I can remember it like it was yesterday, August 4, 2009. The Mariners were in town and I was taking my then 8 year old son and his friend to a ballgame for his birthday. We got there early so we could get all of the Little K events out of the way, we walked the path just under the Jumbotron so we could see just how jumbo it was, we got a couple of pops, some nachos, and, after circling the stadium found our seats well down the third base side in the lower level. The Royals scored 5 in the first, including a bomb from Billy Butler and the boys could not have been much happier. Then came the 4^th inning.

Although Bruce Chen had held the Mariners scoreless through 3, he wasn’t exactly lights out. He’d given up 3 singles, thrown a wild pitch and had a couple of warning track fly balls scare him. In the 4^th it finally caught up with him when one Michael Sweeney hit a majestic shot over the wall in left field. Now, let me back up. I had not noticed it so much the first time Sweeney came up (maybe the drunks were still in the parking lot?) but Sweeney’s second plate appearance was tainted with a smattering of boos, most notably from directly behind us, as he walked to the plate. This infuriated me, but I said nothing. Sweeney was 36 years old and very possibly making his last trip to the K. He’d given everything he had in Kansas City and I could see no reason to boo him. So, when he hit the home run, I did something I’d never done during an opposing player’s home trot…I stood and I clapped.

There were a few more boos, and that only made me clap louder. For the 15-20 seconds he circles the bases I clapped as loud as I could and as he entered the dugout I yelled in vain “Thank you, Mike!” As I sat down, my son looked at my quizzically, but before I could explain the drunkards behind me hollered “Why would you clap for that bum? We paid him all that money and he was hurt the whole $@##ing time” I am not one for violence, especially in a family atmosphere like the K, but I was fighting mad at this point. Instead of directly addressing the drunkard, I turned to my son and in a none-too-hushed tone explained “Mike Sweeney is a great man and he was a great Royal. He’s the only great player from his generation that chose to stay with the Royals and he’s one of the best hitters to ever play for the Royals. Only a damn idiot would boo him.”

I don’t believe that most Royals fans would have booed Sweeney on that day, but I do believe far too many share the drunkard’s sentiment. If there is any justice in the process, Sweeney will be a Royals Hall of Famer some day soon and he will deserve it as much as almost anyone in there. Disagree?

-          Sweeney has the third highest career batting average (.299) in club history

-          Sweeney has the second highest career OPS (.861)

-          Sweeney is second all-time in home runs (197) and ranks in the top 6 in runs, hits, total bases, doubles, walks, and RBI

-          His 144 RBI in 2000 are still a club record

-          Per Baseball-Reference’s WAR he ranks as the 5^th best hitter and 7^th best position player in club history

The biggest arguments against Sweeney seem to be that he was A) overpaid and B) always injured. The fact is, he was paid just under $71 million dollars over 13 seasons. During those 13 seasons he made 5 All Star Games and did everything his body would allow. Yes, he was terribly overpaid over those last 5 seasons, just as he was terribly underpaid for the 4 before that. From 99-03 Sweeney played an average of 146 games per season, made 3 All Star teams, set a club record for RBIs, and had an OPS+ of 134. He made just under $16 million for those 4 years combined.

Barring an unfortunate comeback attempt, Sweeney will become eligible for the Royals HOF after the 2013 season, meaning his induction ceremony should be a little more than 2 ½ years away. I hope to be there, just to make sure the applause drowns out any undeserved boos. One of the greatest men to ever put on the uniform deserves nothing less.

When I started writing on a regular basis and beginning the arduous task of attempting to make a career of it, I was hired for a brief time to put together a staff for a large website that was trying to get a solid start. While putting together the staff for that site, I asked for the writing sample that I prefer to ask for from all my writers, “Why I Love Baseball”.

Building a staff that size, I was not prepared for the answer that started coming up more and more frequently.

“I don’t enjoy baseball anymore, I have been covering it for too long.”

It was the worst thing I could hear. I have grown up on the game, been raised with the game, and love this game above just about anything else. The thought that I would, at any point in my life, find myself not able to enjoy the game terrified me. I asked questions. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know what they would do different, if they could. No one could really answer.

I challenged writers across the country with a plan to overcome this. I challenged writers to put down their computers, pens, voice-recorders, and media guides. I asked them to forget everything they were doing and just go watch a game. Little league, high school, minor league, or major league, I did not care. Just buy a ticket and go watch a game. Clap along with the organ player. Talk with the fans around you. Catch a foul ball and give it to a kid. In the midst of it all, remember why you started writing about this game. Remember what made you fall in love with it.

Earlier this week, I stopped by the ticket office of the Springfield Cardinals and purchased tickets to take my 7 month old son to his first baseball game on Saturday. On Friday night, I received the press release that the Cardinals and the Frisco Roughriders had been rained out and they would play a traditional double header on Saturday, with the first game starting at 2 pm.

So, this past Saturday, that is exactly what I did. I took my son to his first game. We sat four rows from the field and watched two, seven inning games. The home team dropped the first game, though they found themselves with a dramatic come back in the final inning. The second game would see a huge home run from the home team’s first baseman and a good effort by both teams that ultimately resulted in a win for the home team.

In the midst of it, I met a photographer for a major trading card company. I yelled at the poor umpiring and inconsistent strike zone of the home plate umpire. My son had his picture taken with the mascot. I met people from around the area and talked baseball. I cheered and yelled. I joked with the players and even heckled a few of them. I kicked back and had some fun. Through it all, I realized something…

…I love this game.

In 1971, the St. Louis Cardinals made a change in game day operations. For the first time in team history, they hired an organ player for the ballpark. The familiar noises that would encourage fans to yell “charge”, clap their hands, and sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” would begin to echo through the park at Busch Memorial Stadium.

Over the course of the next 40 years, Ernie Hays would continue to entertain the fans, encourage the support of the team, and punctuate the on field events with humorous and poignant sounds. His perch inside the stadium would be sought out by reporters, fans, and casual observers. He would join the organization in 1971 as a feature to the ballpark and ballgame that crowds would see as new and exciting. In 2010, he was a part of the organization that showed their dedication to the past and tradition. Many teams have gone to recorded music in today’s digital age, but the Cardinals continued to feature an organist at the park, even after building a new home and moving into it in 2006.

In 2011, fans will be treated to something new that still pays tribute to the past. Ernie Hays has played his final note in Busch Stadium, retiring from the organization as the only organ player they have ever known. Now that the opportunity has presented itself for the Cardinals to move forward into the technological world with the music at the ballpark, the team will replace Hays with a new organist and keep the traditional sound booming through the old ballpark.

Hays himself has not ruled out a guest appearance or two in the future, as the itch to do what he loves and surround himself with the environment he craves may be too much to bare at times.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
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