What a wild ride!
If you had asked me on August 26 whether the Cards would make the playoffs, I would have said “absolutely not.” The Cards were way back in the standing and the Brewers were running away with the division. The Braves were in the lead for the wild card. The Cards had as much of a chance of going to the playoffs as I do of winning America’s Got Talent. (Yours truly is auditioning on Saturday in St. Louis – wish me luck!)
But then the tide began to turn. The Braves fell in a September swoon and the Cards started winning games. It all started coming together. Hope for a red October started to surge in my heart. The last week of the season especially was a nail biter – would the Cards be the wild card or the Braves? The Cards had to wait for the Phillies to finish off the Braves. The Cards thanked the Phillies for their assistance by beating the Phillies in the NLDS.
I think that God must be a baseball fan. Who else could have orchestrated the events of the last month and a half – the Braves’ September swoon, the Cards’ resurgence, and the collapse of the Phillies and the Brewers? If if were a book, no one would buy it, it’s so improbable.
The last chapter of the book starts tonight. The Cards are the underdog against the Rangers, which is a very good place to be, as the Cards were the underdog in the NLDS and the NLCS. I work in downtown St. Louis and there will be electricity in the air today. Productivity will be at an all time low as people discuss the WS and the Cardinals. What a wild ride the last month and a half has been! I will enjoy it as long as it lasts and I hope you do too.
Go Cards!
Bucket list – Cardinals style
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while – I guess I haven’t had much to say.
This post was inspired by a thread that I posted on at a message board about bucket lists. I posted some Cardinals related wishes there, but it got me thinking about other Cardinals related things that I’ve never done. So here’s the Cardinals section of my bucket list:
1. Sit in the Commissioner’s Box seats next to the dugout.
The closest I’ve ever sat to the field in Busch Stadium III is on the second level. It would be so nice to sit in these box seats, and not have to worry about paying for food and drink. Plus, the view would be awesome. And I might be able to accomplish #4 below.
2. Sing the National Anthem before a Cardinals game.
I’ve performed the National Anthem at a Cardinals game, but not vocally. I was part of a 100 person handbell choir that rang the National Anthem at Busch Stadium II for the Cardinals’ 100th anniversary in 1992. My degree is in music and I took voice lessons in college. I also sang in church choirs for over 20 years. I’m a first soprano, so I can sing the Anthem in the original key (F).
3. Sit in the radio broadcast booth with Mike and Jim and maybe do an inning of play-by-play.
I met the late Jack Buck at a Cardinals rally, not long after his book That’s a Winner! came out. I told him that I had really enjoyed his book and he told me to bring my copy up to the broadcast booth and he would sign it for me. Unfortunately, I never got to do that.
4. Catch a foul ball.
I went to a Cards game last year and Yadi Molina hit a foul ball that landed 2 rows below where I was sitting. Darn!
5. Catch a home run ball.
In 2001, my husband and I were sitting at a table in Homer’s Landing in Busch Stadium II. The Cards were playing the Reds that night, and Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a HR shot that bounced off of a table 2 rows below us. I wasn’t fast enough to get that one.
6. Meet Albert Pujols and Yadi Molina.
Okay, who doesn’t? LOL! The closest I’ve gotten to Albert was viewing him from afar at Winter Warmup. I couldn’t afford the price to get his autograph.
7. Go to a Cardinals home playoff or World Series game.
I’ve been a Cardinals fan for over 30 years but have never had the pleasure of attending a Cardinals home playoff or World Series game. My husband would rather watch these games at home, but I would love to feel the electricity from the crowd that I can see on TV.
8. Go to an All Star Game.
The closest I got to last year’s All Star Game was working at Fan Fest. That was fun, but it’s not the same as being at the actual game.
9. Go to spring training.
Another activity I’ve never been able to attend. I have vacation time, but not the funds.
10. Go to a Cards game at another MLB stadium.
Kaufmann Stadium and Wrigley Field are the closest ones to where I live. Maybe someday.
11. Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.
It would be so cool to visit all the Cardinals exhibits at the Hall.
12. Attend Whitey Herzog’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Numbers 11 and 12 could be combined if I won the lottery anytime soon. I may have to settle for watching #12 on MLB Network.
13. Go to an Opening Day game again.
I miss the days when Opening Day games were at night. I would have to take off work to attend an Opening Day game now.
Well, there’s my list. Are there any Cardinals items on your bucket list? Feel free to comment below.
See you next time!
Diane
Opening Day in St. Louis – a poem
Opening day in St. Louis
Should be a holiday
So those who work
Don’t have to play hooky to go to the game.
The pep rally itself
Has the feel of a picnic.
All the fans are there
Wearing their Cardinals gear
And carrying signs.
