A Season to Remember

I’m not ready for this season to end. I’m convinced that I would not be ready for the season to end even if the Cards had somehow gotten to game seven and won it all. That is just how much I love baseball. That is just how much I love the Cardinals.

This has been a special season for me. My whole life I have lived in Northern Illinois, Central Indiana, or West Michigan. This was the first full season that I have lived in the St. Louis area. (St. Peters, about 28 miles from Busch Stadium). What a season it has been!

For the first time in my life, I have experienced the excitement of actually being there on opening day. For the first time in my life, I was actually at the ball park for a meaningful Cards-Cubs game. (The one where Rolen hit a gaper against Farnsworth to win in extra innings 1-0.) For the first time in my life, I was able to see a game from a green seat. (I have never walked DOWN to my seats and looked UP to see a fly ball before.) For the first time in my life, I was able to attend eleven ballgames in one season. (In the past, it’s been tough just getting to ONE game a season, let alone eleven!) For the first time in my life, I was able to attend a playoff game. (Game 2 of the NLDS; an 8-3 win against Los Angeles). For the first time in my life, I was able to experience a ‘clinch’ game. (Game 7 of the NLCS; a 5-2 win over the Astros – and the energy was indescribable!)

Have I mentioned that I’m not ready for the season to end? I am so proud to be a Cardinal fan. I am so proud to be a part of a fan base that appreciates moving the runner over; a suicide squeeze; scoring a run from third with less than two outs; going from first to third on a single. I love being at Busch and hearing the crowd roar because of a nice defensive play or because a reliever comes in throwing strikes. I was at Busch the day Larry Walker made his Cardinal debut. How many fans will give a player a standing ovation for striking out?

There have been so many people that have said to me this year: “Soak this season in, because you will rarely see a team play so good for so long. Cherish this season, because it might be another 20 years before you see another 105 win team.” I tried. But man, how can you remember every great moment? There were so many! I don’t ever remember a season where I sat down each night to watch or listen to the game expecting to win regardless of opponent or starting pitcher. I don’t ever remember a year where I would be MORE inclined to continue to watch a game late into the night even when they fell behind, because it wasn’t a matter of IF they would come back, it was a matter of WHEN and HOW they would come back.

I tip my cap to an organization that entertained and delighted me in so many ways this year. I love how classy this team was both on and off the field. There were a lot of reasons why this team won. Some would say talent… to which I would partially agree. But I have my own theory. This team won because they had more heart and guts then anybody else. This team won because they remained calm under pressure. (Minus Julian Tavarez) This team won because of their implicit trust in each other. This group of guys won because their team was more important than the individual.

I’ve heard fans and media say things like: “Without a World Series championship, this season will be a disappointment and a failure.” Horse crap. I know that their World Series showing was a major disappointment, but we’re talking about a team that was predicted to finish third in their division by all the ‘experts’. We’re talking about a team that was criticized in the spring for not having a second baseman, or a lead-off hitter, or a left fielder, or a deep bench, or any substantial improvement in the bullpen. This was a team that was absolutely blistered when starting pitching was the topic of conversation. Those were all reasons why the Cards could not possibly win.

This was a team that had built a ten game lead by mid-July and the Baseball Tonight geniuses were STILL saying that the Cubs would catch them by September. This was a team that was continually being written off by media in all parts of the country… including our own in St. Louis, in some cases. Yet, these guys kept coming to the ballpark ready to play the game hard and ready to play the game smart.

How special was this season? Ask Chris Carpenter. Ask Tony Womack. Ask Ray Lankford. Ask Rick Ankiel. Those are all guys that were coming back from serious injuries and were still able to contribute. How special was this season? Ask Danny Haren. Ask Yadier Molina. Ask So Taguchi. Ask John Mabry. Those were all guys that were called up from the farm and gave the team a lift. How special was this season? Ask Larry Walker. Ask Roger Cedeno. Ask Reggie Sanders. Ask Jason Marquis. Ask a whole crew of guys that thrived in their first season as a Redbird. How special was this season? Ask Albert Pujols. Ask Scott Rolen. Ask Jim Edmonds. All three put up incredible, almost unbelievable, numbers. All three should be considered for the league’s MVP award. Just how special WAS this season?

As the leaves fall and another winter in the midwest settles in for the long haul, I know that a small part of me is a little less alive when baseball is not being played. I will miss seeing a 12 to 6 breaking ball. I will miss second guessing the manager. I will miss watching a baserunner score from first on a gaper. I will miss watching this lineup go to work. I will miss this great game. I will miss watching this great team. I’m not ready for this season to end…

By the way, Opening Day 2005 is 160 days away.

