Blues Embracing Cardinals, World Series Is Pretty Sad

As a Blues fan, I have no delusion about the role of my team in my hometown. 

At Busch Stadium, they call the place Baseball Heaven, the gathering place for the self-described "Best Fans In Baseball." I've seen my fair share of games there and the Busch Stadium before that. I get it, we live in a baseball town, home to a baseball team that just won the World Series. 

I get it. The Blues want to capitalize. They want in on the good mojo. They want to attract some non-traditional hockey fans to the game tonight. They want some of the luck the Rams got on Sunday by hosting the Cardinals, but what is going on tonight is sad and borderline pathetic. They are groveling at the foot of the Stan The Man statute, they're kissing Fredbird's ring. 

I don't mind Tony La Russa dropping the first puck of the night. Jim Edmonds did that right after the Cardinals won in 2006. But they didn't put Jimmy Ballgame's face all over the team website two days before. The team didn't sell tickets for $15, Edmonds' jersey number. The team didn't encourage fans to wear Cardinals gear to get a discount on hot dogs at the concession stand. 

The Cardinals have monopolized the media and fans' attention for the last month. Shouldn't the Blues be trying to make us forget about the baseball team? Don't the Blues think they can attract fans on their own? 

There's a fine line between a good marketing plan and looking desperate. Asking fans to believe makes some sense. It's not a huge stretch. Asking fans to Don't Stop Believin' just comes off as not knowing your audience and not realizing a song that's played at every Red Wings game might not be the best centerpiece for your marketing efforts. In the same vein, having some Cardinals show up, letting Chris Carpenter skate in practice and generally fitting them into the normal game activities makes sense. Going all out with a Cardinals theme night screams, "Hey, we like the Cardinals! And they like us! Buy some cheap tickets instead of waiting 18 hours to meet David Freese!" 

What do you think of the Cardinals connection? Tell us down below.