St. Louis Cardinals fans were stunned yesterday to learn than general manager Walt Jocketty had been fired by Ebeneezer Scrooge's cousin, owner Bill DeWitt.

And suffice it to say, the reaction has not been a positive one. The only person in St. Louis who is happy about this is Scott Linehan, who suddenly became the second-least popular figure in the city's sports landscape.

While the reaction by fans has been cold, so too has it been from media types. The general consensus seems to be: "Huh?"

- Stan McNeal, Sporting News: "When I mentioned the firing of Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty to a couple of execs before Wednesday's Diamondbacks-Cubs game, their first reaction was: 'I guess that means Tony La Russa is gone.' Their second reaction: 'What the ... are the Cardinals doing?'

Good question. Apparently, ownership is tired of dealing with the friction between Jocketty and those in the front office who run the amateur draft and minor leagues and is prepared to embark on a new era. After all, it was almost a whole year ago that the Cardinals won the World Series. So sure, it's time to dump the guy that built that team."

- Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com: "The Cardinals did something even more bizarre Wednesday, parting with one of the game's most successful GMs, Walt Jocketty, in large part because owner Bill DeWitt is enthralled with a younger executive, Jeff Luhnow ... It would serve DeWitt right if both Jocketty and La Russa landed in Cincinnati and wound up torturing the Cardinals for the next decade ... Luhnow, a strong proponent of statistical analysis, clearly has the ear of DeWitt. Decisions were made in baseball operations without Jocketty's knowledge — an outrageous development, given Jocketty's track record and standing in the industry ... It's clear that the next GM, like Wade in Houston, will be forced to accept Luhnow's influence on DeWitt. Good news for the Cubs. Good news for the rest of the NL Central. Bad news for the Cardinals."

- Keith Law, ESPN.com: "Many GM candidates with backgrounds in either scouting or player development will balk at the position because of how limited their control will be. They may be forced to fill the position from within, or to accept a candidate whose interest in being GM supersedes his concern at the lack of control. Jocketty, meanwhile, should have his pick of positions, as many teams would be thrilled to obtain a GM with his reputation and track record."

- Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Fans wonder why the guys running this franchise -– starting at the top with chairman Bill DeWitt -- couldn’t work together and keep a good thing going. We understood when the Pirates suffered a front-office implosion. Losing is stressful. It does bad things to people. But why couldn’t the Cardinals management remain unified though mostly prosperous times? Why couldn’t these men hold their egos in check and manage their disagreements? Why are we seeing this break-up less than one year removed from a championship parade?"