West Newsmagazine 3-20-24
Local news, local politics and community events for West St. Louis County Missouri.
Local news, local politics and community events for West St. Louis County Missouri.
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WESTNEWSMAGAZINE.COM<br />
ing through it and guys around listen<br />
to it. He does a good job of explaining<br />
the ‘why’ behind the way he does something.”<br />
Gray is serious about his job. He<br />
knows he’s being looked upon to be a<br />
leader.<br />
“Guys, in general, will look toward<br />
older guys for an example or a direction<br />
to go and I’m conscious of that, but it<br />
doesn’t persuade or influence me to do<br />
anything different,” Gray said. “I know<br />
I’m a fairly intense person, especially<br />
here in a baseball world. That’s just<br />
what I’ve learned over the course of my<br />
career that helps me be at my best.<br />
“I show up to work, put in the work,<br />
put in the time and that works for me. If<br />
it does rub off on someone – and it’s for<br />
the benefit of them. That’s a good thing.”<br />
Gray joins a revamped rotation that<br />
also features newly acquired 36-yearold<br />
right-handers Lance Lynn and Kyle<br />
Gibson.<br />
But Gray is the one who is the<br />
acknowledged leader of the pitching<br />
staff. All eyes will be on him.<br />
Marmol noted Gray knows what to do.<br />
“With Sonny, this is a high, high<br />
competitor, and when you are in conversations<br />
with him, it’s clear that he<br />
cares about being really good and also<br />
wants everyone around him to be elite,”<br />
Marmol said. “He’s confident in what he<br />
knows and what makes him good, and<br />
he does an awesome job of inserting<br />
himself in certain meetings so that the<br />
group can understand what’s important.”<br />
Gray will become just the sixth pitcher<br />
to make his first start with the Cardinals<br />
on Opening Day. Kyle Lohse was the<br />
most recent pitcher to do that, opening<br />
the <strong>20</strong>08 season against the Rockies.<br />
“It’s a tremendous honor, to be honest<br />
with you,” Gray said of the assignment.<br />
“I don’t take that lightly. I don’t take<br />
that lightly at all. I have been fortunate<br />
enough to do it a few times in my career,<br />
and I’ve enjoyed every single one of<br />
them.”<br />
But Gray also knows it is a game<br />
and that means you have to enjoy what<br />
you’re doing.<br />
“I am very structured, but I like to<br />
have fun,” said Gray. “There’s time to<br />
work and there’s time to have play and<br />
there’s definitely time for both. They<br />
both go hand in hand. The more you<br />
are having fun, the more you are smiling,<br />
the better you are going to be. But<br />
there’s also time to lock it in and get<br />
your stuff done.”<br />
MARCH <strong>20</strong>, <strong>20</strong><strong>24</strong><br />
CARDINALS PREVIEW <strong>20</strong><strong>24</strong> 29<br />
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE<br />
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