How about those Redbirds, eh? What an exhilarating way to fire up the baseball season with a solid win over the Cubs in one of baseball’s oldest rivalries.

The Blues beating the Blackhawks on the same night was a little extra icing on the cake and surely had Chicago fans drowning their sorrows in large, plastic cups of booze.

Watching both games with two of my buddies from Chicago made it even sweeter.

I know St. Louis consistently wins awards for being a phenomenal city for sports, with die-hard fans ranging in age from infant to 100-plus.

But, I genuinely believe part of that stems from the fact that we’re just so darn used to winning. St. Louis is blessed with a couple of amazing clubs that are typically loaded with talent in any given year.

We win, a lot. The records don’t lie.

And we certainly make sure our friends and family from up north understand that – probably a little too much. But what fun would sports be without a healthy dose of trash talk?

As much as I can’t stand any Chicago-based team, I’m here today to defend their most valuable asset – the most loyal fans in the history of sports.

Whether we’re talking about the Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks or Bears, Chicago sports fans are among the fiercest in sports nation, at least from my observations.

I’m perpetually awed at my Chicago buddies – donning their Chicago jerseys and gear while sporting a can-do attitude up until the last pitch, face-off or goal-line stand.

They’ll drop everything just to watch an otherwise uneventful regular season game. It doesn’t matter if they’re in first or last place in their division – it’s off to the closest sports bar to root for their team.

I can’t honestly say I know as many St. Louis fans who do the same – at least during the regular season.

Listen, don’t take that the wrong way – it’s not an insult. But if we’re being 100 percent honest, our St. Louis “fandom” peaks when we’re a few games short of the postseason and beyond.
Chicago fans? They’re just there to cheer on their boys and even cuss them out in the same breath, if necessary, but it’s always done with a generous serving of respect.

Thursday night, I’ll bear witness to that once again while watching the Blues tear up the Blackhawks at Scottrade. It should make for a great night.

The next time you find yourself in the midst of Chicago sports fans, sit back and enjoy the show – they can be more entertaining than the actual game.