All the downtown workers
Skip out early for lunch and go to the pep rally
They register for prizes
Pick up all the free goodies
And soak up the ambiance.
Later on at the ballpark
The fans drink beer
And discuss the upcoming season.
Will the Cards go to the Series this year?
Will Albert win another MVP?
The atmosphere is electric.
Finally the opening ceremonies begin.
The Clydesdales prance around the field
Carrying a load of the fans’ favorite beverage
And bringing back memories of Auggie Busch.
The players themselves finally parade in like royalty
Riding on red Mustangs
Circling the field to thunderous applause,
And then, the ceremony at the plate.
Dignitaries are introduced,
Awards are given,
Speeches are made,
The starting lineups are introduced,
And the National Anthem is sung.
Finally, the game begins!
The players take the field
And spring has sprung
For baseball is back in St. Louis.
The world is right once again.
==============================
Tomorrow is the home opener in St. Louis. I work in downtown St. Louis, so I try to get to the pep rally every year, Tomorrow will be no exception. I will be wearing my All Star Game 2009 lanyard (from working at Fan Fest), so if you’re at the pep rally, look for me! I’m 5’4″ with red hair and metal frame glasses. Just quote me some of the poem above so I’ll know you read my blog. 
It will be a beautiful day weather wise, and hopefully, it will be a beautiful day on the field as well. I get off of work at 4 and won’t get home until 5, so I’ll miss most of the game. 
I will have to see if Fox Midwest will rerun the game later.
Now that the season has started, hopefully I’ll be able to post more. See you then!
Diane
A call from the Hall for the White Rat
Congratulations to Whitey Herzog on his call from the Hall! It was long overdue. As a fellow southern Illinoisan (Whitey is from New Athens, and I’m from Belleville), I’m pleased as punch that a homestate boy is being inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Whitey Herzog was Cardinal baseball in the 1980′s. Before Whitey came to St. Louis, the Cards were a sub-par team. Whitey came in and cleaned house. As a GM, he wheeled and dealed to get the players he wanted. He had a great working relationship with Gussie Busch, then the Cards’ owner.
Whitey created his own brand of baseball, better known as “Whiteyball.” Whiteyball consisted of stealing bases and manufacturing runs, among other things. Whiteyball put fans in the stands, excited the baseball faithful, and led to a World Series win for the first time in 15 years. The Cards also won 2 NL pennants under Whitey’s management, one in 1985 and 1987. After Whitey left the Cards, he went to the Angels where he helped build that team too.
I have lots of great memories of Whiteyball. Thanks to my BFF who bought a lot of Cards tickets on her credit cards, we went to lots of Cards games in the 1980′s. I used to take my daughter to the Cardinals game. Bleacher seats were $4.00, and if she could walk under the turnstile, she got in free. Can’t do that anymore! But she went to the dark side and became a Cubs fan. That’s one of the ultimate acts of rebellion!
As Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch puts it so eloquently here, it’s long past time to retire Whitey’s uniform number 24. In my opinion, it should have been on the wall of the new Busch Stadium when it opened. I look forward to seeing Whitey inducted into the Hall on MLB TV, and if only I could win the lottery, I could be there in person. I know, I know, I have a better chance of getting hit by lightning than winning the lottery.
In other news, it appears that the Cardinals are giving us another early Christmas present by signing pitcher Brad Penny, once he passes his physical. Penny will be another reclamation project for Dave Duncan. The winter meetings are not over yet, so maybe Cardinals fans will receive more Christmas presents in the days ahead.
Time for me to fly! See you all soon!
Diane
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas -
And ladies, you know what that means – Christmas shopping! Yes, I know that Christmas is about Jesus Christ, who I love so much. (And Albert is preaching it too – see here.) But the Wise Men did bring the baby Jesus some nice gifts, and we still follow that example today. We give to others to remember the great gift of love He gave to us.
Speaking of Christmas shopping, I did some cyber shopping and found some cute, cute Cardinals stuff you can suggest that your husband/boyfriend/significant other can buy you for Christmas, so to keep in your good graces. You could also give Cardinals gifts to your best buddies who are Cardinals fans.
I found a really cute purse on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website. Click here to see it. The Post-Dispatch site also has some cute Cardinals earrings, necklaces and even iPod covers. Click here to see all the Cardinals products.
The folks at Major League Baseball are no slouches in the women’s accessories department either. They have some really cute stuff and you can find it all here. MLB also has some cute women’s shirts and jackets, but they don’t come in plus size (yes, I’m talking to you, Alyssa Milano. Not all of us are skinny minis like you.) If you order from MLB, make sure you have the items you want in stock, because there are only 23 days until Christmas, you know!
