Cardinals manager Matheny to speak in Cape Wednesday

You won't find many professional baseball managers more strategic and caring than Mike Matheny.

The Cardinals manger is thoughtful, a person of strong character, and he knows how to lead people. In each of his four years as the Redbirds skipper, Matheny has led the Cardinals to the playoffs. He's the first manager in baseball history to achieve this feat. His tenure includes three trips to the National League Championship Series and an appearance in the World Series.

Winning is not something that happens overnight. It helps to have a strong front office, player development system and consistent fans -- which the Cardinals have. Matheny's leadership, nevertheless, is a big factor in this success.

Matheny will be in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday for "The State of Cardinals Nation," presented by First Missouri State Bank.

The event begins at 7 p.m. at the River Campus. A VIP reception will be held at 6 p.m.

The manager will deliver a message of faith, character and youth sports. He'll also talk about this year's team and answer questions from the audience. We look forward to hearing what he has to say about next year's Cardinals and the ball club's future.

This is the second time in the last two years for the manager to be in Cape Girardeau. Last year Matheny spoke about leadership at the Arrow Leadership and Success Summit. This year he'll dive into more topics included in his bestseller, "The Matheny Manifesto."

There will also be talk about the offseason and an audience Q/A, moderated by First Missouri State Bank's Steve Taylor and Jay Knudtson.

A limited number of tickets remain, including a few VIP tickets. The VIP tickets include a reception with the Cardinals skipper, a signed copy of his book and a photo with Matheny. Tickets can be purchased at semissourian.com/Matheny or call 388-2761.

A special insert in today's Southeast Missourian includes interviews with Matheny, Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III and former Southeast Missouri State and current Cardinals minor league player Derek Gibson.

Thank you to presenting sponsor First Missouri State Bank and charity beneficiary Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri. A portion of ticket sales benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters, and 100 percent of raffle proceeds at the event also go to the not-for-profit.

Make plans to attend the State of Cardinals Nation with Mike Matheny on Wednesday. The season is still a few months away, but this event will be a highlight of the offseason.