Yes, the fans have always supported the team......but the amount of support goes with the product on the field and the players on the field. St. Louis is usually in the top 4 in attendance every year, but it wasn't until the NL Championship team in 87' that we broke 3 million fans....and then again in 89'. In the mid 90's a horrible team was on the field and the attendance showed. Hell in 95' we were 7th in the National League. You gotta go back to the shitty 70's before you see attendance figures like that.
When Big Mac was signed the attendance skyrocketted. We broke the 3 million mark and only fell below it in 2003...when once again we had an average team. Since mid season in 1997 the fans have had a "franchise player" Big Mac's moon shots put folks in the seats and kept em there until 2001 when Pujols showed up.
-------------------- It’s better to be hated for who you are, instead of loved for who you aren’t.