Shildt Happens: Former Cardinals Skipper To Interview For Padres Gig

Mike Shildt was surprisingly let go as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, but he may not be out of work for long.

According to Dennis Lin and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, Shildt is set to interview for the San Diego Padres' vacancy.

Shildt compiled a 252-199 record in just more than three years with the Cardinals and guided them to three straight NL playoff appearances. But he apparently fell out of favor with St. Louis' front office, for some strange reason. (Translation: Someone in there has a big ego.)

No less than former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy, fired by the New Orleans Pelicans over the summer, weighed in on Shildt.

"Rarely am I shocked by sports moves but this one shocked me," Van Gundy tweeted. "I wouldn't think he’d be unemployed for long."

Or as Gary Sheffield Jr. of OutKick asked, how "can a manager who led a team to 17 straight wins and a wild card berth be fired?"

Meanwhile, the Padres are looking for a new skipper after losing 22 of their final 33 games and then canning Jayce Tingler.

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Sam Amico spent 15 years covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated, FOX Sports and NBA.com, along with a few other spots, and currently runs his own basketball website on the side, FortyEightMinutes.com.