For those of you that read this blog on occasion, I for the most part stick to politics. That’s my profession, that’s what I get paid to do and frankly, it’s pretty interesting to discuss. However, those of you that know me truly understand my passion for baseball, in particular, St. Louis Cardinals baseball.
I was born and raised a Cardinal fan. At the age of 6, in 1982, I remember sitting in my living room floor as the Cardinals celebrated their first World Series Championship in well over a decade. There were countless nights I spent falling asleep listening to the sound of Jack Buck’s voice coming from the radio. There was the heartbreak of 1985, 1987 and 2004, but the joy of 2006. And I’ll never forget wrapping a St. Louis Cardinal baby outfit for Christmas in 2002 to let my parents know they were going to be grandparents for the first time.
Some may call it obsession, but, hey, it’s Cardinal Nation.
So, it was with great pride that I watched Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game festivities from St. Louis this past week. The Mid-Summer Classic in America’s Best Baseball Town. It was great to see Ozzie, Vince, Lou, Gibby, Bruce and Red. I was happy to see Albert Pujols get the attention as the game’s best player that he has earned.
However, for me, the All-Star festivities were about one person, Stan “The Man” Musial. Stan is to St. Louis what Williams is to Boston, what Gehrig, Ruth and Mantle are to New York and what Willie is to the Giants. He’s an icon, he’s baseball royalty.
The All-Star Game was to be his moment. It was to be his time to be honored by his adoring fans and his time to be recognized for his achievements in front of a national audience. This was going to be the same moment that Ted Williams received in Boston in 1999 that he so richly deserved.
So I was ready. The wife and kiddo were running errands. I was ignoring the phone, ignoring the emails. The DVR was set. I wanted a record of this moment for baseball’s “Perfect Knight.” Admittedly, I was ready to get a little misty eyed.
Out came the cart, Stan the Man with ball in hand waving to the crowd, the fans showering him with affection and applause. Here it was, Stan’s moment. The cart slowly making its way to a spot near home plate, the crowd cheering, this was going to be magical. Then, it happened…nothing. The cart came to a stop. No players surrounding the cart, no video tribute…nothing.
They PA then announced the President of the United States to come out and take the ball from Stan to throw out the first pitch. Now, every single person reading this is thinking I’m going to blame this on Obama. No, this wasn’t his fault. Frankly, I had issues with the smattering of boos he received when he entered the field. He’s the President, whether you like the man or not, the office deserves respect.
The fault lies with Major League Baseball. Obama shouldn’t have been the person to throw the first pitch. For that matter, no President should be the person to throw the first pitch at an All-Star Game. Politics automatically splits the crowd. You take this moment, any moment, and insert politics and a crowd united by one thing, in this case baseball, automatically is divided. For the record though, Obama didn’t help himself by wearing a Chicago White Sox jacket in St. Louis.
I get Major League Baseball for wanting the President for the first pitch, and I realize that my opinion here is very clouded by my respect for Stan the Man. But on this night, in this stadium and in this city, it should have been about Stan Musial and nobody else.
Opportunities to honor legends on a national stage are few and far between. With steroids and performance enhancing drugs clouding the integrity of the game and record books, I think baseball should relish moments to honor the purely good people and outstanding baseball players of the past.
This should have been Stan’s time, he earned it and he deserved it. Major League Baseball stuck out looking on Tuesday night in St. Louis.
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