FOX Sports Midwest Misses Mark with Ernie Banks ‘Tribute’

I’m not a very smart man, but even I know there are certain things you just shouldn’t say or do. For instance, you don’t compliment a woman by telling her that she looks really good in spite of her advanced age or that her new blouse makes her look less fat than usual. Also, it’s bad form to turn someone else’s moment into your own personal platform.

But it appears that is exactly what the fine folks at FOX Sports Midwest did Monday night with their in-game “tribute” to Ernie Banks. I’m sure Cardinals fans believe Mr. Cub was classy enough to have fit right in with The Man, but the fact that they chose to compare the two players’ stats side-by-side — with Musial on the left, no less — was a bit untoward if you ask me.

I know, I know, you didn’t ask me. And I suppose my repeated lampooning of the Best Fans in Baseball could be construed as little more than a childish manifestation of my jealousy. That’s probably true to an extent, but I also find this constant — and decidedly unnecessary — compulsion to assert their superiority to be highly abrasive.

Curtain calls in the first inning? Fine. Getting mad at visitors for not participating in the wave? Have at it. But paying homage to one of our legends by reminding everyone that his stats didn’t measure up to one of yours? I’d tell you where to go with that garbage but I’m afraid you’re already there. Because, you know, St. Louis is…well, you get it.

The Cardinals are like the Johnny Lawrence of baseball, the bully who everyone want to see get his comeuppance. To that end, their fans are like the lesser Cobra Kai Tommy, off to the side yelling “Get him a body bag! Yeah!” with a look of gleeful bloodlust twisting his features into something evil.

You’d like to think they don’t even know what they’re doing, that the producers of the game felt as though even splitting the screen to allow a Cub to be shown next to Stan Musial (not Musual) was tantamount to an audience with the pope. To be honest, I think that’s worse than just outright trolling Cubs fans with it.

I’ll admit that I did not watch the FS Midwest broadcast, as I’d never do so unless a more suitable option was available, but my understanding is that the graphic above was only part of a segment dedicated to Banks. Still, it smacks of a backhanded compliment of the highest degree. But again, maybe I’m just chasing rabbits out of spite.

So with that, I’ll climb down from my soap box and put this topic to rest. If you need me, I’ll be waxing cars, staining fences, and practicing my crane kicks.