Cardinals celebrate John Mozeliak in a way that's eerily reflective of his tenure

In recent years, the St. Louis Cardinals have done a really great job of celebrating and sending off players who have a lot of history with the club. But when it came to honoring John Mozeliak, it was a muted expression at best.

No big ceremonies were had, no appearances from ownership or tips of the cap from the players on the field. Rather than make much of Mozeliak's final home series running the organization, the Cardinals showed some graphics and videos on the screen at Busch Stadium, and on Sunday, had Mozeliak throw out the first pitch to his son to mostly scattered applause.

That's it?

Kinda sounds like what Cardinals fans have been saying for almost a decade now.

The Cardinals had a muted celebration for John Mozeliak on Sunday

No matter how frustrated you may be by how things have fallen apart for the Cardinals at the end of the Mozeliak era, he was an instrumental part of an incredible run of Cardinals success from 2008-2015, and was one of the key cogs in Walt Jocketty's system beginning in the late 1990s.

No doubt the last decade will loom over Mozeliak when fans remember him, but over time, I think more and more fans will be able to apperciate just how impactful Mozeliak was, and how great of an era of baseball the Cardinals had with him at the helm.

Chaim Bloom is taking over for Mozeliak this offseason, a much-needed and welcomed change in Cardinals leadership, but even Mozeliak himself has stated for years now that the organization needs a fresh voice. He's been well aware of the need for change, and although we can all agree that he did not do himself many favors as he wrapped up his tenure, he has helped the Cardinals implement a transition of leadership that most baseball executives likely wouldn't sign up for.

As Bloom takes the keys from Mozeliak, it is more than fitting to give Mo his flowers for his Cardinals tenure. Yes, we rightfully spend a lot of time picking apart things he's done, but I'm glad the Cardinals and fans at Busch Stadium gave him a warm send-off, even if its muted nature was another reminder of how things ended on a sour note.