St. Louis Blues superfan Jon Gruden has become the Cardinals' good luck charm

In 2024, the St. Louis Cardinals had an abysmal start to the season. Heading into Mother's Day, the club had a 15-24 record, and they were coming off a seven-game losing streak from May 4th through May 11th.

On May 12th, both manager Oliver Marmol and bench coach Daniel Descalso were ejected for arguing balls and strikes. While both coaches were frustrated with the way the game was being called, Marmol's primary purpose in being ejected to to inject some fire into his faltering squad.

"At times, you just have a little skid, get something going. I've got nothing against that group (of umpires)...I'm glad the boys pulled it together and won," said Marmol at the time.

Thus, the team's best stretch of the year began.

From May 12th through July 14th, the Cardinals had one of the best records in baseball at 35-23. Marmol's ejection, paired with the fire from veterans like Lance Lynn, helped propel the Cardinals into a serious conversation for being the best team in the National League Central.

The 2025 Cardinals also started slow during the months of March and April. They left the month of April with a 14-17 record, and two losses to start off May put them five games under .500. They were sitting in fourth place in the division, and fans were beginning to feel deflated.

At the same time, the St. Louis Blues were surging in an intense first-round playoff matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, the NHL's best team during the regular season. On one side of town, you had a struggling baseball team heading in the wrong direction. On the other side, you had an exciting team scratching and clawing its way through the postseason.

Several people in and around St. Louis began pledging their allegiance to the Blues during this postseason run, including football extraordinaire Jon Gruden. Gruden, a former coach at Southeast Missouri State, began publicly expressing his support for the St. Louis Blues. He gained behind-the-scenes access to the Blues' players, and he was given merchandise and one-on-one contact with players during the Blues' postseason run.

When the Blues were defeated in double overtime of Game 7, Gruden remained a fan of St. Louis sports.

NFL expert Jon Gruden has gone from being a St. Louis Blues fan to being a St. Louis Cardinals supported, and he's helped lead the team on a five-game winning streak.

Gruden has gained access to time with various Cardinals in the clubhouse, film rooms, and workout facilities while in St. Louis. He recently posted a video where he gave outfielder Lars Nootbaar feedback on his snap count while Noot was in a film session.

Gruden continued his support by posting about the club's five-game win streak, too.

The Cardinals are in desperate need of some luck, no matter how it comes their way. Perhaps Jon Gruden could be the charm the club has been searching for to get them back into the postseason after a two-year absence.