Today, August 21, 2011, I celebrate my 64th birthday. Earlier today, I commented to my youngest son, Paul, a big Cardinals fan, that the team was not doing a very good job of giving me what I would love to have – a sweep over our longtime rivals, the Chicago Cubs, and a chance to hold our own with the red hot Milwaukee Brewers. However, after being a devoted fan of the Cardinals my entire life, I must admit that  the Redbirds actually give me a birthday present EVERY time they take the field! Certainly it is more enjoyable when we win, but the Cardinals are such an important part of my life, indeed, such a big part of my family, that EVERYTHING they do, good and bad, affects my life.

Evidently the Redbirds do realize it is my birthday, though, since they are really hitting well tonight, like the great offensive team they are this season, and much better than they have done in recent games. Albert Pujols and John Jay have both homered once, and, one of my absolutely favorites, Yadier Molina, has homered twice. Whether we win tonight or not, I honestly have no control over, but I do know that win or lose I will receive a great amount of real joy just having the opportunity to watch my favorite team play, and I do my best to watch EVERY time they do…

As I sat at my Apple laptop this morning to check out the progress of my teams in ESPN’s Baseball Challenge, I have begun to realize what an important role Baseball plays and has always played in my life. It began as a young boy growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana. My father grew up on a farm during the depression and never had time to play baseball. However, during his late teen or maybe college years, he discovered the St. Louis Cardinals via KMOX radio. At that time the Cardinals were the only MLB team anywhere close to the south, and KMOX had a signal powerful enough to reach North Louisiana, where Dad lived and attended college – Louisiana Tech University, in Ruston, Louisiana. Although Dad was not much of a talker, unlike me, I imagine that listening to the Cardinals provided him an escape from the travails of everyday life during extremely bleak economic times in the 1930′s. Dad continued his love for baseball for the remainder of this life of 86 years (1917 – 2003). I have vivid memories of his watering the grass in our yard at each of the homes we lived at in Shreveport, our home  in Houston, Texas, where we lived from 1961 until Dad retired in 1982, and at their home in Monroe, Louisiana, where Dad lived the last 20 years of his life, and where my mother still lives – Mom turned 95 on May 19th this year (2011). Being a bean counter, or accountant to most of us, Dad had a special interest in following the Cardinals – He would devour every issue of the Sporting News, gleaning every tidbit he could about both the Cardinals’ Major League roster and all their minor league clubs. Basically he looked on the Cardinals as part of his family, and family was the most important thing in Dad’s life.

I guess after living amost 64 years (will be on August 21, 2011), I am in quite a few ways much like Dad. Although our personalities were completely different, me totally outgoing and loving people with Dad very quiet, seeming not enjoying many people’s company, we share the love of Baseball. And I am now beginning to realize it is the part that Baseball takes on as a part of my family that makes it so special to me. Yes, I love for the Cardinals to win, but, even when they lose, I have a special feeling for each player and the team as a whole. I seem to understand how each player feels, and, assuming I believe a particular player REALLY wants to do everything within his power and abilities to help the team win, there is nothing anyone can say to me that will cause me not to take up for this player, just like he was one of my brothers or my children.

Just this season, my youngest son, Paul, age 32, a police officer in the City of South Houson for the past six years, who is married and now has one son, Levi, who is exactly two months old today, has started to completely adopt the Cardinals as a part of his family, like Dad and me. Paul and his wife, Yessica, just recently switched from cable to Direct TV, and they watch virtually every inning of Cardinals’ games. He will text me and/or call me several times during most of the games, excitedly commenting on some great play one of our boys has made or looking for answers when things go badly. My hope is that Paul will continue his love affair with the Cardinals and Baseball, much like Dad and me. I can’t seem to get too much information about my Cardinal family – I watch as many innings as possible of their games on my iPad2 via MLB.TV, read every article on the Cardinals website, and win or lose, absolutely LOVE the team and every player and coach. Free Agency has been especially hard on me, as I find it difficult to let part of the family go when players are traded away.

This year I have started playing ESPN’s Baseball Challenge, which allows fans to put a toe in the water of Fantasy Baseball. It has been most enjoyable for me, as I select the players for my three teams while listening and watching the Cardinals’ games. I think this has definitely broadened my knowledge of the players in both leagues, and it certainly provides a source of relief when my Cardinals are struggling with the many travails of daily life in the Majors.

I definitely am looking forward to this afternoon’s game against the Reds, and to many more years with my family…

Today my youngest son, Paul, and I had a wonderful time spending the day together at a sports memorabilia show in Houston. Paul is a most avid collector, and had asked quite some time ago if I could schedule the day off work today so we could share the experience of getting several autographs – Rickey Henderson, Whitey Herzog, and Evan Longoria – and looking for several baseball cards and other collectible items he wanted to add to his considerable collection. We were quite successful in finding most of the items we were seeking, but in my estimation our getting to spend the day together and having the opportunity to meet several new friends who share our love of baseball was by far the most rewarding thing we did.

PLEASE take my advice, and TAKE the time to spend as much time as possible with those you love and to establish new friendships! You will be SO glad you did, and your life will be far more meaningful, as will the lives of those you share time with…

When the Houston Astros’ GM, Ed Wade, declined to offer Lance Berkman an opportunity to come back to Houston at the end of the 2010 season, who would have ever guessed that the “Big Puma” would become such an important part of the St. Louis Cardinals’ pennant chase in 2011. Not only has Lance hit like the Lance of former years, but he has become one of the primary leaders of the team, on and off the field! And he’s playing solid defense in both right and left field and running the bases and throwing like he did when a college standout at Rice University years ago. Lance has become the court jester, team cheerleader, and instant main man for the 2011 version of the Redbirds. He has become a vital part of the imposing center of the Cardinals lineup, making opposing pitchers and managers quake when considering how to deal with 3, 4, and 5 hitters Pujols, Holliday, and Berkman! As a lifelong Cardinals fan who just happens to reside in the greater Houston area, I could not be happier for Lance and the Redbirds!!!!!

Now if we can just get all our key personnel healthy and on the field together for an extended period of time…

Last night in Denver, the Redbirds young sophomore LHP, Jaime Garcia, had by far the roughest outing of his Major League career. How he responds to this beating will have a great deal to say about what this young man is made of. As a diamond is formed by years of tremendous heat and pressure, a Major League pitcher’s future is formed by how he responds to difficulties he encounters. My thought is that young Garcia will bounce back quickly and get back on his path to becoming a dependable top of the rotation starter for the Cardinals!

A personal note: I am greatly enjoying my first endeavor into the world of Fantasy Baseball this season. I put my toe into  the water by joining a few friends to play ESPN’s Baseball Challenge. Not only have I learned a great deal about ALL of the players in the Majors other than my beloved Cardinals, I now have an outlet to help defer my frustration when my Redbirds perform poorly, like, for instance, yesterday’s 15 – 4 drubbing by the Rockies…