The words Yadier Molina posted to Instagram were some of the truest you will read in 2020.
"(Bleep) covid."
Who hasn't thought it during this pandemic?
The phrase has crossed my mind plenty of times, the latest coming Monday afternoon, when word arrived that a friend from college has been placed on a ventilator.
But when Molina attached the remark to a photo of what looked like some sort of Sunday night get-together, it was interpreted by some as not so much a statement of exasperation with COVID-19, but a taunt toward it.
In an Instagram post the catcher was surrounded by six friends, everybody leaning forward smiling for the shot, not a mask in sight.
Included in the image were assistant hitting coach Jobel Jimenez, bullpen catcher Kleininger Teran, team translator Antonio Mujica.
Here, critics claimed, was another example of the Cardinals' talk about strengthening their defense against the virus falling short in their real-life actions.
And here was Molina's explanation, in case you only caught the first chapter of the flap.
The catcher who has recovered from the virus later updated his two-word caption. Though they not were named at the time by the team, Molina suggested the people in the photo with ties to the Cardinals had, like Molina, beaten the virus. That fact, Molina said, was actually the point of his post. The picture, apparently, was about antibody appreciation, or something like that.
"I wanted to make a few things clear with the picture I sent," Molina posted in the updated caption. "I know COVID is a serious virus, trust me, I had it for a week myself! Many of the people in the picture are the same way and we got together to celebrate beating COVID. The other people in the picture are tested routinely because they work directly at my house or are part of my family! I understand how this looks from the outside, and even though I do this most of the time, I will make sure to be more careful to wear masks and socially distance in the future. And, my message under the picture was to show the world that we can beat this thing! I know this won't make everyone understand, but I hope it clears up some concerns people have. FCOVID. Not because I don't care about the protocols, but because this won't beat us!"
How long, exactly, someone is immune from the virus after overcoming it is not entirely known. But the latest research suggests someone who recovers from it should be safe from catching it again for a period of time, perhaps a few months. So, there could have been less virus-related risk created by Molina's gathering than many in the photo at first assumed. Still, the example must be added to the list of times the Cardinals have found themselves admitting their members were operating outside what is supposed to be a universally accepted and agreed-upon protocol.
Air-high-fives on the field and masks in the dugout don't make much sense if post-game hangout sessions are happening after the game.
The Cardinals have fought back hard, and rightfully so, against what they said were false accusations that the team caught COVID from some mysterious trip to an unnamed casino. Multiple national reporters claimed it as truth. They never provided the evidence, though.
But what about some of the other stuff?
Earlier this month, KMOV reported the frustrations of a local hairdresser who had not been informed by the team that reliever Ryan Helsley had tested positive for COVID after he dropped by her salon for a haircut.
Long before Molina's Sunday night photo, social media had produced pictures of Cardinals players on a fishing trip, golfing and attending a concert.
Whispers of "Did you hear some of the Cardinals went there?" have stirred at times in Clayton and the Central West End.
The outbreak that sidelined the team for two weeks and threatened the remainder of the season as a total of 18 players and staff members tested positive was supposed to be the final wake-up call necessary. Shaming players will make no difference. In fact, it probably hurts more than it helps, considering that practice can complicate contract tracing. But the guidelines the Cardinals keep telling us about will only work as well as players adhere to them. The best protocols are the ones followed by players who want to do everything in their power to not create or contribute to a situation that could jeopardize the season. That's why there is a legitimate fear across baseball that teams finding themselves out of the race for the expanded playoffs could stop caring about stopping the virus. The Cardinals are not one of these teams. They're still in this thing. And that's amazing, considering they could not have been more than a positive case or three away from Major League Baseball telling them they were done for the year.
Some of the Cardinals' players and coaches might be immune to COVID at the moment, but the club getting too comfortable too fast could land it back in trouble in an instant. For all the things we don't know about the virus, we have learned it loves to hit as soon as your guard drops.
"Given our experience with the outbreak, we have to be extra vigilant as we fight the coronavirus with the three basic principles of social distancing, wearing a mask, and proper hygiene," Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said in a statement Monday. "The Cardinals as an organization must emphasize this in any setting as we move forward. We will remind players and staff that these practices must be done at both home and on the road for us to be successful."
What Mozeliak's statement could have added, on top of asking his players to log off Instagram, is that this is the last time he should need to clarify these points.
