Consoling a Cardinal fan on the loss of Albert Pujols

I wrote to a Cardinal fan: "As a Met fan, having just lost Reyes, I feel very similarly; losing a homegrown player who had really bonded with the fans. I think you do root for the tradition, the retired numbers, the people in the organization (who if you follow a team for a long time you come to know and have a meaningful relationship with). Also, in practice, the Cardinals in 2017 are not going to have t pay a declining Pujols and will have a lot of payroll flexibility. The Cardinals are really one of the three storied franchises in baseball, along with the Dodgers and (ack) the Yankees, and the departure of one player will not change this."


I have had to write  a few of these, it is like writing condolence letters when a loved one has died. It is astounding how psychologically important relationships are with these people, whom we have never met, do not affect the practicalities of our lives, but are important to us....