Proud to Be a Red Birds Fan

Most everyone who knows me well knows that I am a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan.  In all honesty, growing up in St. Louis makes it really difficult not to be.  With arguably the greatest fans in the game, we in and from St. Louis definitely love our Red Birds, which is why I’m completely stoked that they are in the World Series this week.

I understand that, for many, watching baseball is an acquired taste, and for some, watching sports altogether is a waste of time.  For me, watching the Cardinals play isn’t only strategic and stimulating; it’s a connection linking me to family members who I see only once or twice a year.  My parents and older brothers all still live in St. Louis and I, of course, in Woodward, yet when I’m watching or listening to a Cardinals baseball game, I can be assured I’m not the only one of my family doing so.  And I’ve even come to expect a phone call from one of them (most likely my mom—the biggest Cardinals fan you’ll ever meet) after a close game or a big win.

You see, silly as this all may sound to some, Cardinals baseball played a key role in my family life growing up.  When I was a young elementary school student, my parents didn’t really have a whole lot.  Amazingly we always had food on the table and clothes on our backs, but looking back, there were times I’m not quite sure how they pulled it off.  Our family definitely was not in a position financially to take many vacations, which of course is not unlike many families today.  However, my parents always made sure that we got at least one vacation every summer:  a trip to Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis to see a Cardinals baseball game.  My brothers and I helped to pull this off, as our elementary school gave away free Cardinals tickets for straight A’s, and my mom and dad always saw to it that going to the game was a special event, right down to arriving early for batting practice and buying the souvenir plastic cups at the concession stand.  I might agree with those who say watching a game on television can be dull (except when it’s a post-season game), but I still boldly proclaim that there’s nothing like watching a baseball game at Busch Stadium (old or new).

So basically you know where I’ve spent my nights for the past couple of weeks and where I’ll be for at least a couple nights more.  In fact, as I write I am watching Game Four of the series, and unfortunately, the Cards are down 4-0 with only one more chance to get some runs.  Not looking good for tonight and I’m not really sure if they can pull out the series over the Rangers, but hey—they were ten and a half games down late in August and three games out with only five to play at the end of the season.  I’m just thrilled that they’re even in it!