50 Years a Cardinals Fan
Before I truly understood the game of baseball, became passionate about the sport, and was intrigued by the St. Louis Cardinals' and their history, I would ask my dad, "Why are we Cardinals fans?" At this time, his answers were never actually thought out and were just quick and simple answers that you would give a 5-year-old kid who is asking a very open-ended question. He would respond by saying things like, "Because the Cubs stink" or "They have the best uniform in baseball." However, as I got older, I knew this couldn't actually be the reason why. So, I decided to sit down with an "expert" in St. Louis Cardinals baseball and talk about why he is a Cardinals fan, and what it has been like being a fan for 50 years.
I began my interview by simply asking him, "What made you become a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals?" To this, he responded by telling me, "At first it was because of my father, but after some time it was actually because of the team." I proceeded to ask him to elaborate a bit more and he proceeded to tell me that "The heart the team always had, along with the great players they have continuously had, made it to where I have always cheered for the team." He followed this by saying, "At some point, you become too devoted to ever give up on them." This was definitely a better answer than what I used to receive as a child.
Following my dad's initial answer, I wanted to know more about what he meant when talked about the "heart the team always had." I wanted examples, and he gave me two great ones. He talked about some Cardinals' history and brought up the Cardinals' 2006 World Series Championship and their 2011 World Series Championship. Two championships, that according to him, they were never supposed to win.
When discussing the 2006 Championship he brought up an article that just showed how unlikely it was for the Cardinals to win that title. He told me that there was an article published after the Cardinals clinched a spot in the World Series that said, "Tigers in 3." This meant that the Cardinals were expected to get blown out by their opponent, the Detroit Tigers, so much so that some writers thought the Tigers would only need 3 games to win the best of 7 series. While this is something that I already had some knowledge of, his memory of reading this article and seeing how everything eventually ended up concluding is pretty cool.
Following our talks about 2006, he brought up 2011. This is where the Cardinals were down to their last strike on two different occasions during game 6 of the World Series, and they still won. If they would have lost, they would have lost out on being 11-time World Series Champions. However, every batter who went out there when the game was on the line played with their heart. They knew what needed to happen and dug deep to make sure that it happened. Whether it be David Freese, Albert Pujols, or Lance Berkman, the 2011 Cardinals wanted that ring. To conclude our discussion on the 2011 Cardinals, my dad told me, "I never really lost hope. I just had a good feeling about the game and felt like we were the better team." You were not there to hear him actually say this, but just the way he said it made his love for the St. Louis Cardinals very clear.
This conversation gave me a lot of the answers I was looking for. Answers that would be similar to my own, and really helped show how baseball isn't all about just swinging a bat and hitting a ball. It is about the connection you form, whether that be with the team, the players, or those whom you watch it with.
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