Disney World Trip: Day 1 & 2

DAY ONE: June 10th, 2004

I should probably preface this by saying that we left our two year old daughter at home with the grandparents. We wanted to go one more time, just the two of us, before she got old enough to really enjoy it. Throughout our entire trip, we saw things that we knew she would love to see and really missed her. We are really looking forward to planning our next trip and knowing that she will be coming with!

We flew out of Chicago-Midway using Southwest as our airline. Everything went smooth at Midway and we have always been very happy with Southwest. This was the first time that we were given honey-roasted peanuts for our snack. This was a good thing for me, especially since my wife doesn’t care for honey-roasted peanuts. It was a pleasant flight.

We arrived in Orlando, picked up our bags, and got in line for a rental car. This is the third time that my wife and I have been to WDW together. We have never rented a car on any previous trip there… but we were really glad that we did this time. We were able to snag a really good rate by finding an Entertainment book coupon. In future trips, we will always be renting a car. Here are a couple of reasons why:

-We were able to stop for groceries on the way in.
-We were able to experiment with restaurants at other resorts without having to use Disney transportation.
-We were able to do things offsite without relying on Mears for transportation.

After a brief stop at Target for groceries, we were on our way to All-Star Music. We had no problem checking in. We received exactly what we asked for: A room on the first floor at Jazz Inn. We really didn’t know how we would like this particular resort… we have always stayed at Port Orleans – Riverside. We were pleasantly surprised. Our room was small, but it was just the two of us. The resort still had that Disney magic that we love so much. We went to check out the food court after we had dropped off our bags in our room… and it began to pour. We decided to ride it out by exploring the lobby. I was excited to see my favorite band was on the wall of fame: U2. (Yes, I am easily excited)

We have heard so much about the California Grill so we made reservations for dinner there around 9:00PM. Of the five sit-down restaurants we dined at while on our trip… California Grill had the best food… by a long shot. We ordered a flatbread with chicken, veggies, and a delicious sauce. My wife and I split a Pork Tenderloin and it was the best I have ever had. We finished by eating a chocolate cake type dessert and watching Wishes right below us at the Magic Kingdom. It was beautiful. It was memorable. It was the perfect way to start off our vacation.

DAY TWO: June 11th, 2004

When we arrived at Animal Kingdom to try and take advantage of Extra Magic Hour, I began to realize that this program is getting to be soooo popular that it might not be worth it anymore. Especially at the parks with just four or five attractions open.

Another honest observation: Animal Kingdom is our least favorite park (and that includes Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios). AK will be tremendously helped by Expedition Everest, but even with that… I still feel like it’s missing something… I just can’t put my finger on what exactly.

We rode Primeval Whirl for the first time. We really enjoyed it and thought it was a good addition to the park. The spinning in the middle is a nice addition to a rather tame ‘mouse’ coaster type ride.

My favorite three attractions at Animal Kingdom are: Dinosaur, Tough to be a Bug, and Flights of Wonder. My three least favorite attractions: Conservation Station, Kali River Rapids (too short!), and Tarzan Rocks (my least favorite Disney show).

We ate lunch at Rainforest Café. Melissa and I have decided to visit this restaurant each time we visit WDW. It was the first restaurant we ate at on our honeymoon, so we’ve just made it our little tradition. The food isn’t anything to write home about… but we love the creative atmosphere of the place. We almost got the VOLCANO (a huge dessert)… but we wouldn’t have been able to eat all of it!

After a nice afternoon nap for me and much sunbathing for my wife… we went out to MGM Studios to experience ‘Star Wars Weekends.’ I am a huge Star Wars fan and was excited when I realized we would be visiting during this time. It was great walking up to the admission gate to hear the great Star Wars themes written by John Williams and to see a huge poster that was a spoof of one of the first Star Wars movie posters from the late 70’s. They had Mickey and Minnie dressed up like Luke and Leia. Very cool.

We attended the Hyperspace Hoopla that night. It was a little show they put on each night to close out the Star Wars festivities. I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but it was a pretty funny show full of one liners that would be funny to any good Star Wars fan. They did a little dance using some of the signature moves from Star Wars characters… it was nicely done. We saw a few other attractions before taking in Fantasmic. As always, Fantasmic was excellent.

Quick note: We rode the Great Movie Ride. This ride needs a major retooling. The concept is good: Riding through the movies… but they need to add some new movies and they need to drop the whole live action bit. It sounds old and corny. And certain cast members just aren’t cut out for acting...

Coming Soon: Trip Report of Day 3 & 4