If your husband/boyfriend/significant other is shopping impaired like my husband is, perhaps you can e-mail the links of the cute Cardinals stuff you want directly to them. A little hint never hurts!
The Cardinals themselves gave us an early Christmas present by resigning Jason LaRue. Yadi is a great catcher and all, but sometimes, he needs a rest (or he gets sick or injured) and Jason is a great backup. There was a photo of Jason in the Belleville News-Democrat this morning of Jason without his mustache and I didn’t recognize him!
Well, that’s all for now. Have a great evening!
Diane
Albert the Great
Congratulations to Albert Pujols for winning the 2009 NL MVP award, an award most deserved. It’s his third MVP award, which puts him in a select company of professional baseball players. A third MVP award almost guarantees a selection call from the good folks at the Hall of Fame. Even more impressive is the fact that the MVP selection was unanimous. Better writers than I have expounded on Albert’s monster stats and those need not be repeated here.
For those who insist that Albert is on steroids because he has gained a few pounds and has lost some of his hair, well, remember that he will be 30 in January. Men gain a few pounds and lose some hair (if not all of their hair) as they age. Heck, I’m a 48 year old woman and I’ve gained some weight and lost some of my hair (waah!) Talent, hard work and a great attitude will take a person a long way, and Albert has those qualities in spades. When you have those qualities, you don’t need steroids. Albert has said many times in interviews that he is willing to be tested for steroids at any time and at any place. If he were on the juice, he wouldn’t be willing to make that kind of statement.
Albert has another title – that of Most Valuable Person. He is an MVP on and off the field. Albert is a devoted family man. Not only does Albert give his well earned money to charity and has even started a foundation devoted to Down’s Syndrome people and the poor people of the Dominican Republic, he gives his valuable time as well.
Albert is a man of great faith in God. In interviews, he never fails to give credit to the One who gave him the talent to accomplish his great achievements. Every time Albert hits a home run, he points to the sky to give thanks to the Lord for his accomplishment. Even in non-baseball interviews, he draws attention to the Lord and his beliefs.
This year’s MVP award is just another award in Albert’s collection of awards. I’ve seen some of them in person in the glass case at his restaurant. But the award that Albert will treasure the most will happen when he shuffles off this mortal coil and meets his Maker. Then he will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Those six words will mean more to Albert than any earthly award, for they will come from his Savior and he will reap the benefits of that award throughout eternity. I pray that I too will hear those wonderful words when my time comes.
Well, that’s all for tonight. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Diane
We was robbed
I am still aghast about the selection of Tim Lincecum for the NL Cy Young award. Chris Carpenter, the comeback story of the year, and Adam Wainwright, who was lights out all season, were ripped off. Instead, this prestigious award is given to a pot smoking, long haired hippy from San Francisco. Does he wear flowers in his hair? Okay, maybe the hair is a non-factor. But Lincecum can well afford a good hair stylist. Long hair is better suited for skateboarders and surfers, not professional baseball players.
What kind of example does Lincecum’s selection set for our sons who are pitchers? According to the voters, it’s okay if you smoke pot or do drugs or do steroids; as long as you win ballgames, you can still win the Cy Young award. In my mind, voters should look at how a player lives his life off of the field as well as their record on the field. But then, maybe I’m just old-fashioned. Back in the day, professional baseball players (and professional players in other sports as well) were held to higher standards in their personal lives. Standards for professional athletes have slipped just like the standards of our modern society have slipped into the abyss.
As far as his performance on the field, Lincecum only had 15 wins this season. Lincecum faded in the stretch. Waino and Carp both had more wins than Lincecum. If Waino had won his 20th game, he would have been a shoo-in for the Cy. Kyle McClellan owes Waino a big, fat apology for losing that 20th game.
We only have one more award to look forward to during this off-season, and that’s the NL MVP award next week. If my standards were applied to the voting, Albert Pujols would win in a landslide.
I need some chocolate to get over this rejection of our beloved Cards pitchers. See you next time!
Diane
Two solid hits needed
I read the article below in Forbes magazine today, and although I disagree with Steve that the baseball universe is aligned properly since the Yankees won the Series (we Cards fans would say that about the Cards, of course), the rest of the article is right on.
Two Solid Hits Needed
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The baseball universe is properly aligned again, with the Yankees’
World Series victory. Now the national pastime’s pooh-bahs should focus
on two issues.
