"It's just baseball..." A Farewell Blog

So, hours after the Reds clinched the division title, the Cards lose to the Pirates (again), and the end of the season is coming into sight, I'm saying farewell to baseball. This has absolutely nothing to do with our boys. I still love them, and will root for them until the end...which just so happens to be on Sunday. I know we've had a very *ahem* shaky season this year, but I've had a lot of fun. Right now, reporters and columnists everywhere are speaking of the rather humiliating couple months we've had after a big sweep of the Reds back in August. But I want to talk about the good stuff.

Like I stated in my last blog, good things have come out of this year. Waino got his 20th win, and that's kind of a big deal. You know what is also a big deal? Albert Pujols 400th Home run. Oh, and you know what else? Jaime's 1st complete game. Other things that are cool: Grand slams, 40+ home run seasons, game-winning Brendan Ryan RBI's, BAMF catchers named Yadier Molina, and wicked sliding catches by kids named Jon Jay. This season wasn't all bad, in fact, I thought it was pretty fun. Actually, I'd like to thank a few people:

Matt Holliday- You are incredible. What I love most about you, is your ability to take control. I love when you come up to bat, as Pujols is on base, there are 2 outs and we're down by a run. Thats when I love to see that ball fly in the bleachers. I do enjoy you venting your frustrations on the bat every once in a while when you strike out, but lets not get ejected again next year, k? Anyway, thank you for your incredible spirit.


Adam Wainwright- You're my favorite all around good guy. My favorite days are when you're on the mound. The best thing about getting to see you pitch against the Diamondbacks, wasn't your pitching, though. It was your "quiet time" out on the field. Through your faith in God and faith in your team, you are a true inspiration. Congrats on the 20th win, you deserve it. And, thank you for being such a good influence, on and off the field.



Brendan Ryan- Thank you for being you. You are the reason I became a fan of the game, and I could never thank you enough for that. I know you had a hard slump this year but, chin up, there will always be room for improvement. I just ask you put your best out on the field, because I believe in you. Just stay true to who you are, and you'll be a gold glove shortstop one day.


Colby Rasmus- We had our differences in the beginning, but we worked them out, and I have learned to love you. You are basically the most emotionless guy I've ever seen, but I can't help but admire how nice you are to all of the fans. You may think it goes unnoticed from all the bad media attention you've gotten lately, but I deeply appreciate your willingness to meet and sign for your fans. I sure like seeing that glove of yours in centerfield, too! Thank you for being such a caring person, your fans really do appreciate you.



Skip Schumaker- Oh Skipperdoodle, I didn't see you out there nearly as much as I would have liked. I would like you to know, you are my favorite second baseman. The thing you need to improve on: you mustn't blame yourself for every missed ball. It's okay, you're human. We forgive you. Please stop mumbling curse words to yourself. I hope your wrist feels much better next year and you're able to start almost every game, because I'm much more confident when I see #55 out on the field. Thanks for being pretty much BA.




Yadier Molina- What would we do without you? You are the best catcher in all of baseball, and yes, that is a fact. There is nothing I enjoy seeing more than when men run on you. I really dont think they'll ever learn, and I personally dont mind...I like seeing the BAMF Yadi come out from that all-smiles shell you seem to have. I know how much you love making it to first, and we love seeing you there. I also love seeing you on second and third, too...but I wont ask too much of you, personally. Just keep doing what you're doing, and keep an eye on that knee of yours. We dont need any more injuries. Thank you for being one of the best catchers to ever live.



Jon Jay- Do you mind if I call you Jonathan? I like that name. So here's the thing, Jonathan, I like you. And I want you to stay here in St. Louis. I appreciate you out on the field. I know there were some hurt feelings over the Luddy trade, but I think you've made some incredible plays out there, and that needs to keep happening. In order for that to keep happening you have to keep being awesome, right? Right. Good. I'm glad we're on the same page, here.


Albert Pujols- Oh, Alberto. We all know we can count on you to keep hitting that ball in the seats. Not only that, but we can still count on you to keep those balls in the infield when you're out there...even when you are hurting. To start as many games as you have and to keep playing through the pain, takes a lot of strength. Which you, my friend, have got a lot of. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments this year. We couldn't be such a great team without you, Albert, and we're so proud to have you. Thank you for being the man that you are.


