Jimmy!

I've been struggling to come to grips with the face that one-time Cardinal Jim Edmonds, who has hit four home runs in the past four games and is batting .305/.376/.622 since joining the Cubs, is quickly becoming an invaluable piece of the Cubs outfield. I was a bit skeptical of Jimmy's success and felt trepidation when cheering for him, but then he went out and hit two home runs in one inning in the Crosstown Classic against the White Sox, and I was ready to give him a standing ovation.

So why, in this season where the Cubs lead the NL Central and are 20 games over .500, is a former Cardinal (?!?) leading the charge? Well, the way I see it, this is simply payback for the Lou Brock trade.

Brock was traded from the Cubs to the Cardinals on June 15, 1964 (along with Jack Spring and Paul Toth) for Ernie Broglio, Bobby Shantz, and Doug Clemens. Brock went on to make six all star teams and compile over 2,700 hits in a Cardinal uniform, while Broglio was out of baseball two seasons later, Shantz was traded again later that season, and Clemens played in only 182 more games. Think the Cards got the better end of the deal? Just by a hair.

Even though the Cubs acquired Edmonds via the Padres (after he was traded from the Cardinals in the offseason), I think karma has caught up with the Cards. And thanks for finally getting around to evening out the Brock trade. Better late than never.