Sunday, February 1, 2015

CDP Theme Day: If you had to leave forever the city from which you usually post, what would you miss most?

2011-10-28 World Series Game 7 - 13

You thought I was going to say the Arch. Nope, the Cardinals.

The Arch is my totem, my colossus, my interplanetary monolith. I get to see it almost every day but most people in the region, away from downtown, do not. They may be more likely to find it as a logo on a delivery truck.

But the Cardinals, that's different. I've often referred to the team in these posts as the state religion. It's more than that, though. They are absolutely the unifying element of metro St. Louis. Everybody loves the Cardinals. There are 30 major baseball teams. We are the 18th largest market and we consistently rank in the top two or three in annual attendance. The team wins more than its share of championships - only the Yankees have won the World Series more often. In the 21st Century, the Cardinals are the Spirit of St. Louis.

These shots were taken over the last several years, mostly in and around the stadium, including one month old Madeleine attending a game. The cult is carried world-wide as in the last picture, with me and Mrs. C wearing our Cards shirts at Mt. Everest base camp in Tibet.

And it doesn't hurt that they have the best looking uniforms in baseball.                               

Cards-Dodgers 2013-10-11 2

2011-10-28 World Series Game 7 - 10

NLCS Game 5, 2011-10-12

Musial Memorials 2

Cards-Dodgers 2013-10-11 1

NLCS Game 6 - Cardinals Win - 2

NLDS Game 5 2013-10-09 13

Madeleine at Busch 2013-09-23 5

Cardinals Fans At Everest Base Camp

15 comments:

  1. Sometimes that's the way Bob, a sports team can elicit so much community spirit. Excellent choice for today.

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  2. Indeed, sports bring us together. Great choice for St. Louis. Fabulous photos to support your choice.

    May you never have to leave your Cardinals! Happy Theme Day!

    Janis
    GDP

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  3. I do like your entree very much, as you might imagine. Good entree, greetings from Tilburg (with Willem II footballclub sinds 1896)

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  4. Love your choice for the theme day. Well done!

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  5. I moved to Florida last year and still managed to attend 8 ballgames in St. Louis.

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  6. Perfect choice. And I love the last shot because it's so different (but I do have a soft spot for Madeleine...)

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  7. I had no idea you've been to Everest base camp!

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  8. An excellent choice and an excellent explanation. AND, fine photos to illustrate your selection. Even a Red Sox fan like me can grudgingly admire St. Louis' love for its Cardinals.

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  9. Nice choice for the theme. I like the Cardinals simply for their mascot and their colors! :)

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  10. Fantastic for a city to have a team like this. And I really like your photos of the fans.

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  11. Your set of photos definitely supports your point and your picture of the crowd in the stadium is what I find most impressive. It's packed!
    No doubt that ittle Madeleine being introduced to the spirit of the game at such a young age will be a keen supporter soon. I love the portrait of you too wearing your t-shirts too!

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