SAN FRANCISCO -- For St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak, finding the replacement for former Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wasn't about taking the safe route.

Heck, he could have brought in Terry Francona, who had earned his managerial spurs by lifting the Curse of the Bambino in Boston, taking the Red Sox to a World Series championship in 2004, and did it again three years later.

There was Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who has been paying his dues filling out lineup cards in the Minor Leagues for seven years now. And the popular Jose Oquendo, third-base coach of the Cardinals, was even a finalist.

So when it came time to replace La Russa, who ranks third on the all-time managerial list in both games won (5,097) and postseason appearances(six), Mozeliak threw the baseball world a curve.

He hired Mike Matheny, a 41-year-old former big league catcher, who had been spending his time since a concussion-forced retirement in 2006 by working with youth teams, and doing some work in the Cardinals' farm system helping develop catchers.

"One of the things that had to be considered in hiring the replacement to Tony La Russa is finding somehow who understood the culture we developed and how things go down here," said Mozeliak. "Mike had been part of the organization as a player [for five years] and an instructor. He had a good relationship with our staff. I just felt he was worth the risk."

Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Matheny. Oh, by the way, the man who held the job before