Congratulations to the White Sox on their World Series sweep of the Astros!  Great couple of games, even if they did keep me up really late.

OK, here is the last installment...

2004 – I saw Red!

2004 was an amazing year!  Again, baseball was mostly on the peripheral for me at the start.  I would give it passing attention and maybe even watch a game if they happened to be on TV, but not much else.  By this time I had lived in Michigan for a few years and baseball just wasn’t that impressive.  I went to a few Tiger’s games during the summer, would talk Cardinals baseball if I ran into a St. Louis fan, but it seemed so far away that it was hard to be very enthusiastic about it.  I did very much want to see the Cards though.  Oh how I wished they would play a game up here, but that’s tough to do when you’re in an American League city.

It was fantastic when the Cards reached the post-season.  Baseball fever was high as I watched the incredible 7-game series against the Astros.  When Jimmy Edmonds hit a dramatic home run to win Game 6 in extra innings I jumped up and down in excitement.  Can’t imagine what my downstairs neighbors were thinking…

Getting to the World Series was so thrilling.  Man, did I want to be in St. Louis around all the excitement!  I knew beating the Red Sox would be tough but I had faith that this 105-win team with the best record in baseball would pull out a championship.  It was not to be.  How disappointing it was to see the Cardinals swept in four games, barely putting up a fight against the mighty Sox.  In retrospect, I don’t think anyone would have beat them.  They were on a roll and just too overpowering against a team that limped into the post-season.  But as fans say almost every year, “Oh what a year we had! Thanks for the memories!  Maybe next year…”

2005

As I stated in another entry, this year I followed the Cards just like I did as a kid.  I read about the moves they made in the off-season and counted down the days until spring training.  The team acquired a new pitcher, Chris Carpenter was healthy… our sluggers were healthy… this was going to be a good year!  And they did not disappoint.  The Cards started winning at a faster pace than the previous year.  Then Scott Rolen got hurt, another shoulder injury.  Then Larry Walker started hurting, his body breaking down on him.  Twenty years in the big leagues is not easy.  Then Reggie Sanders went down, then Yadier Molina.  But the bench stepped up we kept winning.  We weren’t overpowering people but thanks to our early lead in the season the team stayed well ahead of the division.  The World Series was surely ours!

But you know the rest… a disappointing end to another great season.

For me this truly was a great season.  The imminent closing of Busch Stadium brought me back.  I made it to four games.  Along with most of my family, I got to say goodbye to something that has brought so many happy memories.  How great it was to be surrounded by people, dressed in bright red, paying attention, cheering wildly for every player that comes up to bat, cheering when a player (on any team) makes a great play… There’s just something about the atmosphere of a Cardinals game and being in St. Louis during the summer (aside from the heat and humidity).  As corny and cliché as it sounds… it’s just magical. 

This year reminded me of why St. Louis is often dubbed the best baseball town in America.  To give you an example… After the Cardinals lost Game 6 of the National League Championship to the Astros many fans stayed in the stands.  They cheered for the Astros who were celebrating on the field after the last out.  They stayed to watch a montage of great moments at Busch, many with tears in their eyes as they said their goodbyes to the old stadium.  A lot fans even stayed outside the dugout and cheered for the team that had just lost. 

The retiring Larry Walker, who had only spent a little over a year with the Cards got a bit teary eyed when he came out and the fans chanted, “One more year!”  There aren’t many fans that will do that in baseball or any sport for that matter.  Jim Edmonds commented on the crowd, “Did we lose or did win?  It's something that you've got to see to believe it. You really do. People back home ask me about this place and I tell them, 'You've got to come see it to believe it.' I don't think you can describe the power of these people that come to the game day in and day out, and the support they give you. It really makes you go out there and play harder, play better and basically be a better person just because you know they're watching.” 

I suppose that I have been spoiled.  Every time I go to a Tigers game I hold out hope that this time things will be different. This time the crowd will actually yell, “Charge!”  This time everyone will clap to the organ… but it never really happens.  People will do a few of those things, but never with the enthusiasm that you see in Busch.  Maybe it’s because the Tigers have been losing for so long.  And I’m sure that’s a major part of the factor, but I know that’s not all there is to it.  The reason it’s not as “magical” is that it just can’t compare to St. Louis fans and Cardinals baseball.

This year, after I start for Southwest, I am planning to check out a few different ballparks.  Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe other towns do have some of that same atmosphere, but from what I’ve seen from watching games on TV, here in Detroit, and heard from actual players, I seriously doubt any of them will compare.

So, three more months until spring training.  I’m already counting down the days.  This year I promised my little sisters (and myself) that I would take them to a Cardinals baseball game.  It may be in a new stadium, but somehow I don’t think that the move will take much away from the experience.  My youngest sister loves the Tigers but I want her to experience a Cardinals game.  I figure if she enjoys going to see the Tigers she’s going to be blown away when she gets to see the Cardinals and the famous ‘sea of red’.  My other sister likes the Cardinals but is not a big baseball fan, but somehow I think (or hope) that when I take her to her first Cards game that she too will be hooked.  The youngest is especially excited about it.  She has mentioned to me on several occasions how she can’t wait until next year when I take her to a baseball game.  And honestly, I can’t either.  I want them to experience the same ‘magic’ that I felt on my first game. 

So long Busch Stadium...