Blake Hawksworth- Hawks, there are so many things I could say about you right now. When you had your spot in the starting rotation, I loved seeing you out there so much. I was so happy for you. I know you're back in the bullpen again, but I believe you can have your place on the mound any time of the day, just keeping working at it. Thank you for being so trustworthy, my friend. Please heal as quickly as possible. My prayers go out to you.


Jason Motte- I. Love. You. That is all. No, not really, but I do thoroughly enjoy seeing you out there. Your pitching style is so different and unique, its always interesting to see how you'll react to each strike you throw. You're a nervous wreck out there, and it makes me nervous, but I love every second of it. Your fastball rocks. Keep it up. Thank you for each and every pitch.


Jaime Garcia- Oh, Jaime, you're so pretty. *Ahem* I mean, I like your tight pants. *coughs* Okay, Okay...I'll be serious now. For a minute. You've been a very valuable part to the team this year, and I'm so proud of how far you've come after surgery. I know you'll do even more spectacular things next year, and I'm excited to see what they will be. Congratulations to you as well, and good luck on the Rookie of the Year. Thank you for that left arm of yours. And the rest of your body. *AHEM* Man...I've got a tickle in my throat. ;)


Now I know there were many others who played vital roles in the team this year such as Carp, David Freese, and yes, even Aaron Miles made some good plays (and pitches) this year. Westbrook even played a good role since he's been in the starting rotation. (much better than someone else I could name...) There are many more baby birds I could go through and even some more veterans, but I don't want this post dragging on too long for all of you. The point of my post is, the season is all about how you look at it. Sure, we didn't make it to the playoffs, but that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy some good old fashioned baseball along the way. I have my hopes for next year, and I'll be counting down the days until spring training (and hopefully more Brendan/Joe videos). For now, its time to enjoy the last five games of the season for fun. No stress, no frustration, just fun. It's my time to say farewell to baseball for the year, and move on.

So, farewell my fellow baseball friends. See you next year.

Why I love the St. Louis Cardinals

Throughout the last few months, I've posted more than numerous amounts of #chickcomments on twitter and had my share of girly moments when my favorite pitchers take the mound. But, to tell you the truth, there's more to my baseball fondness than just my favorite guys, whether you believe me or not. ;)

I'm a big fan of making lists, I've got a bit of a sporadic thought process, so making lists helps me organize my thoughts much easier. So, here is a list of the real reasons I love Cardinals baseball:

1. You really couldn't pick a better group of guys to play a sport they love. I'll admit I've had my share of disfavor of a few players this year, but for the most part, it has nothing to do with the way they participate on the field. Each man plays their part, and he plays it well. It's like a brotherhood in the Cardinal clubhouse and, in my opinion, this team has the best set of role models than any other I've seen so far (but maybe I'm a just little biased). Even in the tough times, our boys have shown their faith in the team, and faith in each other. When Brendan and Colby had their hard times this year, they made sure to encourage one another, to work hard and to keep their heads up. When Westbrook came to the team, the fans didn't know how to react after Luddy left, and as I captured in this photo, Yadi was there to help him through his first start. Such an inspiring group of men.

2. This team has become something like a second family to me. It's been a bit of a tough season, and its been a bit of a rough time for me in my own life, so in a way, the cardinals going through their rough spots has helped me through my own. I can always depend on them to be there just about every night. Even if they haven't played their best baseball this year, I've loved cheering them on. One of my reasons for loving our quirky shortstop is because, in the first half, many people wanted to stop believing in him, to stop believing he could get better at the plate, and to stop believing his defense mattered anymore. But families dont stop believing. Tony knew he could improve himself and had patience with Brendan. I'm thankful for that every day I see those stirrup socks on the field.

