Analysis of Bernie Miklasz’s “A holiday for ‘Best Fans in Baseball”, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, printed 4/8/13

Bernie's column

MLB Video: 2013 Opening Day at Busch Stadium, St. Louis

In his piece leading Cardinal Nation right in to the home opener, St. Louis’ lead sports writer, Bernie Miklasz masterfully reaffirms to the baseball-loving world, just why it is that St. Louis is home to the best fans in the game.

Bernie deftly opens a window into the hearts and minds of Cardinal fans and once he has you gawking, the writer allows the reader to peer out through the other side of this window at the momentous occasion that the Redbird faithful are treated to once a year.  This mix of character study and color truly highlights the spectacle that is opening day in St. Louis.

St. Louisans love to tell the world that we are the “best fans in baseball.” And, by God, it’s the truth.   As with any great empire, however, there will always be dissenters—take for instance those childish Reds fans whose substance-less, banal rebuttals line the comments section on STLToday.com.  Enter now, Bernie Miklasz.  He’s got the experience, provides the stats, and compiles the expert testimony to prove it.

The statistics speak for themselves. “Residing in the nation’s 19th-largest metropolitan area — population 2.8 million — the Cardinals are one of only two MLB franchises to draw at least 3 million fans at home in 14 of the last 15 seasons. The Yankees are the other team, and they play in a city of 19 million people… Since their first full season (1967) at the old Busch Stadium, the Cardinals have surpassed the National League’s average home attendance 40 times in 46 seasons. They’ve topped the NL average in 30 of the last 31 seasons,” writes Miklasz.

If the sheer numbers aren’t proof enough, Bernie hammers home his point with great success by deferring to the judgment of Randy Johnson, one of the greatest pitchers of all time, and Tom Gordon, who spent 21 seasons on a Major League mound.  “’No one can compare to Cardinals fans. Don’t even think of anywhere else,’” said Gordon (quoted by Miklasz), who played for eight clubs, but never the Cardinals.

It’s hard to argue with Bernie in this case.  Having attended hundreds of Cardinals games, in three different decades, I can say that he’s right on the mark about the atmosphere, standard of decency, respect for the game and opposing players, and fans’ level of engagement at Busch Stadium.  In all honesty, I think the most controversial act I’ve ever seen a Cardinals fan commit at the ballpark was eight or nine years ago when a female admirer jumped the wall and sprinted into centerfield to hand deliver to Jim Edmonds what I can only assume was a profession of her true love—a deep, undying, Budweiser-smelling love that every member of Cardinal Nation has for all who wear the birds on the bat.