Andy Cohen talks Ozzie, Edmonds, and the Esurance All-Star Game Challenge

Bravo’s Andy Cohen is best known as the host of Watch Happens Live, but the St. Louis native is not shy about about broadcasting his fandom of the Cardinals. This weekend, along with Ozzie Smith, Joel McHale, and Rickey Henderson, Cohen is in San Diego and he just took part in the Esurance All Star Game Challenge as part of All-Star weekend (Cohen's team emerged victorious). Prior to the Challenge, Cohen was kind enough to take my questions on the weekend, what he was doing Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, and whether Jim Edmonds’ number should be retired.

VEB: You’ve said that being a baseball fan, and being a Cardinals fan is in your blood, I was hoping you could expand on that little. What makes baseball and the Cardinals so special for you?

AC: Baseball is the National Pastime and it just seems more of an amazing thing in St. Louis. I’ve been gone from St. Louis longer than I lived there, but I feel like once you’re a Cardinals fan, you are always a Cardinals fan. And there’s a great joy of connectivity with the other people I meet. They are always a fun team to watch whether they are in it or not in it, and by the way usually they are in it. The idea that I can meet up with Ozzie Smith at the Esurance All-Star Game Challenge on Sunday is so fun. I grew up watching the ‘82 World Series.

VEB: You are in San Diego this weekend for the All-Star Game, and you mentioned hanging out with Ozzie Smith and I know this isn’t the first time you’ve done that. What is that experience like.

AC: It’s just so cool. He’s such a great guy and he’s been doing this a long time. He’s such a cool guy. He’s got great energy and not only do I get to play in the All-Star celebrity game, I’m going to be coaching the Esurance game with the sweepstakes winners and Ozzie is going to be on my team so I’m going to be actually working with Ozzie in the game.

VEB: You mentioned the ‘82 World Series, do you have any what you might call signature memories of the Cardinals where you remember where you were. For a lot of people its Ozzie’s homer in ‘85, McGwire breaking the record, or more recently, Game 6 in 2011.

AC: In Game 6 of 2011, I was hosting an amfAR event in LA and i was following along at this black tie event and I didn’t have the MLB app so i could watch the games on my phone. It was excruciating following that game from where I was, but it was one of the most exciting nights. I will never forget following that game. I kept leaving the table, listening on the radio, my mom was texting me. I don’t think i got any sleep that night. I got back to my room and watched Baseball Tonight all night.

VEB: I heard you named a dog Wacha.

AC: That’s correct.

VEB: Did you consider Yadi or anybody else? What made Wacha stick out?

AC: The day I got him we were playing the Dodgers in the playoffs. This was in 2013. and we’re sitting there and I didn’t have a name for him yet and Wacha was pitching, and everybody was screaming Wacha Wacha Wacha in St. Louis and Wacha was trending on twitter. I just thought "Wacha" that is just an interesting sound and I looked over at the dog and I said "Wacha" and he looked over at me because it sounds like something a dog would respond to and I said, "you know what? This is a perfect name". It’s about a moment in time, and Michael Wacha has met my dog. It was a very sweet meeting so it’s worked out.

VEB: Jim Edmonds is probably my favorite Cardinals player and he’s in the Cardinals Hall of Fame, but I was pretty disappointed he didn’t get a longer stay on the ballot for Cooperstown. What would you think about retiring his number at Busch Stadium?

AC: I think that would be an amazing tribute. He is a Cardinals legend and he’s been a part of so many exciting moments. That was an exciting team with Edmonds and Scott Rolen. Those guys were incredible. You can imagine my humor that Jim Edmonds is now on the Real Housewives of Orange County.

VEB: How would you compare Edmonds’ skills on the baseball field to his skills as a TV personality on Real Housewives?

AC: You know, he’s really great in the broadcast booth. I think the great thing with Jim on Housewives is it’s obvious how comfortable he is front of a camera.

VEB: Conversely, how would you compare your skills on television as a host to your own skills on the baseball diamond?

AC: I am much better on television than I am on a baseball field, but I will do my best on Sunday.

VEB: What are you looking forward to most this weekend?

AC: For this Esurance Game, I get to coach my own team against Joel McHale, who is also a big baseball fan and our game has a bat flip contest, a home run derby, and a trivia contest, and its so awesome that I get to be the head coach and work with Ozzie.

VEB: Will the Cardinals get things going in the second half?

AC: I think the Cubs or as I have been calling them the St. Louis Cubs and the Chicago Cardinals, they are unbelievable and that’s a challenge. The Cardinals are at a crucial moment right now. We’ve got a really good team so hopefully we can get some momentum after the All-Star Break and turn things around.

Thanks again to Andy for taking the time to answer a few questions. Here is a picture of his winning team from Sunday.