Top 5 St. Louis Cardinals memories

That's right, you've waited for it.....and now it's here!  Thank you for being patient with me.  Those of you that are subscribers are a loyal bunch, and I wanted to wait until this past postseason was over, and a few other things that are going on in my life....kind of settled down a bit, so I could give you a countdown worth your wait.  So, without further delay.....my top 5 memories.

5.  This memory takes place at the same game as the unassisted triple play.  A few innings after the triple play had been turned, the Cardinals were losing the game.  Bottom of the 8th inning, we manage to get a few runners on base.  With runners on 1st and 2nd and 2 outs, Bobby Cox, the manager of the Braves....decides to bring in his closer to get the final out of the inning, and no doubt...come back out for the 9th to get the last 3 outs for the save.  Well, Albert Pujols had different plans.  With the Cardinals down by 2 runs, Pujols faced John Smoltz, who was the Braves closer that year.  And with a 1-2 count against him, Pujols launches a home run to left field.  The drama wasn't quite over yet.  In the top of the 9th, the Braves were trying to return the favor.  With runners on 1st and 2nd, Jason Isringhausen pitching for the Cardinals, and 1 out, it looked like they just might do it.  So, I stood up....my friends (who were Braves fans tried to hold me down), and I just started waving my hands, as if to get everyone in the ballpark to stand up and cheer for Izzy, to get the last 2 outs.  Sure enough, they obliged me.  And the Braves hit a ground ball to the shortstop, which Renteria turned a double play on!  Great ending to a great game.

4.  In 2005, the Cardinals were back in the NLCS playing the Astros....again.  After splitting the first two games played in St. Louis, the Cardinals went to Houston to play the next three.  The Cardinals dropped the first two games in Houston, and looked ugly doing it.  In game 5, with the Cardinals trailing by a run....down to their last strike, they managed to get a base hit by David Eckstein to extend the game.  Jim Edmonds then walks, and Albert Pujols steps to the plate.  The Astros had their closer pitching, Brad Lidge.  Pujols crushes a hanging slider off of Lidge, over the left field wall.  And when I say wall, I don't mean the wall that, serves as the wall to the bleachers, or the wall of the Crawford Boxes.  I mean the outer wall of the stadium!  Which, if they wouldn't have had the roof closed to the stadium....that ball may still be flying!  What was really cool about this game to me, was where I was watching it.  I was in a bar in Chicago, I was living there at the time.  And I was the only Cardinals fan in the place.  So, when Albert crushes that ball....the whole bar just goes quiet.  I still get chills.

3.  The very next year, the Cardinals were back in the playoffs...in the NLCS, playing the Mets.  We really didn't have any business being in the playoffs that year.  We were very much a rag tag team, but we had a lot of scrappers on the team.  And a rookie closer, who was on fire....Adam Wainwright.  Game 7, was played in New York.  Despite my better judgment, I went down to the bar my roomate worked at to watch the game.  Since, he worked there, I guess you could say I was considered a regular.  So, everyone knew I was a Cardinals fan.  I bought some victory cigars before the game, kind of like a good luck omen.  If you didn't watch it Game 7 was an unbelievable game.  A couple of homeruns by some Cardinals players, players that you wouldn't have expected to be able to hit a homerun, came through big.  And a clutch start from Jeff Suppan, set up the Cardinals to have the lead, going into the bottom of the 9th.  Long story short, the bases get loaded.  La Russa brings in Wainwright to pitch to the Cardinal killer himself, Carlos Beltran.  Wainwright freezes him with a curveball and Beltran goes down looking.  The entire bar went silent.....I still get chills.  I passed out a few cigars to some Cubs fans....who didn't appreciate the gesture, but were still nice about it, and congratulated me.  I then went up to the manager of the bar, who hates the Cardinals....I said, "Hey Ben, here's a cigar, we're going to the World Series."  My roomate still talks about that.

2.  Number 3, used to be my number 2.  That is until, last Thursday night.  In case you didn't know, or have been living in the dark the past week.  The Cardinals have won the World Series for the 11th time.  Game 6 will go down as, arguably the greatest game in World Series history.  Not just Cardinals history, World Series history!  With the game going into the 8th.  The Cardinals trailed the Texas Rangers by 3 runs.  Long story short, the Cardinals get a home run from Craig, and a clutch 2-run triple from David Freese, who was down to his last strike, and the Cardinals down to their last out, to tie the game.  The drama wasn't done there.  The Rangers get a huge 2-run homerun hit by Josh Hamilton to take the lead in the 10th.  The Cardinals scrap back with 2 runs in the bottom half.  Joe Buck, who was calling the game said it best.  "The Cardinals just won't go away."  Then after holding the Rangers in the top of the 11th, Freese comes up huge again.  He hits a walkoff homerun to the deepest part of the ballpark.  "And we'll see you tomorrow night..."  That was Joe's call, paying homage to his father Jack, who used to call Cardinals games.  Just an unbelievable game, and admittedly.....one I almost didn't watch.  I almost turned it off in the 8th, because I just couldn't watch another team celebrate in my ballpark.  Man, am I glad I didn't. 

1.  Speaking of Jack Buck, my all time greatest memory has a little to do with the man.  When I was 12, my dad took me on a trip to St. Louis.  Just me and him.  We went to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, the Arch in St. Louis, toured Busch stadium, and then saw a ball game after the tour.  We were standing in line to get bleacher tickets.  A lady, that was standing in line with us, struck up a conversation with my dad.  Long story short, she was a regular to Cardinals games.  She told us what row/seat to ask the teller for, as far as our tickets.  It was because of her, we sat on the front row of the bleachers in right center.  The Cardinals were playing the Reds.  The Reds were taking batting practice, when we took our seats.  One of their batting practice balls had rolled to the fence, right in front of us.  An outfielder from the Reds picks up the ball, and without looking lobs it into the stands, right into my hands!  The ball was marked with a red CR, for Cincinnatti Reds.  The Cardinals won the game, courtesy of a late 3-run triple by Willie McGee.  After the game, the lady we talked to before the game pointed out a few of the Cardinals in street clothes, that were leaving the game.  I was able to get John Mabry, Mark Petkovsek, Mark Sweeney, and Ozzie Smiths autographs.  She didn't need to point out the Wizard, I would recognize him anywhere, in any outfit.  He was so nice to.  He had a mob of people by his SUV.  A few people started to push, trying to get closer....all he said was, "I'll sign everyone's autograph, please don't shove."  And he did!  It was unbelievable.  While I was marveling at my baseball, my dad shouts..."Josh, get that guy's autograph, the guy in the white hair!"  I looked over to the stadium, and coming out of a door to the ballpark, was sure enough, a guy with white hair.  I ran over and politely asked him for his autograph.  I had no clue who it was.  He took my ball, and pen.....and looked at the ball before he signed it.  My dad caught up to me, and was more excited than I had been earlier.  "I just want you to know, I've listened to you on the radio since I was a kid!"  It was Jack Buck.  He smiled and said thanks.  Then he asked me where I got the ball?  I told him, and he smiled and said..."Sounds like you had a pretty good time at the game."  He then asked if we liked the game, and where we were from.  It was unbelievable.....what was really cool was seeing the way my dad lit up. 

And that's it!  Hope you enjoyed it, hope you didn't fall asleep reading it.....and hopefully it lived up to the hype!  Have a good weekend everybody!