Chaim Bloom's recent comments deepen Cardinals fans' love affair with new executive

For 19 seasons, St. Louis Cardinals fans were accustomed to John Mozeliak's stuffy, buttoned-up demeanor and reluctance to speak freely about his thoughts and opinions regarding the organization. That, along with several questionable moves that defined the latter half of his tenure, did not endear him to the Cardinals faithful. But as the Chaim Bloom era gets underway, it appears Cardinals fans are going to be treated to a much more transparent version of the front office.

Bloom wants Cardinals fans to hold him accountable for his actions as the president of baseball operations.

During an interview with Randy Karraker on STL Sports Central, Bloom complimented the passion of Cardinals fans and their commitment to and knowledge of the sport. It's nothing Cardinals fans haven't heard before, but what he followed up with regarding his future actions was among the most refreshing comments that Cardinals fans have heard from a team executive in decades.

"I hope to be held accountable. I hope people bring that passion. I want them to have opinions. This is an open invitation to everyone out there, all my good friends in the media, please, come at me, hold me accountable. I want our fans to have access to as much candor, as much unfiltered honesty from this organization as possible, because they care so much. They deserve that."

Chaim Bloom

It's hard not to fall head over heels for Bloom after hearing his promise of honesty and clear communication to fans and the media. It seems like a simple ask, but Mozeliak was frequently opaque with his answers when pressed and often dodged questions. It would be silly to expect Bloom to spill everything about his strategies and plans for the future, but if he delivers on his promise of openness and honesty, fans should provide Bloom plenty of grace.

Everyone in Bloom's position is a target of criticism, so don't expect the fuzzy feelings to last forever. However, if Bloom stays true to his word, in the event that he makes a move that doesn't turn out as fans had hoped — and if he stays in the position for a while, that will happen — fans will provide him some leeway and forgiveness if he is frank and honest about it. That is something the previous Cardinals regime never seemed to grasp.

Fans and the media will and should hold Bloom accountable, and as someone who headed the Boston Red Sox in one of the toughest media markets in the country, Bloom should know exactly what to expect from the press. Fans have criticized the St. Louis media as being "soft," but reporters shouldn't shy away from asking Bloom some tough questions and challenging him on some of his decisions, as he said he enjoys that devotion and intensity from fans.

The road with Bloom will be filled with twists and turns as the new POBO attempts to steer the team toward competitiveness again, but unlike Mozeliak, Bloom appears to be in tune with the desires of Cardinals fans. For a fanbase that long begged for simple respect from the front office, Bloom's words should serve as music to their ears.