As a little kid coming of age on the western side of the state, all I knew about baseball centered around the St. Louis Cardinals.
One of my uncles was a devout fan; all the kids on the block had Cardinals’ caps. I remember listening to games on the radio and asking my parents how they got the talking guys in that little box to tell me about the game.
I’m sure they had to dig deep in the parenting manual to answer that one.
I amassed quite a collection of Redbirds’ memorabilia when I was in high school and college. I still have much of it downstairs - some in boxes but a few pieces displayed on the shelves of my sports cabinet.
Anyway, these days, I’m not passionate about the Cardinals the way I was in the 60s, 70s and 80s. You see, in the 90s, there was this manager named Tony LaRussa who came to town. He could take the fun out of anything. And so it was in rooting for St. Louis.
He struck me as a control freak who could take a two-hour pitcher’s dual and turn it into a four hour marathon with his over-managing style. He knew all. Once, he was asked about the band U2 when they were preparing for a concert in St. Louis and he provided his musical assessment about the Irish quartet – “all right.”
I’d say the same about LaRussa but then again, the Cardinals won two World Series titles during his reign so what do I know?
When LaRussa took over as manager in the 90s, one of his first official acts was to alienate Cardinals icon Ozzie Smith. That rubbed me and many fans the wrong way. It went downhill from there.
These days, I look upon the Redbirds as you’d think of an ex-girlfriend. It’s been many years since the two of you broke up. Once upon a time, you loved her. Now, you think back to those good days with fondness and nostalgia. And maybe you still like her as a person.
But you don’t go crazy for her.
When I realized the 2013 NLCS match-up was going to be Dodgers vs. St. Louis, my mind immediately flashed to 1985. That was the year Lisa and I became serious as a couple and part of that ‘coupling’ was her introduction to baseball.
Some introduction!
The Cardinals traveled to L.A. to begin the 1985 NLCS and quickly fell behind two games to zero. The series shifted to the Midwest and in games 3 and 4, the Cards won to even the series. That set the stage for the pivotal – and memorable game 5.
Cardinal fans everywhere will remember Ozzie Smith’s ninth inning home run to win the game 3-2 chronicled by venerable play-by-play man Jack Buck telling fans to “Go Crazy, Folks.”
Two days later in L.A., the Cardinals salted away the series when first baseman Jack Clark homered in the ninth inning. Whitey’s redbirds were on their way to the second of three World Series appearances in the 1980s.
I’m not sure if the 2013 NLCS will match the 85 in terms of drama and excitement but it should be an even match-up and might even go the distance. Game one is tonight and, for a minute or two, I suspect my thoughts will turn to Whitey, Ozzie and Jack.
JG
Originally posted 10/11/2013
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