Winter Warm-up

I have to apologize for this being late. I intended to have this posted during this year’s event, but alas, some things are unpredictable and hinder the best of plans. 

That said, the Cardinals Care Winter Warm-Up should be on every Cardinals fan’s bucket list. This is a full three days of non-stop Cardinals action – fans, players, memorabilia, shopping, and more. There are activities for all ages, opportunities to see rare items, and the chance to soak in all that is good about the club. My favorite part though is getting player autographs.

Let’s face it. Only so many people can crown around the first base line sticking balls and pens out praying for a player to walk by and take you up on your offer. Some players won’t even give you the time of day. Others are gracious enough, but only have so much time. We can’t all win at this game.

The Winter Warm-up provides a guaranteed signature, provided you are willing to pay for it and stand in line. But those are small costs to swallow when you consider the payoff. We attended the Winter Warm-up in 2010 and where lucky enough to get almost all signatures. This includes Yadier Molina, who is typically too busy in the bullpen to sign during games and who hasn’t appeared at the even since. This also includes Sir Albert Pujols, who wouldn’t dare sign during a game and has since taken all future opportunities away from us. (Ok, he can still sign his name, but he’s not doing it as a Cardinal, so it doesn’t officially count!)

At times you feel like cattle herding through the ropes to reach the end, but that end is worth it.

During our trip, we experienced two of my most favorite Cardinal moments:

Chris Carpenter – “Carp” is a legend. While some call him “Darth Carp”, I prefer to go with “The Hulk” because you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry! Anyway, we get to Carp and hand him a photo to sign. I was standing to the side taking pictures of my husband getting these autographs and the players doing so. But Carp was taking a good deal of time, just staring at the photo. Eventually, he asked my husband where it came from, to which he pointed to me. So I was able to go up and talk to Carp about the photo and he went on about not seeing anything like it before and how good it was. Of course, I offered to send him a copy. That was my proudest moment as a photographer – having a photo of one of the greats that he himself found worthy. And now I’m the proud owner of an autographed copy of that same photo…   

Brendan Ryan – We love the “B-Ry” (as we call him in our house). He is a great player. He played outstanding defense, gave great effort, and was an all-around nice guy. We’re still bitter that the Cardinals gave him up, but that’s another story. Brendan was such a class act at this event. Not only was he signing autographs, but he was taking his time with each person. He’d talk to them, ask questions, and engage with them. His line was running way behind as a result, but again, that’s a small price to pay to get one-on-one attention from your favorite players. He did the same with us, engaging in conversation and being human for a minute. And that made him an even more beloved person in our eyes. 

 

The bottom line is that you can meet your hero and receive a collectible that is priceless to you, and might be worth a lot to someone else in the future. And every dollar you spend to do so is going to charity. Why not support a good cause and meet some legends at the same time? Bucket List: CHECK!

Left at the altar

I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating the situation with Albert Pujols, trying to understand why I have the sudden urge to dislike him so, when just this past October he was the apple of my eye. And I think I finally made an analogy that summed it up well: he left me at the altar.

Consider “me/I” to be the St. Louis Cardinals, the fans, and the city at large. And consider Sir Albert to be our beloved beau. We started our relationship many years ago with cautious optimism, not knowing if we were meant to be. Many people believed that he wasn’t the right man for me and that this was a huge risk to take. But like all fools in love (or at least hoping the road will lead there…), we ignored all the others and jumped into a relationship.

It only took a few years for me to figure out that we were, indeed, a good fit. Sir Albert wanted to prove that he was “the one” and came out swinging. We got along so well, and had such great times, that it wasn’t long before we were engaged. 

We had such great times. We took road trips together, stayed in fancy hotels, and took in the beauty of so many places neither one of us had been before. And with each trip, we continued to add to our photo album a list of accomplishments we shared together. Each award, each accolade, each round of applause belonged to us both – after all, who would Sir Albert have been without us? We believed in each other and supported each other through years of ups and downs. But every night, we came home to each other, happy we had made the leap of faith that we did. Sir Albert even brought me home some fancy rings to show his appreciation!

After all these years of courtship and promise, it was finally time to take those vows our engagement promised. It was time to say “I do” to each other, and commit for a lifetime of continued bliss. I was ready. I was more than ready. The date was set, the invitations were out, the guests had arrived, the gifts were on the table… Everything was set for this wedding to be the biggest, more special occasion in our lives. 

But, while I was there in my beautiful gown awaiting the sounds of the Wedding March, I noticed at the altar that Sir Albert was still not there. My family and friends all looked around feverishly, trying to determine what had become of my Prince Charming. But suddenly, looking out from our Arch window, we see my husband-to-be hop into a shiny convertible with some other woman, and they begin to hightail it out west. 

There I was. Alone. Devastated. Humiliated. Left to explain what had just happened, but finding no words. 

After a little time had passed, and I had come to grips with reality, I was still left alone with my thoughts. Like anyone looking back on past love, I remember Sir Albert fondly. And in my heart, I will always love him. But I also cannot forgive him for the pain he caused me. I want to prove to him that he lost the best thing he ever had. I want him to see that I was able to continue without him, even better than before, and rub his nose in what he passed up. And I want to see his new relationship fail miserably. 

That’s how I relate to the madness that has been bestowed upon me – as a lover scorn.

Ready for action

 Game face on

 Our previous Prince Charming with our new love...

 Albert's Last At-Bat

Introduction

My dream is to become a photographer for the St. Louis Cardinals. 

That's a hard thing to accomplish when you don't live in St. Louis, didn't learn learn photography in school, have a day job to dedicate yourself to, and are trying to enter a narrow field to begin with. Not to mention the licensing restrictions on using any of the fabulous photos I've taken. 

This blog is an attempt to help me with my dream. Maybe someone will discovery my untapped talent and I'll shortly be posting from the clubhouse instead of my home office. But even if that doesn't happen, I hope to be able to share some joy through my photos. I'll also be posting my thoughts on the team, the games I attend, and random tidbits that you might find helpful, insightful, or just plain funny.

I love the Cardinals. And I love photography. And I'd really love to combine the two into a profitable career! I truly hope you enjoy what you read and view on this blog.

Disclaimer: All photos displayed in this blog are my personal copyright and may not be reused without my written consent. Additionally, these photos represent the trademark of the MLB and are not for sale and must abide by their restrictions as well.

I'll start with a little Game 7 celebration to kick things off right...