Imagine living in the heart of Cardinals country and not only being a fan of another legendary Major League Baseball team, but also an owner.
Meet Robert L. Plummer.
The Metro East businessman is a lifelong supporter of the Los Angeles Dodgers and recently became part of the team’s ownership group.
“That definitely was just icing on the cake,” Plummer said.
“As you're growing up, you always wish that things would happen. And we had an opportunity that did happen. The ownership of the Dodgers,” he added.
Plummer’s love affair with the Dodgers goes back to his Little League days while growing up in Litchfield, Illinois. He was placed on a team with the same name, and after that he was sold on all things Dodger Blue.
He is a successful businessman in the Metro East, owning R.P. Lumber Company and R.L.P. Development Company, which has built several neighborhoods in Illinois since the late 1980s.
And one of them is a reflection of his Dodger pride: Ebbets Field in Edwardsville.
“Sometimes after a while it gets difficult to come up with a bit of a theme for a subdivision or names,” Plummer said. “Being a Dodger fan, I always in the back of my mind wanted to do one on the Dodgers. And so, Ebbets Field just felt right.”
So, as a Dodgers fan and owner, does he get any blowback from members of Cardinals Nation?
“No. Not really,” he responded. “I mean, I’ve had a few people joke around about it.”
This year’s playoffs have not gone Plummer’s way. The Dodgers were eliminated by the Washington Nationals, derailing a potential matchup with St. Louis for the National League championship.
But Plummer has a lot of respect for those two teams as they compete for a spot in the World Series.
“Washington’s got a great team,” he said. “The Cardinals got a great organization. And great, great ballplayers.”
And in a sign of baseball world collaboration, Plummer said many of the Cardinals players who live in the Metro East are involved in community events with his companies.
The Cards and Nationals will play Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Monday night in Washington. The Nationals lead the series 2-0.
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