As the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals fire up their totally contrived interleague rivalry again this weekend, it’s time to reflect on exactly what these series mean to baseball fans and residents of the cross-state metropolitan areas.

A similar diatribe posted to this site last week; the Pulitzer-worthy piece (emphasis mine, and correctly placed) can be read here. But it’s no coincidence the spirit of that column is one of contempt, jealousy, and disdain, even with the irony of such emotions being mentioned in the article. It’s the classic “little man” syndrome that shows up in society from time to time. Sometimes it appears in a sibling rivalry; other times it can be seen in business. Basically, the little less-significant guy can’t stand anything and everything perceived to be bigger and better and more relevant than him, so he has to puff himself up by tearing down the big guy standing right next to him. Napoleon would be proud.

So when looking west, it isn’t hard to see why Kansas City loathes St. Louis so much. We have the Cardinals, they have the Royals. We have the Gateway Arch, they have a couple of fountains—or something. We have the Rams, they have the Chiefs…eh, we’ll call that one a push. We have the Blues, they have…more fountains. You see my point.

But baseball is the real reason for this municipal fight. The Cardinals and Royals have been toiling in this fierce rivalry for decades, right? Actually, no…no they haven’t. Kansas City anticipates these series like the Fall Classic; the sentiment from St. Louis is a collective “Meh.” The Royals need these games way more than the Cardinals do; it’s the only way Kauffman Stadium will ever be filled for an entire weekend. But that’s not the fans’ fault entirely; continue to put a lousy product on the field and people won’t show up to watch, no matter how many waterfalls Royals’ ownership puts in the outfield to distract them. It wasn’t always this way. Back in the mid-70s the Royals made the playoffs regularly. They had George “pine tar” Brett scorching the American League with mostly legitimate, bat tampering-free hits, and they had the great Whitey Herzog as their skipper. But they never could get the job done, running into better teams once they had to play someone outside the AL West in the postseason. So then the glorious 1985 campaign came along, and we all know what happened there. The Cardinals—who actually let Whitey Herzog build a team that could win a championship—fell in seven games to their cross-state rivals. The Don Denkinger call in Game 6 was a crusher to the Cardinals, and while they still certainly had chances to close the game, the psychological damage was too much to overcome. Psychology is a huge part of the game; just ask Hal McRae. The Royals saw the softball in front of them and yanked it out of the park. Ah yes…the glory days, before the Royals became a Quadruple-A affiliate for every other team in the majors except the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Perhaps it is time for Cards fans to let that ’85 Series go anyway. I mean, once you get to double-digit championships, it really is like “11, 12; who’s counting? We actually have a shot to get one next year, and the year after that!” Royals fans remember what that’s like, as long as they’re over 40.

St. Louis is not the perfect city; it has its problems like any metropolitan area. Some of those problems—like crime—are pretty significant. But is it a miserable city? Every year, Forbes magazine lists the most miserable cities in America. I checked each of the last two years, and St. Louis didn’t make the list. So things could be a lot worse. But similarly, Forbes has a list of the most miserable sports cities in America. Once again, St. Louis didn’t warrant inclusion on that dubious list for 2011 or 2012. And let’s face it; Cardinal baseball alone would be enough to keep St. Louis safe from that distinction. But hey, looky there: Kansas City did qualify as one of America’s most miserable sports cities…both years. Huh.

But I don’t hate Kansas City, and I don’t hate Royals fans. It’s really a question of relevance. Where is it in Kansas City? They have good barbeque and…well, that’s pretty much it. So they can have that one. Make a motto out of it. “Kansas City: Good Meat.” In terms of baseball, however, it would take decades of a complete 180 degree performance turn by both franchises for the Royals to just match the relevance, history, and success of the Cardinals. That doesn’t warrant hate; it warrants pity…deep pity, like you’d show to a Boulevard drinker.

Chris Reed also writes for InsideSTL Mondays and Bird Brained whenever he feels like it. Follow him on Twitter @birdbrained.

Just over 30 years ago the Kansas City Royals were embroiled in one of the best rivalries in baseball with the hated Yankees. It had everything a great rivalry needs; success on both sides, regular and postseason match ups, incredible stories, fights, and most importantly a general disdain for the other team. The Yankees got the better of the Royals during the rivalry, but you could never say the Royals did not put up a fight. Whether it was George Brett jumping up to punch Craig Nettles at third base, the 1980 ALCS when the Royals finally prevailed, or the Pine Tar Game, the Royals did their part to keep the rivalry interesting and relevant.

I bring this up because unlike that moment in time, today the Royals seem to be without a rival altogether. The Yankees have long since moved on, winning championship upon championship as the Royals dreamt of mediocrity. The division has not been much help, either, as it is harder to have a rival (at least one that takes you seriously) when you have been as bad as the Royals have been. Over the past 20 years the team has been competitive with no one and has really not given any team a chance to genuinely dislike them while every team in the AL Central has taken their turn at being good, and appeared in a World Series. With the infusion of young talent the team has seen over the past 18 months, we are expecting that part of the equation to change.

The other major impediment to forming a rivalry for the Royals has been the lack of consistency in their roster. Just three regulars from the Royals 2007 team figure to be on the Royals 2012 roster. That 2007 team featured only 1 significant part from the 2002 team 5 years before. It is hard to develop, and especially maintain, a rivalry when you are turning over 90-95% of your roster every 5 years. With a team full of talented players that the Royals mostly have several years of control over, that part of the equation should change, too.

So, with the Royals seemingly ripe for improvement, while at the same time developing some long term consistency in their lineup, it seems they are more than ready to develop a rivalry. Who should that rival be? Well, you would think anyone in the division would be a candidate, but it is hard to consider the Twins. For one, the Royals seem to be aspiring to be just like the Twins and seem more complimentary than anything. For two, with the health of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau figuring to be in question for the many years they have left on their contracts, it is hard to see them as a contender.

The only team you could even consider outside the division as a rival would be the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals. Ask Royals fans and they will probably tell you that the Cardinals are their biggest rival, but Cards fans are pretty clear that the Cubs, or even Brewers, are much more of concern for them. As much as KC may dislike the Cardinals and their fans, it is hard to have a rivalry with a team from another league that does not consider you a rival.

That basically leaves us with the Tigers, Indians and White Sox. The Sox are just beginning their rebuilding project, and just lost their most controversial part, Manager Ozzie Guillen. The chances of them being at the top of the division race, or even in the middle, seem pretty small right now. The Indians are right where the Royals are, if not a little ahead. That being said, there is just something about the Tigers that makes them the favorite to me.

The Royals and Tigers have quite a history of brawls, including the beating that Mike Sweeney laid on Jeff Weaver. Maybe that is shaping my opinion, but what had more to do with it is the Tigers position. They are much older than the Royals or the Tribe and they are the established favorite in the division right now. For either young upstart to take over the division, they will have to go through the Tigers and that could spark a rivalry more than any fight from a decade ago.

Honestly, I do not really care who it is, I would just like for the Royals to be relevant enough for someone to consider them a rival. Maybe if they start winning enough those Cardinals fans will change their mind. Maybe if I find a way to mention Don Denkinger every week that will help?