So much red at Busch Stadium never looked this bad.

As Monday's game began, the press box provided a vast view of the empty seats and sections. It looked weird. This game was the first of the final homestand of the season, the seven games that will determine if the Cardinals play postseason baseball. This is the type of stuff that makes St. Louis, well, St. Louis: Important September games that will define a season.

For the first time since 2013 — 240 games ago — the Cards had a crowd of fewer than 40,000. The announced crowd Monday was 34,942.

Let's get this out of the way. School's back in session. It was a Monday. It was the Reds. The debate was on. Monday Night Football was on. And it was Grateful Dead Night at the ballpark, so there was that fear of contact high.

Still. The Monday crowd size was symbolic: It showed the apathy toward the 2016 team. You never know which team will show up, so many fans said, "Why should we?"

I do find it a little odd because, well, this is it. You've devoted yourselves to following the team since February, and now you're in the final week and the playoffs are still a possibility. See it through, right?