The city of Louisville has always had a weird relationship with baseball.
Louisville has a deep history with the game. There's the obvious link of Hillerich and Bradsby and the Louisville Slugger bat. Pro and semi-pro sports teams have come and gone, but since 1982 — baseball took a 10-year hiatus from the city before that — the Louisville Redbirds/Bats have remained a staple of the summers in town.
Louisville has a big connection to baseball, but it's never felt like much of a baseball town.
Nationally, the game itself, especially recently, has fallen on some rough times.