The "Cardinal Way"

Good morning, y'all:

Came across this article at StlToday.com (the website of the Post-Dispatch) -- thought it very appropriate given Herzog's induction into the Hall of Fame, plus the All-Star Game this week.

I've seen it in recent billboards and other promotional materials -- "Play Like A Cardinal."  And, growing up in Southeast Missouri, I've grown fond of the Cardinals, and may be a little biased.  But it seems that quite a few teams have their own way of playing the game -- call it their DNA.  In the article, Dan O'Neill talks to several Hall of Famers who wore the "Birds on the Bat" as to whether the "Cardinal Way" of playing baseball is just a marketing campaign, or if it goes a little deeper than that.

The article is here.

I think it goes much, much deeper.  More than just getting a uniform dirty with solid fundamentals, tough pitching and a gritty defense.  More than running out the singles into doubles, and making opponents earn every win.  And I think that the "Cardinal Way" is best personified in Stan Musial.  Granted, most of my reading of Redbird history starts about 1941, so I don't know much about "The Rajah" or many of the players that held court at Sportsman's Park.  But the more I read about Musial, especially in light of the LeBron James debacle, the more I sense that there's a bit more to the "Cardinal Way" than just performance on a field.  Players are held to a higher standard on and off the field.  A shortstop makes a disparaging display to fans in the stadium?  Traded off to San Diego.  (And yes, the player we got in exchange didn't do too bad at all, either!)  You don't see our players at nightclubs or trolling around at 3:30 am.  And if they (or their manager) are, there aren't too many forgiving eyes. 

Today, many athletes on professional sports teams act in manners that are far from what we can consider "role models."  The "Cardinal Way" runs opposite to that.  Which made me even happier that my kids learned how to properly cheer at a baseball game in the same way I did.

"Go Cardinals!"