I remember growing up spending time at my grandparents in the summers & some of the best memories were watching St Louis Cardinal games with my grandpa Klesner. He was a real fan & it's funny, the way I still remember him is with his blue jeans on & a Cardinal ball cap on his bald head! I'll have to dig for a picture one of these days... Well, as I was growing up we watched the games on the tv here & there, but I lost touch a bit when I went off to college & married a guy that really wasn't into sports. Over the last few years or so, our love of baseball {if only the little league variety} has blossomed thanks to a certain boy in our house is crazy for the sport. We've been promising to take the boys to a Cardinals game for probably the last 3 years & finally this summer delivered on our promise in July when we all took our first trip to Busch Stadium & witnessed our first game in person. It was unbelievable. We've watched on tv, but there is just something about being there, the crowd, the excitement of seeing the players for real on the field... I don't know what it was, but it was infectious. I loved it, Dan loved it & Evan was is awe the entire time {Collin, not much of a sports fan, liked the snacks! lol}. It was so fun.
we watched {or listened to} diligently every single game after that. even if they lost, it was fun to watch & spend time together as a family doing something that we all enjoyed. Then, later in the season, when things picked up for them & they were gaining ground after being 10 1/2 games back in August for the Wild Card, we REALLY wanted to go see them at Busch & get to see Albert Pujols play another time *just in case* he decided not to come back next year. So, we scored some last minute tickets for a mid-September day game & let the boys skip out of school. Rain delay & all, we stuck it out & finally were able to see our Redbirds play.
after that, the excitement really picked up & again we watched every single game & couldn't get over this team & what they could do to overcome & achieve. They are truly an inspiration! They gained the wildcard spot & long story short... last night, in game #6 of the NLCS they won the series against the Milwaukee Brewers to gain their 18th National League Championship {more than any other ball club}! & you know what all this means.... YES!!! This amazing ball team is headed to the World Series on Wednesday to get their chance at their 11th World Series Championship... yep #11 in '11. We've gained so many new favorite players in this postseason... of course we were smitten from the start with the greats like Pujols, Holliday, Molina & Carpenter, but are now nearly over the top with players that have showed their greatness like Freese & Furcal. So, yeh, we may be sorta new fans in this house {or in my case a comeback fan}, but I've gotta tell ya, we are die hard. I do believe Dan now knows the back stories, contracts & salaries of each player on the team! lol! Can't wait for the World Series, can't wait for next season {Dan & I have already decided we're spending our anniversary at Busch Stadium & probably Evan's birthday too}. Bring it on Texas... it's gonna be tough, but this is the team that's ready for anything....
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so, yes... I'm so proud to be a Cardinals fan. & it's not just because they're winning & doing this unbelievable stuff. I truly am amazed by each & every guy on this team & am so proud to have my son watching them & how they handle themselves & this great sport that he loves.
so here he is my crazy little cardinal fan...
...& here's to hoping that his dream of being a Cardinal player someday comes true... just like David Freese :)
{robyn}
12.2.2011