3. I know the last month or so hasn't been as exciting as the first couple months of the season, but even in these last few weeks we've still seen some pretty good games. Adam got his 20th win yesterday, Pujols hit his 400th home run, Yadi, Skip and Colby all hit grand slams this year, and Jaime Garcia got his first complete game. That's all pretty amazing, to me. Even if we aren't going to make it to the postseason, its still been a fun one to watch. I've been to six games this year, and they've all been intense. Especially my first, against the Reds, I'll never forget that game. Or my second, against the Diamondbacks. This is why I love this club, we can win games in just over two hours with a final score looking a little like this one: 8-0 in the bottom of the 8th. This game was by far one of my favorites. Of course Waino was pitching that one. ;)

4. I dont mean to brag but, even our baby birds are pretty amazing. Guys like Joey Bombs, Daniel Descalso, Allen Craig, Jon Jay, and Matt Pagnozzi have really shown what their made of recently, and I've got to say, I certainly appreciate them. Ever since the absence of Luddy, Jay has gotten a large majority of the starts in right field, and I dont mind. They've played their hearts out, and I enjoy seeing the young guys have a chance out on the field. I've got faith in these young guys, and I'm excited to see who might be with us in the bigs next year.

5. Because of the Cardinals I have gotten a chance to make a lot of new friends on twitter. Thanks to my tweeps, I haven't watched a game by myself since the beginning of the year, and I love it. I've enjoyed yelling at the tv with all of my twitter friends throughout the entire season this year, and I thank you guys for being such good fans, even in the hard moments. I love you guys, thanks for being there with me this season. It's been a lot of good times. :)

6. Last, and most importantly, being a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals has brought me even closer to my best friend, Kris. I didn't even know that was possible, since we're basically the same person anyway. A few months back I never would have imagined my life would be consumed by a sport I knew she loved. I was determined not to like it, but I gave it a chance because I knew she loved it. Little did I know how exciting it all was.I've had some of our funnest memories this summer, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Thank you, Kris, for sharing Cardinals baseball with me. I owe you big time.

Would you let me see the world, behind your eyes?

Here's the thing: I'm going to be a counselor.
One way or another, that's what I'm going to do in my life. It may not be full time like I expect it to be, (who am I to say what God has in store for my life) but its going to happen. I want to be a good influence to others, and I want to help people who are going through dark times. Yeah, you might not expect that coming from me, since I gripe about how much I "hate people" all the time, but truth be told, I really care about everyone. People I've never met. People I've known all my life. I don't believe anyone deserves unhappiness, and I hope to be that person to brings that to light, that we all deserve to be happy with ourselves.
So, to all the people that believe I'll change my mind: You might be right. And you might be wrong. I hope you stick around to find out.

A Look Inside a Dream..

So, here's a list of some of the things I've wanted to do in my life. The bold font, means I've already been able to experience that wish. (yes, many of them have to do with music. Music literally changed my life, what can I say? I wouldn't be me without it.) This is in no particular order.

• See Switchfoot in concert (I didn't get to spend it with my best friend, and I got in major trouble that night...but it was totally worth it.)
  
• Meet Jon Foreman/Tell him how much he means to me (I've done this multiple times [with my best friend], and I can't express how nice and caring he is.)
  
• See Fiction Family in concert (Best show of my LIFE.)
  
• See Michael Buble in concert
• Meet Kevin Young (sweetheart!)
  
• Meet all the original guys of Kutless/tell them how they changed me (I met them all at my first concert, but was too scared to talk much. I also found Ryan Shrout [guitarist] at a Switchfoot show shortly after he left the band to take care of his little girl. He walked with me to the Jon Foreman secret aftershow, and I told him how much Kutless changed my life.)
• Meet Andy Barron (He and Ryan Shrout enclosed me and Kris in a revolving door. He also said he and I were twinsies because we were both wearing black jackets and To Write Love On Her Arms shirts.)
  
• See a Jon Foreman Secret Aftershow in person (Yupp. Got into LOADS of trouble. Didn't care. I talked to Jon Foreman, and was one of about 30 people to be the first to hear a new song of his...and here's my video of it.)
  
• Confess my undying love to Tim Tebow (Okay I'm joking...except I'm not.)
  
• Meet Brendan Ryan
• Meet Jamie Tworkowski of To Write Love On Her Arms (I dont know if there is a more caring human being on the planet.)
  
• Marry Jason Motte (I may be joking...and I might be serious...)
  
• Actually finish a book not authored my Donald Miller (Took forever. btw, Best. Author. Ever.)
• Meet Donald Miller (He was super hilarious!)
  
