CHICAGO (KMOX) - St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt allowed for a few other questions about the game in his press conference on Wednesday, before going on a rant for the ages. He was upset over the umpires who made pitcher Giovanny Gallegos switch hats because of a smudge on the cap's brim.
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You can watch his unedited, five-minute statement at the top of this page. Below are a few transcribed quotes:
"This is baseball's dirty little secret and it's the wrong time and the wrong arena to expose it."
About a minute in, Shildt takes a moment to compose himself, thinking about how his wife will feel if his statement costs him:
"Let me make sure I get my words right, because I got a decent chance of being fined and my wife Michelle will - you know. Gosh darn it. It's for the integrity of the game."
Was there something on Gallegos's hat? Yep. Was it anything illegal? Shildt says not a chance.
"Hats accrue dirt, hats accrue substances, just stuff. We pitched a day game, so did Gio have some sunscreen at some point in his career to make sure he doesn't get some kinda melanoma? Possibly. Does he use rosin to help? Possibly. Are these things that baseball really wants to crack down on? No, it's not. I know that completely firsthand from the commissioner's office."
Shildt airs a well-known, but sometimes unspoken truth about other MLB pitchers, without naming names:
"There are people that are effectively, and not even trying to hide it, essentially flipping the bird at the league for how they are cheating at this game with concocted substances ... There are players that are obviously doing it, going to their glove, there's clear video of it."
He knows this rant could hurt his own team, but says it anyways because he feels so strongly about it:
"Is our house 100% clean? I certainly hope so. Am I creating more of an opportunity- because I just spoke to our pitchers. Am I creating more of an awareness to our group? Potentially. But let's go check the guys that are going to their glove every day with filthy stuff coming out. Not some guys, that before he's even stepped on the mound, with a spot on his hat. That's how we're going to start policing this?"
Great closing statement:
"You wanna police some sunscreen and rosin? Go ahead. Get every single person in this league hit by pitches, balls will get away. But why don't you start with the guys that are cheating with stuff that is really impacting the game and how people play this game. That's the integrity of the game that I'll speak up for. Popular? I really don't care. It's accurate."
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