St Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt’s expletive laden speech backfires
Last week, the St Louis Cardinals manager delivered an incredible viral speech but this week, he’s been left red-faced. WARNING: explicit language.
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There’s very little better than a fired up speech to help a team to hit the next level — unless you’re St Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt.
Having missed the last three years of Major League Baseball Playoffs, the Cardinals knocked out the Atlanta Braves in a 3-2 series win in the first round of the playoffs, ending the Braves’ season at the division series for the ninth time since 2001, the last time the team made the championship game.
With confidence, the Cardinals’ manager Mike Shildt unleashed an expletive laden speech after they completed the victory.
Shildt was filmed by outfielder Randy Arozarena and quickly went viral as the unassuming manager dropped an epic speech before the latest series against the Washington Nationals.
“What I loved about this series is we played the game hard, we played the game right,” Shildt said which was seen through Arozarena’s Instagram Live. “They started some s***. We finished the s***. And that’s how we roll. No one f***s with us. Ever. Ever.
“Now I don’t give a f*** who we play. We are going to f*** them up. We are going to take it to them the whole f***ing way. We are going to kick their f***ing a**.”
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW BUT BEWARE EXPLICIT LANGUAGE
Cardinals manager Mike Shildt with the post game speech of the CENTURYpic.twitter.com/ujhMoCLM3f
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 10, 2019
The players all celebrate their coach’s enthusiasm but had no idea the video went nuts.
As it blew up, it probably lost its impact when Arozarena and Shildt were forced to apologise.
“I want to apologise to my teammates, manager, the Cardinals organisation and baseball fans for the video I posted tonight after our victory in Atlanta,” Arozarena said. “It was a moment meant to be private. I made a rookie mistake by sharing it on my social media account.”
Shildt said he wouldn’t apologise for his passion on display.
“I apologise if my language offended anyone,” Shildt said. “I am flawed and have my moments. I grew up in a clubhouse and one of the crosses I bear is my language. I try to represent this organisation with class and dignity. I have done a nice job over the many years of curbing that and trying to represent always this organisation and myself in a positive light, with class and dignity.
“I will not apologise for having passion about how I feel about our team.”
Either way, it was an epic speech and should have fired his side up.
Coming up against wildcard winners the Nationals, the Cardinals would have liked their chances, with the Nationals having never made the Championship game let alone the World Series.
But the side beat the league leading LA Dodgers and made light work of the Cardinals, thumping St Louis in a 4-0 whitewash.
Fans were quick to wonder if it was because the Cardinals got ahead of themselves.
On TBS postgame show Gary Sheffield blames the Cardinals getting swept on Randy Arozarena putting out the Shildt video on social media.
— Charlie Marlow (@CharlieMarlow_) October 16, 2019
Alluding to the Baseball God’s getting revenge.
That’s a take boys and girls.
It turns out Mike Shildt probably should have said in that viral video, "I don't care who we play, we're going to kick their butts...
— Brenden Schaeffer (@bschaeffer12) October 16, 2019
...As long as it's not the Nationals."
Can we just reflect on the speech Mike Shildt gave before this series? Who’s asses we’re going to get kicked again? #STLvsWSH pic.twitter.com/N5tSNUpqMh
— Jennifer Nazha (@jennifernazha) October 16, 2019
Things that don't age well: tuna fish sandwiches, one-hit wonders, #Cardinals manager Mike Shildt's profanity-laced declarations of victory . . . #NLCS
— Brian Murphy (@knbrmurph) October 16, 2019
Final tally from the NLCS:
— Jason Frakes (@kyhighs) October 16, 2019
Baseball Gods 4, Mike Shildt 0
Can't wait to hear Mike Shildt's epic locker room recap of this series.
— Roy Lang III (@RoyLangIII) October 16, 2019
The Nationals reached the World Series for the first time in franchise history after a blistering first inning laid the foundation for a 7-4 victory over a Cardinals team who rallied in the fifth but were unable to overturn the deficit.
Nats ace Patrick Corbin fanned 12 batters through five innings before finally allowing four runs as the Cardinals attempted to claw their way back into contention.
The Nationals will now play the winner of the American League Championship Series — either the Houston Astros or New York Yankees — in game one of the World Series next Tuesday.
The NL Championship Series victory marked the latest chapter of an improbable season for Washington, who were 19-31 earlier this year with little apparent hope of reaching the playoffs.
Prior to Tuesday’s win, the Nationals were one of only two Major League Baseball teams, along with the Seattle Mariners, who had never reached a World Series.
The Nationals had also carried a miserable post season record into the playoffs having never won a series before 2019.
“I can’t put this moment into words,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. “Often bumpy roads lead to beautiful places — and this is a beautiful place.”
Martinez only last month underwent a heart procedure.
“These guys back here cured my heart,” Martinez said. “My heart feels great right now. I can’t wait to do this next week.”
— with AP
Originally published as St Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt’s expletive laden speech backfires