Waiting for 700
It’s been a wild summer, and I had accepted the fact that we probably wouldn’t make it to Busch Stadium to take in a baseball game this year. When the invite did come, around Labor Day, it was a total surprise. Not only were we going to a game, we were going for free to sit in a VIP box. Baseball and unlimited food and drink!
September baseball is special. Everything that has happened over the course of the long, grueling season hinges on a few weeks of games. There’s an excitement that builds when your team is good and the play-offs sit on the horizon. Plus, you have about a 50/50 chance of not suffering heat stroke while attending a game.
I am not actually a Cardinals fan (Go Dodgers!), but I try not to be obnoxious about it. I don’t actively root against them. I also don’t wear red to the ballpark. I grew up in Cardinals country and am spending my adult years living in St. Louis, so I have a special relationship with the team. Some of my strongly held beliefs about them include:
Warm weather gatherings can only be improved by having the game on (radio or television) in the background
The “Cardinal Way,” can often just be code for “we’re cheap”
The throwback blue uniforms are just ok
Being a baseball fan of any team in St. Louis is significantly more fun when the Cardinals are good
At the start of this season I poked fun at the old man brigade of Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina, and Albert Pujols. After all, it’s rare for not one, but three geriatric profession athletes to make an impact on the same team in the same year. But, I’m a romantic about baseball, and deep down I got a lot of joy out of watching the mutual love affair between these players and this city.
As you probably know by now, September in St. Louis has been consumed with Albert Pujols’ (Tio Albert as he was known during his season with the Dodgers last year) quest for 700 home runs. We went to the game with high hopes of seeing blast number 690 something. No balls left the park that night. Instead, we rose from our seats four times with the rest of the stadium when Albert came to bat. We watched thousands pull out their phones to record, and casual baseball fans hang on every pitch.
It was magical. Even for two Dodgers fans strategically dressed as “neutral baseball observers.”
September baseball is special. The only thing better is the October games we have coming. Making it to Busch this season, while we all wait for 700 was a gift. Now, I’ll just be pulling for the Cardinals to make it as far in the playoffs as necessary to bring the Dodgers to town.
