definitely fits the bill.
With that said, he also knows the importance of setting a good example.
Wainwright's emotions got the better of him Sunday evening. It happens to all of us.
If you've never been mad at your boss you're not human. Wainwright's mistake was sharing his anger with the media.
On Tuesday, however, his decision to call the media and apologize publicly for his post-game comments showed the class we have all come to expect from him.
He's a competitor and with that mentality comes passion. Sometimes it's expressed in more positive ways than others, but in the end, it's all about striving to do your best.
As a team leader, it's important for his younger teammates to see that passion, but it's equally important for them to see him bite his tongue after Sunday evening.
It takes a big man to stand up for what he believes. It takes a bigger man to admit when he is wrong.
From his push to pitch late into games to his willingness to take his lumps when he has a rough night, the Cardinals young pitchers can learn a lot from their ace. Wainwright sets a good example in all he does.
Because of that, I would urge caution in reading too much into this "dispute" if you even want to call it that.
Some would love nothing more than to see his comments as a sign of a clubhouse division between Wainwright and Matheny, but I don't believe that to be the case.
It's a lot like the principle of Occam's Razor, which states that in the majority of instances, the most simple explanation is also the correct one.
Basically, Wainwright gets pulled early and his emotions take over for a bit. End of story.
If it happens consistently throughout the year that might signify a trend, but once or twice isn't worthy of concern.
Was Wainwright right to be upset? Sure he was.
While he wasn't having a great inning, he hadn't exactly fallen apart yet. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten the last out, but sure he's earned the chance to fail on his own merit sometimes.
In most situations, I would say he should be given the opportunity.
Sunday night, on the other hand, was an odd situation. A loss would have given the Cardinals their second three-game losing streak of the year and no doubt Matheny didn't want to hit that mark.
In the end, he went the direction he felt most comfortable with and it didn't work out. That's just part of the game.
Had this particular game not subsequently collapsed for the Cardinals, we would have heralded Matheny's decision.
It's just one game of 162 and there's little doubt that by the time you read this both Wainwright and Matheny will see the issue as a thing of the past. So should we.
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Corey Noles is a Cardinals Writer and Columnist for The Daily Statesman. Contact him at cnoles@dailystatesman.com or on Twitter @coreynoles.
Comments
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