Spiriting St. Louis:

New Cardinals center fielder just trying to ‘be myself’

Dexter Fowler has not only left the Cubs for a rival; he might also be loosening the businesslike Cards.

JUPITER, FLA. Dexter Fowler was asked if he could spare a few minutes for an interview.

The St. Louis Cardinals new center fielder answered, “I’m not Dexter, but I’ll go get him for you.”

Fowler has been able to maintain his big smile and disarming sense of humor despite unwittingly becoming the eye of a storm in spring training.

His wife, Darya, is Iranian, and Fowler gave an even-handed answer about President Trump’s travel ban (since struck down by courts) involving Iran and six other majority Muslim countries when he was asked about the subject by an ESPN reporter.

“It’s huge,” Fowler said. “Especially any time you’re not able to see family, it’s unfortunate.”

He did not criticize Trump, yet Fowler has been lambasted on social media and accused of being anti-American. This puzzles Fowler, who was born and raised in the Atlanta area and lives in Las Vegas.

He is so American that he was the starting center fielder for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, winning a bronze medal.

“My daughter is half Iranian and half black,” said Fowler, who is African American. “If we wanted to take her to Iran to visit her cousins, we couldn’t. To me, that’s unfortunate. That’s all I said. I didn’t think it would turn into a big issue. I wasn’t critical. I just stated my opinion.”

Fowler’s new teammates, though, have his back as he has immediately become a clubhouse favorite with his playful personality cutting across both racial and positional lines.

The Cardinals signed Fowler to a five-year, $82.5 million contract as a free agent Dec. 9, a year after the team was disappointed when it was rebuffed by left-handed pitcher David Price and right fielder Jason Heyward on the open market.

“He’s just a good guy,” Cardinals right fielder Stephen Piscotty said. “It’s pretty simple, and I think we have a lot of those types of people in this clubhouse, so he fits in great.”

While the Cardinals long have put an emphasis on high-character players, their clubhouse long has had a staid feeling.

Though the Cardinals made the postseason for five consecutive seasons before falling one game