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Over the weekend, the Cardinals held their annual Winter Warm-Up and Cardinals Caravan events in person for the first time in several years due to the implications of the pandemic and the subsequent MLB lockout last winter.
The festivities presented St. Louis fans with their first real look at new franchise catcher Willson Contreras on the proper side of the Cards-Cubs rivalry. And as it turns out, Cubs fans haven’t completely gotten over the new reality of Willson’s allegiance.
I’m being honest when I say this, but I genuinely did not send out my four-word tweet on Monday afternoon expecting that it would add to the misery of the day for Chicago fans. But the post featuring a picture of Contreras speaking to the St. Louis media in front of the Cardinals-centric backdrop ultimately had that effect when accompanied by four simple words: Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras.
Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras pic.twitter.com/1creP1YGaH
— Brenden Schaeffer🎳 (@bschaeffer12) January 16, 2023
The post was picked up by a number of Cubs fans across the Twittersphere for whom that new reality had begun to sink in on Monday.
Thanks. I hate it. https://t.co/K23FeBX90K
— Amy, Jello Shot Queen (@SmoreChick) January 16, 2023
— Sara Sanchez (@BCB_Sara) January 16, 2023
It prompted the ‘CHGO Sports’ Twitter account to invite its followers to post a photo that looked just as wrong as the notion of the longtime Cubs backstop suddenly switching sides in the rivalry and joining the Cardinals for the 2023 season.
Post a picture that looks just as wrong.
📸: @bschaeffer12 pic.twitter.com/MYUeisLpz5
— CHGO Sports (@CHGO_Sports) January 17, 2023
— UK Chicago Bulls (@UKChicagoBulls) January 17, 2023
The image of Michael Jordan in a Wizards uni while squaring up against Scottie Pippen as a Blazer is probably a bit hyperbolic, but needless to say, Chicago sports fans are having (understandably) a bit of a tough time coming to terms with Contreras the Cardinal this winter.
