UCB roundtable: Picking a new team from scratch
[The UCB preseason roundtable continued Tuesday with Jack Kelly's question.]
If you were dropped on planet Earth an expert on baseball but with no favorite team, what team would you most enjoy watching? Would it be the Cardinals or would it be another team and why?
Love the question. As I was once a Cardinal fan, then a Met fan (for a very dark period in my life, I assure you), and now a Cardinal fan again, I’ve thought about this before; here are some of my considerations:
1. Team history: Longevity is probably as important as success, though that’s certainly helpful. It’s hard to see the three newest teams as anything but upstarts. Short list: Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, Phillies, Cubs, Reds, Tigers, Pirates.
2. Ballpark experience: An enjoyable ballpark experience goes a long way toward how much I’d want to follow my team; I could endure a lot of losing if the park were an idyllic place to watch a game. Therefore, you’re automatically out if you play in a dome or have too many gimmicks (Astros) or exchange a grand old park for a grotesquely configured band box (Yankees). I haven’t been to all the parks, but I’ve seen enough. Top locations: Orioles, Pirates, Cardinals, Giants, Cubs.
3. Fan culture: Fans are an extension of a team. With whom do I want to be associated: obnoxious boors, lovable but drunken losers, sarcastic smartypants, beach-ball-obsessed Hollyweirdos, battery-throwing goons, fairweather rascals? Cardinal Nation has lost some of its claim to fame, but they’re still among the best, at least in terms of loyalty: Cardinals, Pirates, Cubs, Red Sox, Rangers.
4. Organization: Of course, the organization itself matters, from the ownership to the executive management to the manager to the players. The Cardinals barely make the list for the entire McGwire affair, but their history and current crop of uniformed talent (their manager notwithstanding) helps. Short list: Rockies, Cardinals, Rays, A’s.
The Cardinals may not be first in every category, but they’re the only team among the best in each (though, curiously, the Pirates were well-represented).