• Win a Photography contest
• Get a photograph I took, published in any form (does an internet article count?)
  
• Write for something that actually means something. (I've realized that writing for yourself is writing for something.)
  
• Get a Media Pass into a concert/sports event
• Learn to cook (I'm workin' on it...)
  
• Lead someone to Christ (I will never fully accomplish this. I wont ever be done.)
  
• Learn German
• Visit Ireland and Germany
• Read my family Heritage Book (Uhm, I'm distantly related to John Quincy Adams, and my greatgreatgreat etc. uncles went across the Delaware with George Washington.)
  
• Make a difference (Again, I'll always strive for this...)
  
• Be a loving wife and mother
• Write a story
  
• Write a book
• Watch a Colts game with my dad at Lucas Oil Stadium (A week from tomorrow!)

So, there's actually about a million more things to go on this list. But these are just some things I want to do with my life. I'm so blessed to have already accomplished a majority of them. There have been so many amazing influences in my life, and I've met just about every single one of them. :) My life is incredible.

And so it began...

By request of the best friend, I'm going to write about my Labor Day weekend...

But first, we must go back a few months, to June. June 1st was my first baseball game. No, not of this year- it was my first ever. My best friend, Kris, had been trying to get me into baseball for weeks but I just couldn't see the fun in it. She told me to keep an eye on the Cardinal's Shortstop, Brendan Ryan. "You'll probably like him," she said, "He's twitchy." At this, I just rolled my eyes and stared at the screen. I had no clue what was going on, after all.

Sitting there in a sea full of Cardinal red at Busch Stadium, certainly had an effect on me. Maybe it was the smell of the ballpark hot dogs in the air, the cheering of the crowd, or just the plain excitement on Kris's face, but something changed me that night. And my life as I knew it, changed forever. I was now a baseball fan- a Cardinal fan.

That night we played against the Reds, and lost by one. But it was such a close game, I didn't care. By the time I got back home, I wanted to go back as soon as possible. Weeks later, Kris had come over (to watch the game, I do believe) when she told me she'd always wanted to have a 'baseball weekend'. "Lets do it!" I said, and seconds later, we were on StubHub looking up a good weekend to go. We decided on Labor Day weekend because there were a couple promotions called Photo Day and also Jersey Off Our Backs Day. Not only that, but we were playing against the Reds that weekend, and since I had just seen how well the Reds played, I thought it'd be fun to see them again...especially since I found seats directly behind the dugout!

Between my first game and last Saturday, Kris and I attended 3 more games, only 1 of which resulted in a W. But I remained hopeful. Throughout those months, I also started using Twitter again, and gained many Cardinal friends. Thanks to Kris and a little help from my tweeps, I certainly learned a lot about baseball in a short amount of time.

By the time the weekend came around, I had already seen every player on the team play live in a game at least once except Lohse and Garcia, which was pretty much amazing, if you ask me. I had already developed a love for a few favorites, including: Brendan Ryan (Kris was right, that guy is such a spaz & I love it), Adam Wainwright, Yadier Molina (gotta love my future brother-in-law), Nick Stavinoha, Jason Motte and Blake Hawksworth. Not to say I dont love everyone, but usually love the underdog...

So Saturday came around and we left mildly early, ate breakfast and headed to St. Louis. We boarded the metro for the third time in two weeks and prepared for what was to come. By the time we got to Busch, a crowd has already formed, and we were two hours early for the gates to open! So, we moved to another, less crowded gate, where we saw two of our St. Louis tweeps!

By the time the gates finally opened, it was a mad rush to get onto the field, and we had no clue where we were going, so we followed the crowd. I had been freaking out all morning about getting a good spot on the field, when Kris just looked at me blankly and said, "It's us. We're in a line, relatively close to the front, what does that always mean?" I cracked a smile and said, "Front row, center?" (Kris and I have been to over 40 concerts together, always front row, and always meeting the musicians afterwords.)

