ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis Cardinals legend Jim Edmonds has become a big talking point across the St. Louis-area from recent comments made by the longtime Cardinals centerfielder and 2006 World Series-winner.
Recently, it was announced Edmonds would no longer be broadcasting Cardinals games on the network that is now known as FanDuel Sports Network Midwest.
Less than a day after the news came out, Edmonds made a radio appearance, where he had plenty to say, including admitting he rarely watch Cardinals games unless he was at the stadium, offering a harsh critique of the current culture of the Cardinals, and expressing frustration of not feeling welcome by the Cardinals.
KMOX Sports Director Tom Ackerman, along with Kevin Wheeler, Matt Pauley, and Bernie Miklasz discussed the recent comments made by Edmonds on 'The Gashouse Gang' and gave their thoughts on it.
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Editor's Note: Conversation begins at around 25-minute mark
"I loved working with Jim Edmonds, my first game on TV, he treated me like a great teammate, a professional and I felt very comfortable with him," said Ackerman. "I absolutely loved every second working with him and by the way, covering him too because you just didn't know whatever was going to happen from day-to-day."
Ackerman reminds Cardinals fans that the comments made by Edmonds airing out a frustration, not necessarily the entire collection of Cardinals alumni.
"What has happened this time I think is Jimmy being Jimmy. I think he's going to wear his heart on his sleeve and he's going to say what he wants to say," said Ackerman.
Wheeler says what he found most interesting from the interview was that Edmonds did praise the Dewitt Family, John Mozeliak, and Cardinals manager Oli Marmol, but effectively says everything with the franchise is wrong.
"Those are the guys that are in charge," said Wheeler. "If it's not those guys that are the issue, it's nothing else unless it's about not getting along with the players, maybe previous players were more receptive to input right now, I don't know. I'm guessing."
"If you love the owner, the president (of baseball operations), and the manager, then those complaints about those guys, or at least the things that are happening, but I don't know his experience."
Miklasz, who covered Edmonds as a player, says Edmonds "is one of the more unique players" he has covered in sports.
"Jimmy follows Jimmy's own drum beat. It doesn't make him a bad guy, it's just different," said Miklasz . "Jim Edmonds gets it ultimately, but he's kind of a bit of a maverick, a rebel and likes to push authority. But he also comes around to understand it."
"Whatever grievances he has now, I don't know if I would take them with a grain of salt. We wonder about some of the things, but to me, it's seems to me a lot of it was grievances over the way how his broadcasting career went here. So he's lashing out a little bit."