Bernie Show: Don't Rip Cardinals Fans

There's been some criticism of the no-shows at Busch Stadium. It's nonsense. It's unfair. It's ridiculous. As the DeWitts have said, the Cardinals couldn't have gone on a long run of high-level sustained success without the generous, consistent financial support of the franchise. The DeWitts depicted this as a partnership: if the fans do their part, we'll do our part. Nice. The fans have continued to do their part. So who broke the pact, the covenant? Not the fans.

It was ownership and management that let the product deteriorate. If the people who run and own the franchise had stayed on top of their business by smartly building postseason-worthy, championship-caliber teams, the fans would be packing the ballpark. But the Cardinals are about to miss the postseason for the 5th time in the last 9 seasons, and from where I sit, a commitment to winning shouldn't be a part-time deal.

The Cardinals let the fans down, and the fans have responded accordingly. They've spent a lot of money on tickets this season, with the Cards averaging 35,741 tickets sold per game. But these fans are opting to stay away from the ballpark as a form of protest -- which is justifiable.

The fans gave the franchise their money in a strong way this season. The Cardinals squandered it. The fans shouldn't be shamed. They didn't break the covenant. The ownership-management did.