That is exactly what happened. We were right up front, directly in centerfield, right behind the outfield grass. Next to us were two photographers who got a kick out of Kris and I having spazz attacks, and poked a little fun at us, as well. Before the guys come around I looked at Kris and said, "Who's going to ask Mottey for a picture? Because I wont be able to speak!" "Well, neither will I!" she shouted. I turned to the photographer next to me and asked, "If Jason Motte comes by, will you take our picture?...if we can gather enough courage to ask him!" He was more than happy to.

The coaches were the first to come around. I had never really seen Mark McGwire in person before, and he was the first to come into few, so that was cool. Although, my first thought was, He's younger than my mom..? (Sorry Mark, but maybe try some Just For Men? You're lookin' a bit white.) Then there was Tony La Russa, the man. He was being so nice to the fans. He'd wave, walk a few steps, pose, walk a little further, pose again, and wave some more. It was kinda funny to see.

Then came Pujols, Yadi, and Jon Jay...then the crowd went crazy. But that group went way too fast, and I felt pretty bad for Kris. My favorite, Brendan Ryan came around by himself, which I thought was a little odd, but didn't think much of it. I could tell he certainly didn't mind. He loved all the attention he got. He really is like a puppy. Just as hyper, just as ADD, just as starved for attention and just as cute. ;) btw, for all my tweeps reading...his eyes are green. I win. :D I didn't get my picture with him, but just seeing him that happy was good enough.

I dont really remember who all came in order after that but, I'll talk about Holliday and Skip...of all people on the team, I would've thought Matt Holliday would've been the guy to be like "Oh yeah, fans, cool, I've done this a million times.." but no, he was so sweet! Had a big smile on his face the entire time and gave out lots of high fives. (including some to me and Kris!) Skip took a little longer because he was posing for more pictures with people. The chick behind us was apparently in love with Skip, so she got her picture with him, right next to us. Then Skip had an interview directly in front of us. Felt weird having a camera right in my face...

Somewhere in there, Colby Rasmus came around. I wondered why it was taking SO LONG for him to come around our way, when I saw the reason why. He was taking pictures with everyone who asked. What a nice guy! Some kid gave him a goofy, furry hat, and Colby sat his own cap on the kids head, it was pretty cute. Eventually Colby came around, and I asked if we could get our pictures with him. I meant for us to each get individual pictures with him, but it was evident he got a little confused. He left after I took a picture of him and Kris. Oh well.

Then came the men of the bullpen. Trevor Miller walked around with that goofy curly wig, and cracked up a lot of fans. (thank you Trevor, we dont need to see that shaved head of yours.) Of course Blake Hawksworth would be the one goofing off. When they were coming our way Blake grabbed Motte and posed for a goofy picture as they were walking away. I thought we had missed our chance to get a picture, but I just couldn't speak up! Just then, the photographer next to me shouted, "Jason...Jason...JASON." as loud as he could, and got Motte's attention. "Big fans!" He said, pointing to Kris and I, "Can we get a picture?" At this, Motte got a huge grin on his face, said "Sure!" and trotted over to us. After that, my day was pretty much complete. I didn't care what else happened. I met my #2.

We got a couple high fives from Kyle McClellan and Nick Stavinoha, too! Jaime Garcia was the last to come around, when a lot of the crowd had already left. He was taking pictures with all the fans that were left, including me and Kris. The photographers that took our pictures said they'd email us the pictures. I still have no email. Here's to hoping he didn't lose my email address!

So, that was Photo Day. We ended up losing pretty bad to the Reds. But I got to see Yadi throw out Brandon Phillips after trying to steal second. HAH. When will they ever learn? Especially Brandon Phillips...

The second day pretty much consisted of the same amount of excitement. Except I got a free cherry Popsicle and spilled it on my new Yadi jersey. :( Thank goodness for Shout! kris and I both bought 10 raffle tickets each in hopes of one of us winning a jersey, but no luck. Oh well, all the money went to a good cause, so I wasn't too disappointed. (Plus, I got to see all the guys take off their jerseys on the field. O.O) (Why hello, Matt Holliday...) Oh, and we beat the Reds of course. :D

We followed the game with our ritual trip to Steak N' Shake. Celebration ice cream!!

All in all, my summer was filled with nothing but Cardinals, Cardinals, Cardinals. and I wouldn't have it any other way. Even if we don't make it to the post season. But we will...cause I Got A Feelin'!