The Major League Baseball season doesn't really start until it starts in St. Louis. And so, the 11-time champions begin today. Their minds will be on revenge of a sort, until the San Francisco Giants no longer hold the crown the Cardinals gave away.
But it will also be on Stan Musial, the very definition of baseball in St. Louis. If a player in the 10 best of all time could be underrated, that's Stan. Of course, he's better known as an ambassador for the game, who taught younger fans to relish this game and this team just by example. He's not here now, but he really is.
You've never seen anything like the home opener in St. Louis. I'm not going to even try to describe it. You can't. Just know that no one even remotely associated with the Cardinals is overlooked or forgotten. And you would think the Cardinals won the World Series every year. When veteran players contemplate where to go next in mid-career or later, their good friends tell them to come to St. Louis. "Bro, you should go to St. Louis. Whatever happens, they will love you forever."
I've never actually been to Opening Day. It's a goal. It's harder to get than a World Series ticket. It seems like we always win. We lost the first six games, all on the road, in 1997. We won the opener at home, though. That may be the last time we weren't competitive, although 1998 was a struggle to achieve a winning record (which they did). The expectations are pretty high here, which is a little odd, considering that we are rarely if ever favored to win. When they were favored in 2004, they were swept in the World Series.
I know that fans in other cities despise us, but we still think we're the Little Team That Could. The last two titles were extremely unlikely. The Cardinals came out of nowhere both times. But not to the fans. In August or September, if they've got the goods, they'll prove it. Ask a Cardinals fan in July what he thinks; he'll let you know if his boys will be in the mix.
Happy Opening Day, everyone!
But it will also be on Stan Musial, the very definition of baseball in St. Louis. If a player in the 10 best of all time could be underrated, that's Stan. Of course, he's better known as an ambassador for the game, who taught younger fans to relish this game and this team just by example. He's not here now, but he really is.
You've never seen anything like the home opener in St. Louis. I'm not going to even try to describe it. You can't. Just know that no one even remotely associated with the Cardinals is overlooked or forgotten. And you would think the Cardinals won the World Series every year. When veteran players contemplate where to go next in mid-career or later, their good friends tell them to come to St. Louis. "Bro, you should go to St. Louis. Whatever happens, they will love you forever."
I've never actually been to Opening Day. It's a goal. It's harder to get than a World Series ticket. It seems like we always win. We lost the first six games, all on the road, in 1997. We won the opener at home, though. That may be the last time we weren't competitive, although 1998 was a struggle to achieve a winning record (which they did). The expectations are pretty high here, which is a little odd, considering that we are rarely if ever favored to win. When they were favored in 2004, they were swept in the World Series.
I know that fans in other cities despise us, but we still think we're the Little Team That Could. The last two titles were extremely unlikely. The Cardinals came out of nowhere both times. But not to the fans. In August or September, if they've got the goods, they'll prove it. Ask a Cardinals fan in July what he thinks; he'll let you know if his boys will be in the mix.
Happy Opening Day, everyone!
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