Move over, Nelly. You, too, Jon Hamm. There’s a new St. Louis star in town.
The St. Louis Cardinals brought Affton-native John Goodman back home to St. Louis Wednesday to honor the beloved star of both television and film with his very own bobblehead night at Busch Stadium.
See also: 5 Reasons Why Every St. Louisan Needs a John Goodman Bobblehead
St. Louis fans started posting photos of Goodman’s visit hours before he even got to the ballpark.
First he stopped at Fuzzy’s Tacos in Maryland Heights for a lunchtime burrito. A Facebook photo of Goodman at the taco shop already has more than 2,800 shares:
Then Goodman, a graduate of Affton High School and Missouri State University, stopped by 550 AM KTRS to visit an old friend John Carney to talk about his new movie, the Boston bombing thriller Patriots Day:
You can listen to Carney’s interview of Goodman on the KTRS website.
Before heading to Busch Stadium, Goodman made the obligatory St. Louis stop for frozen custard at Ted Drewes. A photo of Goodman with his cold treat was shared on Facebook almost 2,500 times:
Then it was game time! Wainwright caught Goodman’s first pitch as fans received their own bobbleheads designed to look like Goodman’s character from The Big Lebowski, Walter.
Unsurprisingly, the Cardinals used Goodman’s appearance as an excuse to tout favorite Big Lebowski quotes...
After throwing the first pitch, Goodman told FOX Sports Midwest’s Jim Hayes he’s still a Cardinals fan despite living and working in Los Angeles and New Orleans.
“Thanks to the miracle of technology, I get to watch you guys...I think I’m slowly turning [my wife] into a Cardinals fan,” Goodman said.
Hayes asked Goodman how often he comes home to St. Louis. “Not often enough, man,” Goodman answered. “I need to get back here more.”
Goodman’s return was an excuse for many to share their favorite stories. Facebook user Reg Lindsay commented under a photo on the Cardinals’ page that Goodman still owes him money:
“John owes me $3.00!!!” Lindsay wrote, explaining that he gave Goodman three dollars for a garage to avoid getting towed before a KMOX interview. “He started to pay me back and I refused! I told him I always wanted to tell people he owes me money!”
Welcome home, Goodman.
Contact Lindsay Toler by email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
