There are many baseball adages and sayings that have come and gone over the years, including one that says past experience is essential for success.
First-year St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny has taken a blow torch to that notion.
Matheny was hired in November and immediately had a ton to live up to as the youngest manager in the majors. The Cardinals were coming off a World Series championship and the he would have to replace one of the most legendary managers of all-time in Tony La Russa.
Adding even more pressure, first baseman Albert Pujols left the team for the Los Angeles Angels after spending his entire career in St. Louis for a $250 million contract.
Also, Matheny had never managed a game professionally in his life. He previously served as a special advisor to the team in 2008, but never held the top spot before getting hired.
According to ESPN.com, Matheny became only the fifth person to replace a manager with 4,000 games of experience without managing any games himself. He also became just the sixth manager to overtake a defending World Series champion club.
Matheny knew heading into the 2012 season he would be under a thick microscope due to replacing La Russa and his lack of experience. How did he respond? By taking charge of the Cardinals completely and leading the team to the wild-card round, advancing against the Braves to the next round of the playoffs and now, to the League Championship Series.
This season the team has had to overcome major injuries to pitcher Chris Carpenter and the reality of life without Pujols.
Matheny led the team to an impressive statistical performance this season, with the Cardinals ranking in the top 10 in baseball in runs, batting average, slugging and on-base percentage, which they were ranked first.
The rookie manager has shown off excellent managerial skills this season, making smart moves with the bullpen and putting together a powerful lineup every day.
In the playoffs he has been even more impressive, leading the team to a victory in the one-game, single-elimination playoff round against the Atlanta Braves.
Matheny also showed an ability to stay calm even when facing defeat. The Cardinals were down 6-0 against the Washington Nationals in Game 5 of the Divisional Series before making an amazing comeback in the ninth inning. The team scored four runs in the ninth to take a 9-7 lead and never gave it back.
The win marked the fifth time in five elimination games that the Cardinals have won. At the time Matheny commented on the determination of his team.
"It's just the kind of people they are. They believe in themselves. They believe in each other," Matheny said to the Associated Press. "It's been this style of team all season long. They just don't quit, and I think that just says a lot about their character."
When he was hired back in November last year former teammates and people in the Cardinals organization knew what kind of guy they were getting.
"I think he's going to be a great leader," Jim Edmonds, who was a teammate of Matheny's with the Cardinals, said to The Associated Press at the time. "If he goes out there and does what he's capable of doing and they put the players around him, he could be the manager for the next 20 years."
Matheny spent five years with the Cardinals under La Russa, winning three of his four Gold Gloves and winning a World Series in his last year with the team.
"He's a great leader, and an even better person," Edmonds said. "I think this is great. There's nobody that's going to work any harder than Mike."
Earlier this season he spoke to MLB.com about learning from La Russa as a player.
"I remember as a player, sitting there thinking that Tony is wearing this when he shouldn't be," Matheny said. "But the fan base was all over him, when we knew at the time that he was a potential Hall of Fame manager, and just beating up every decision that he made. I was on the side that had more information to know what was going on. It was surprising to me about how much he took from people who knew the game. So with that background knowledge, I understand that's part of the gig. ... I would much rather be that punching bag then for it to happen to the guys. Because I know they follow it and when they see me taking the bullet for them, that builds us up collectively and builds them up individually. For me, I just wear it."
Matheny has added to the mystique in baseball that former catchers make great managers. Along with Matheny, nine other managers in baseball were former professional catchers, including Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Angels manager Mike Scioscia and Giants manager Bruce Bochy, who the Cardinals are facing in the NLCS.
Matheny was one of the best defensive catchers during his time in the majors, winning four Gold Gloves. According to MLB.com, he is also one of only three catchers in history to catch at least 100 games in a single season without committing an error.
He started his playing career at the University of Michigan where he served as a co-captain and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1991 MLB draft. Matheny made his major league debut as a 23-year-old and played with the Brewers until 1998 when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for one year.
After getting released in 1999, he signed with the Cardinals and began the most productive and successful stint of his career. With the Cardinals Matheny made the playoffs four out of five years and set multiple defensive records.
According to MLB.com, he set the record for most games without an error by a catcher at 252 and in 2004, set the mark for consecutive chances without an error with 1,565. After leaving the Cardinals in 2004 he signed with the San Francisco Giants, where he won one Gold Glove and the Willie Mac Award for leadership.
In 2006 after dealing with injuries and concussion issues, he retired from baseball.
When La Russa made his decision to leave the Cardinals and retire after last season, no one in baseball thought of Matheny as the number one choice to replace the legend. The team spoke to many different candidates, including Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and former Boston manager Terry Francona.
Although Matheny was not the conventional choice, it may turn out that the Cardinals have found another legendary manager that should be around for years to come.
One thing Matheny could say after his first year with the team: Experience is overrated.
