The Chris Moeller Archives

The love-in

The consensus among St. Louis sports media types seems to be that Redbird fans should not have stood and applauded for Jim Edmonds when he came to bat in a Cubs uniform at Busch Stadium Friday night, but Joe Cardinals Fan obviously disagreed. Edmonds was greeted so warmly that Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz went back to the well Saturday for a column dripping with sarcasm following the "Jimmy love-in."

I had no problem with the fans' reaction. I would have joined in it had I been there. Edmonds means a lot to Cardinals fans, and it's ridiculous to argue that a warm reception in the 2nd inning of a ballgame played in early July is somehow an insult to the home team's pitcher, to Edmonds' replacement in center field, or to the home team in general. Miklasz wrote on Friday that cheering for Edmonds would be akin to being dumped by a girlfriend and then begging her to come back so that you can kiss her and relive the good old days, but who among us hasn't given a former girlfriend a standing ovation upon being reunited for the first time. And I can't buy into the notion that the Cardinals were "dumped" by Edmonds anyway. As best I can recall, the team shipped the outfielder-in-twilight to San Diego this winter in exchange for a second-tier minor leaguer.

I would even argue that the universally-recognized passion-- and compassion-- of the Cardinals' fan base has created a terrific competitive advantage. Ballplayers take notice to this sort of collective fan behavior. They no doubt envied Edmonds on Friday evening, not because he had switched colors, but because it was evident that he had established and earned for himself a devotion of permanency that rises above the old Jerry Seinfeld adage about "rooting for laundry" in team sports. The small-market St. Louis franchise has already greatly benefited from superstars such as Mark McGwire, Scott Rolen, and even Edmonds agreeing to discounted long-term contracts. These players aren't being sold on St. Louis public schools. They're sold on playing in front of (pardon the phrase) Cardinal Nation.

Ray Lankford, Willie McGee, even near-greats like Joe McEwing each received hearty ovations when they returned to Busch Stadium in visiting uniforms. Why also give a Cub the added satisfaction of being treated differently? On Friday, I was watching the game on TV at a Chicago bar established by another fired Cardinal, Harry Caray. Thinking about Harry made me realize that we need to cherish the personalities and icons in this game and embrace what makes this particular rivalry unique. Nobody was calling on Braden Looper to groove a pitch to Edmonds or some such. The fans simply showed their appreciation, and Edmonds responded by going oh for 4, with three strikeouts. End of story.

posted by CM @ 8:49 PM