“Who Could Hate The Cardinals?” Cincinnati Reds Fans Can

“Hating the Cardinals is like punching your mother.” That is the first line from an article posted yesterday on The Federalist by an

Sep 4, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder Shin-Soo Choo (17) is tagged out at home by St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina (4) in the 15th inning at Great American Ball Park. St. Louis won 5-4. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

apparent self absorbed Cardinals fan. When it comes to the St. Louis Cardinals there isn’t another team Reds fans hate more than the Cardinals, Pirates are a close second. But for the most part Cardinals fans and the team are hated in Cincinnati.

"“Nobody hates the Cardinals”"

St. Louis is not only hated in just Cincinnati, look at the other three NL Central cities. Chicago loathes the Cardinals, good luck getting a drink in Wrigleyville with a Cardinals hat on. Milwaukee Brewers fans aren’t very fond of them and neither are Pirates fans. Not to mention the Atlanta Braves who absolutely hate the Cardinals after the “infield fly” incident in 2012.

"“Tired of the Yankees? Of course you are. Being tired of a team with 11 World Series Titles doesn’t make any sense”"

It makes perfect sense to be tired of a team with 11 World Series Titles, especially when your team hasn’t won a title since 1990 and has year in and year out fallen flat on their face as the Cardinals catch break after break. Is it acceptable to be tired of a team with that many titles? Sure it is, just like Mets fans are tired of hearing how many titles the Yankees have.

"“No one says you have to love them. But you can’t hate them. It just reflects poorly on you.”"

Mollie Hemingway the writer of this opinion piece has apparently never watched a baseball game outside of St. Louis. Hating another team is a healthy relationship to have a sports fan. If Reds fans didn’t hate the Cardinals what fun would that be. Everyone can’t love one another, that is not real. What reflects poorly here is the self absorbed nature of this writer, shaming people for feelings is wrong.

In the article Hemingway talks about about St. Louis’s ability to develop their farm system. If there is one thing other fans do respect is that, their ability to develop a young player is second to none. For a team to have lost so many key pieces over the last few seasons (Pujols, Loshe, Berkman) and still go to the NLCS  three straight seasons is remarkable. Having given them some praise though does not mean that we as fans can’t hate the Cardinals.

"“The Cardinals don’t even have a great rivalry going, even if the National League Central is a competitive place.”"

I don’t know about anyone else but the Cincinnati Reds/Cardinals matchups seem like a rivalry. Incase Hemingway has never been to a Reds

game in St. Louis there is a reason Cardinals fans boo Brandon Phillips everytime he comes to the plate. There is hatred there, that is a rivalry. 2010 solidified a rivalry between these two clubs.

Now Cardinals fans are very loyal, Busch Stadium is filled night in and night out, not something most teams can say. I can’t take that away from them they buy tickets. Before you say how great they are though watch how they act at say Great American Ballpark. Crude behavior, vulgar language towards Reds fans, taunting. Surely these can’t be the same fans Hemingway is talking about though.

To say the hatred for the Cardinals comes from the fact that their fan base is because “you hate Midwesterners and their casseroles and churchgoing, you may want to reconsider.” To say that is completely out of line. No one hates a team because their fans like like to mix random foods in a dish and call it a casserole, literally the worst word in the english dictionary, or to even mention faith as a reason to hate a team. Cincinnati Bearcats fans hate Notre Dame, not because they’re Catholic but because of Brian Kelly.

In my journalism classes you are always taught to write, edit and re read, is this something you want others to read. Mollie Hemingway did not do that. Surely the backlash from her article has taught her a lesson. If not I welcome her to join me next season for a Reds Cardinals game at GABP.