The Jim Edmonds interview confirms every Cardinals fan's worst nightmare

He said the quiet part out loud.

In an offseason defined by what the Cardinals haven’t done, Jim Edmonds finally spiced things up during a radio appearance on 101 ESPN. Edmonds, the Cardinals Hall of Famer and former star centerfielder, appeared on The Morning After show and took a blowtorch to the Cardinals organization.

Perhaps he was blowing off steam after it was recently announced would not be returning in a broadcast role for the team. He certainly wouldn’t be the first former employee to grumble about his prior organization.

But it’s hard to shake the feeling that everything he said isn’t exactly what so many fans have been worried is happening below the surface.

As a fan, something shifted in my perception of the organization after the Mike Shildt firing. Whether you thought he was a good leader for the Cardinals or not (and I personally thought he was a great manager), the dysfunction and tremendously awkward press conference surrounding the move was shocking. The Cardinals, the most buttoned-up organization in the National League, were bumbling a firing this badly?

As details emerged about the “philosophical differences” that led to the firing, worries from the fans began to bubble up. If Shildt was worried about the team’s trajectory and its unwillingness to have stalwarts like Chirs Carpenter around, shouldn’t someone have listened? A quick look at the team’s fortunes since his firing seems to vindicate some of his concerns.

And now, the Edmonds interview.  

Look, I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t a huge fan of Edmonds the color commentator. I think he was an incredible player and is clearly a baseball savant, but his broadcasting style never resonated with me. I wasn’t shocked when I first read that he wouldn’t be back. 

(As an aside, it was eye-opening for me to hear about how the criticism of his style affected him and his family, and his candidness on that topic should be a must-listen for anyone lobbing insults his way.)

But his comments about the team and its erosion of culture, its unwillingness to bring back former players (even when requested by current players!), and the drop in standards regarding team performance were hard to hear. More than that, they confirmed that sinking feeling I’ve had in my gut for years now.

How did we get here? How did such a proud franchise end up with a former star player lambasting the team on local radio? Worse still is that fan reaction seems to side with the disgruntled player, something that seemed impossible even ten years ago.

It should be noted that Edmonds said his relationships with the DeWitt family, with John Mozeliak, and with Oli Marmol are all strong, and he did not directly criticize anyone individually. I’ll refrain from doing the same, but when Edmonds says he brought all of these issues to everyone in the organization and nothing has changed, how can we expect things to improve?

Growing up, I always took immense pride in being a Cardinals fan. It was as if, due solely to my birthplace and the rooting interest of my parents, I gained access to an exclusive club. The team consistently won, and even when it didn’t, the organization always seemed a cut above.

Now? The pride still remains, but it’s hard not to hear Edmonds’ critique and simply nod along.

Like the team’s culture that Edmonds referenced, patience and understanding from the fanbase continues to erode.