For fans of the St. Louis Cardinals circa the MV3 years, when Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott Rolen comprised the MLB equivalent of the Boston Celtics, if not the Miami Heat, the Houston Astros will hold a position of distinct, rabid unpopularity that 1980s fans associated with the "pondscum" New York Mets. The Mets and Cardinals parted ways when realignment sent the Cardinals to the Central and the Mets to the East; the Astros and Cardinals' rivalry could be over permanently if the MLB realignment currently rumored, which would create two identically sized leagues—possibly by way of sending the Astros to the American League.
↵If they were going to do this couldn't they at least have tried it while it extended Jeff Bagwell's career? I'm not a fan of the proposed alignment, which would turn the leagues into what amount to the Eastern and Western Conferences of the NBA, but if it happens the Astros are a natural fit.
↵The good news: With divisions wiped out, the Mets might someday become as hated in St. Louis as ever.
↵