–Length of the season. Having the playoffs run into late
October and early November is a formula for unnecessary player
injuries–with cold weather and rain and possibly even snow. Television
attracts maximum audiences during evening games, so Major League
Baseball (MLB) has given afternoon games short shrift. If MLB can’t
shed its postseason afternoon-game phobia, then it should bring back
during the regular season something once commonplace and now virtually
extinct: the doubleheader. These don’t have to be held in the same way
they were in the old days, when one ticket allowed you to watch
back-to-back games on a Sunday afternoon. Instead, there’d be one game
for one crowd at noon or 1 p.m. and a second for an evening crowd at 7
or 8 p.m. Then the playoffs and World Series could end before we need
to bring out our snow boots and skis. And the possibility of serious
weather-related injury would be minimized.
–Instant replays. MLB uses them now for home runs hit near
the foul line. No one wants to do that with strikes and balls. But
there have been a number of questionable calls on base running–when it
wasn’t immediately clear if a player actually tagged the bag or if a
runner was tagged or not. One suggestion that wouldn’t disrupt the flow
of the game: Each team could request one replay per game. There would
be no need for the umps to leave the field to review a particular call;
they could view it on a handheld device or on a nearby display screen
and make a decision within seconds. During postseason games teams
should be able to question two or three calls, since the stakes are
much higher and the pressure far more intense. Again, this wouldn’t
disrupt the flow of games anymore than do television-mandated timeouts
between innings for commercials.
–Instant replays. MLB uses them now for home runs hit near
the foul line. No one wants to do that with strikes and balls. But
there have been a number of questionable calls on base running–when it
wasn’t immediately clear if a player actually tagged the bag or if a
runner was tagged or not. One suggestion that wouldn’t disrupt the flow
of the game: Each team could request one replay per game. There would
be no need for the umps to leave the field to review a particular call;
they could view it on a handheld device or on a nearby display screen
and make a decision within seconds. During postseason games teams
should be able to question two or three calls, since the stakes are
much higher and the pressure far more intense. Again, this wouldn’t
disrupt the flow of games anymore than do television-mandated timeouts
between innings for commercials.
Both changes would help the game and ultimately be good for MLB.
=========================================================
This season ran long because of the World Baseball Classic. Do we really need the World Baseball Classic? If memory serves me (and it’s late), I think that baseball got dropped from the Olympics, but the Olympics would be the best place for a world baseball competition.
Watching the World Series in November is very, very strange to me. If Reggie Jackson were playing now, would he be called Mr. November instead of Mr. October? If one (or both) of the World Series teams were from Canada or the northern regions of the U.S., we would be worried about snow for the World Series.
As for Steve’s second point, the technology is certainly available today for umps to review plays with a hand held device or even a netbook. I think there are too many commercials in baseball games today. When my hubby watches a game, he’ll switch to another channel during the commercials. I have to remind him to switch back to the game!
Looking forward to seeing who the NL Cy Young award tomorrow! Hey MLB, let’s keep both Cy Young winners in Missouri, the Show Me State, OK? See you soon!
Diane
And the winner is . . .
On Thursday, the winner of the NL Cy Young Award will be announced. As every good Cardinal fan knows by now, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are the two front runners for this prestigious award. Chris and Adam make their arguments for the other player to win the award at the article here and here. They don’t write half bad for baseball players. 
Here’s my take. My vote is for Wainwright. First, Chris has already won the Cy Young once. Second, Chris was out for 6 weeks this season with an injury. Adam is also a pretty good batter for a pitcher too. Sure, Chris hit a grand slam this year, but Adam is a more consistent hitter.
Such a tough decision for the voters. Maybe Carp and Waino will be co-winners. I don’t think anyone would argue with that if it happened. Hopefully, they won’t split the vote and then Lincecum would win. Lincecum won the Cy Young last year.
Tomorrow, the Manager of the Year awards are given out. I don’t see Tony winning that one – more likely Jim Tracy of the Rockies.
See you next time!
Diane
It’s hardware season
And I don’t mean Lowe’s or Home Depot. (MLB – we need smilies! Thanks!) It’s award season. Let’s review the awards given out so far:
Hank Aaron Award – Albert Pujols
Gold Glove – Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina
Silver Slugger – Albert Pujols
Comeback Player of the Year – Chris Carpenter
The NL MVP award will be given on November 24, and Albert Pujols is a
frontrunner for this award. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are
the two top prospects for the Cy Young award.
I know there’s a couple awards I’m missing here. Please comment below & fill me in. It’s late and my brain is tired.
So with all this hardware being awarded, why didn’t the Cards make the World Series? Well, there’s a lot of reasons and we can debate this until the cows come home, but I believe that there are two big reasons: a. Not getting enough runners in scoring position, and b. Not getting the baserunners that are on base home. You can have great pitching, but unless you score more runs than the other team, you’re not going to win the game. That’s elementary, Watson.
So what needs to be done to win in 2010? I’ll give you my thoughts in my next post. Have a great day!
diane1611
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