Less than a week into the 2005 season, the Cardinals are playing like a team in need of a vacation.
How many games until the All-Star break?
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On Sunday four Cardinals were quoted criticizing the team’s barnstorming itinerary after leaving spring training. The Cardinals traveled from Florida to Oklahoma City for two exhibitions, flew to Springfield, Mo., for two more goodwill games, then jetted off to Houston to open the regular season.
Jim Edmonds shouldn’t be criticized for taking the lead in voicing his displeasure. His comments accurately reflected the views of his teammates, and at least he had the guts to speak up instead of hiding behind anonymous quotes.
But players need to try (again) to understand how fans who scrimp to put aside money to attend Cardinals games probably aren’t going to have much sympathy for the plight of the modern player. When teams travel, they go directly from a bus to an airplane and bypass the airport check-in scene, security lines and boarding scrums that make travel a hassle for everyday people. The athletes stay in luxury hotels and never have to hoist or carry luggage; everything is toted for them.
In losing twice to the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend, the Cardinals got outscored 23-8. And they couldn’t even fake enthusiasm.
Cramming in trips to Springfield and Oklahoma City may not be the best way to get a team ready for the regular season, but it’s lame to suggest this swing enroute to Houston played a role in the Cardinals’ lethargy. After all, the team had no problem beating the Astros 7-3 in the season opener.
Slow starts are nothing unusual for the Cardinals. They were 4-6 last season and ended up with 105 wins. A team can overcome bad baseball. But I don’t like the bad vibe this team is emitting in the early days of 2005.