A few words about David Freese and the Cardinals Hall of Fame
The 2011 legend withdrew from Hall of Fame candidacy, a slot in Cardinal history that belonged to him.
David Freese is the epitome of humble pie. Everything that it means. That’s due to everything that has come before him, things both heroic and horrific. Off-field battles don’t need to be regurgitated, but most know his backstory.
He came to St. Louis from the San Diego Padres in the Jim Edmonds trade that sent the Cardinals Hall of Fame centerfielder out of town. He had the DWI, and the 2011 playoff heroics. Many forget the pop-up he dropped along third base earlier in Game 6 at Busch Stadium--but I get it. A game-tying triple and game-winning home run take the cake every time. Nostalgia used up in seconds.
But outside of his heroics on the field, Freese has always remained humble. His reported battles with depression and anxiety, a non-stop condition that made his post-2011 days in St. Louis a struggle at times. The only problem with everybody loving you and willing to buy you endless drinks is simple. It’s because everybody loves you and wants to get a guy battling with his own demons wild drunk.
Freese just gets it, something that was put on fine display this week when he declined the invitation to join Edmonds and the rest of the Cardinal legends in the team Hall of Fame this week. In short, he doesn’t think he belongs in that company. According to the Post Dispatch, Freese cited the meaning of the redcoat honor as a big factor in his decision.
I agree with him. Weeks ago when the inductees were announced, I went against the tide with the induction of Freese. I understand fans vote, but are we really placing him next to Bob Gibson and Lou Brock? Strip the last two weeks of Oct. 2011 away from his resume, and his candidacy loses most of its air. That’s not a shot at his ability; more like a realization of what it amounts to.
A rare time where a writer and player agree on something that every soul in St. Louis will have an opinion about. Freese is a king of a Cardinal moment, not a career Cardinal. He had a couple solid regular seasons, but wasn’t really here that long. If he had somehow helped the team climb over the Boston Red Sox in 2013, maybe the feelings would change.
As history stands, Freese doesn’t feel comfortable with THIS MUCH love. He respects what it means too much. He should have all of our respect by now, if he hadn’t gathered it already.
Well said Dream !!! I was surprised that he was even on the ballot for this year's nominees!! Classy move by number 23 and he was comfortable in his own skin to do it !!!
No one should take the Cardinals HOF seriously, despite the team’s relentless marketing of it. It’s nice that they have a little museum to show off things related to the team’s history but when they started inducting players into it, the whole thing became silly.