Jim Edmonds should look no further than Cardinals legend as to why bat flips are fun

Major League Baseball is full of traditions. Some are superstitious, such as not talking about a no-hitter while it's in progress or jumping over the foul line when returning to the dugout. Some are weird but cool, like throwing back an opponent's home run ball at Wrigley Field, or the Presidents Race at Nationals games. Others are just plain fun, like singing Sweet Caroline at Fenway Park or watching Bernie Brewer ride the slide after a Milwaukee homer.

Then there are the traditions that need to die, as St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Jim Edmonds reminded us of recently. The tradition of "old guy complaining about young players celebrating" has aged like milk, but that didn't stop the former Cardinals center fielder from blasting Chicago Cubs third baseman Christopher Morel for pimping his home run in the 8th inning of the game between the longtime rivals on Sunday.

Edmonds ripped into Morel for hamming it up after his second home run of the game, and he even found time to hit the fan that caught the ball, which amazingly was also his second of the game, with a stray, as well.

Edmonds needs to pipe down, not only because nobody likes the fun police, but because his former teammate, fellow Cardinals legend Yadier Molina, once had a bat flip that was way more egregious than anything Morel did, and we didn't hear Edmonds complaining about that one. This occurred in 2019 after a game-winning sac fly in the NLDS, and Molina said after the game, "I think I tossed the bat over there in the bullpen."

Jim Edmonds is representative of why baseball isn't as popular as it once was

Baseball is supposed to be fun. It's a kid's game that Major Leaguers are privileged enough to play, but people like Edmonds want to suck the joy out of it by blasting players for showing emotion and celebrating. As Edmonds pointed out, Morel is hitting .229 on the year. All the more reason to celebrate! Morel did nothing wrong, and he deserved to enjoy himself after blasting his second longball of the day. I'm of the mindset that if you don't want players to celebrate, don't give up home runs.

Fans don't watch to see a bunch of robots play, and Major League Baseball itself has tried to distance itself from this old-school way of thinking with its "Let the Kids Play" campaign (which incidentally was created the same year that Molina chucked his bat into right field).

Edmonds is the latest in a long, not-proud lineage of guys yelling, "Get off my lawn." Former Braves catcher Brian McCann comes to mind as the most prolific holder of this idiotic tradition, but this has been going on for years.

Edmonds was a phenomenal player, and arguably one of the greatest defensive center fielders ever. He also must be doing something right as a broadcaster, as this is his eighth year in the booth with the Cardinals, but this is one thing that he needs to let go. Baseball is fun. Baseball is emotional. Let's not shame guys for having a good time.