St. Louis Cardinals: Three Reasons John Lackey is Easy to Hate

Apr 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (41) pitches to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (41) pitches to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (41) pitches to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2016; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher John Lackey (41) pitches to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /

Former St. Louis Cardinal John Lackey is now one of the key starters in the rotation for the Chicago Cubs. If that isn’t reason enough for Cardinals’ fans to hate him, here are three more.

John Lackey is scheduled to take the mound against the Cardinals on Monday night (7:15pm CT, FSMW) as the Cubs’ game one starter for a three-game series in St. Louis.

Before we begin, the most obvious reason for Cardinals’ fans to hate John Lackey is because he is a Chicago Cub. There is no explaining necessary for the deep and competitive hatred that Cardinals’ fans have for any player donning the blue, red and white.

The fact is, that would be too easy of a reason to hate Lackey, so this list will not dwell solely on the fact that Lackey is now the arch-enemy, but on the fact that Lackey just begs to be disliked. So, here are three reasons John Lackey is so easy to hate:

1. John Lackey is a traitor

Just last season John Lackey was fighting for the Birds on the Bat, and as most of you know, was one of the most effective pitchers for St. Louis. Lackey was the Cardinals’ game one starter in the NLDS against none other than the Chicago Cubs.

In this game Lackey dominated the Cubs, shutting them out for seven innings on the way to a 4-0 win. Lackey’s game four start had a different result, but the Cubs were riding a wave of momentum that the Cardinals couldn’t stop.

Many Cardinals’ fans felt a deep sense of appreciation for Lackey. The way he left it all on the field in every start and really dug deep for the Cardinals was something that fans admired and not something that all pitchers do every time out.

Little did Cardinals’ fans know, this appreciation would soon turn to loathing as Lackey went to the dark side and joined the Cubs in the offseason. While the Cardinals didn’t offer Lackey a deal outside of the “Qualifying Offer”, it is still hard to see Lackey pitching for our bitter rivals

Everyone remembers Jason Heyward‘s departure from St. Louis, but it was Lackey that led the way. Coming off of a solid season, Lackey left a 100-win Cardinals team, for an upstart Cubs team that offered him more money. Now he may not have done it in spite of the Cardinals, but it definitely hurts to see a pitcher like Lackey go directly from the Cardinals to the Cubs.

Next: He's obnoxious