My Favorite Cardinal Memories

by Michael Riehn
Whiteyball Staff

How do you break up a lifetime of Cardinal memories into one post?  While I wasn’t around to see Stan Musial swing the bat, Bob Gibson strikeout hitters or Lou Brock steal a base, I’ve seen a lot of great baseball moments in my time.  The United Cardinal Bloggers are sharing their Cardinal memories today, and I decided to add my personal ‘top 9′ to the list.  This is a list of moments that came to me off of the top of my head.  I’m sure there are some better, and not all of them are good moments, but they made an impression on me all the same

A Catcher in the Rye
October 13th, 1987

I was 10 years old and it was my first playoff game.  My dad had purchased a couple of tickets to the game and we sat through a great pitcher’s dual (Tudor vs. Drabecky) where a mistake on either side could mean the game.  In the second inning, Tony Pena came to the plate after a miserable year.

Pena was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates for Van Slyke/ LaValliere/ Dunne before the 1987 season.  With the Pirates, Pena had broke out in 1986 with a .288/ .356/ .406  slash line and was a 4 time All-Star and 3 time gold glove winner.  It looked like a fantastic trade.  Unfortunately he slumped to .214/ .281/ .307 in his first year with the birds, and was a general disappointment in his time with the Cards.

That didn’t matter in the 1987 playoffs.  In the second inning, Pena triple into right field with nobody out.  Willie McGee hit a ground ball on the infield for the first out, keeping Pena to third.  Up walked the secret weapon, Jose Oquendo. 

With the pitcher on deck, strategy dictates that you could walk Oquendo to set up the double play.  Fortunately for the Cardinals, they had the speedy Vince Coleman behind the pitcher, and he would have been tough to double up.  The Giants pitched to Oquendo and he hit a short fly ball to right field, which was JUST deep enough to score the run.  That was the only run of the game.  Cards win 1-0.

Man on the Moon
September 26th, 1998 

Whatever you think of Mark McGwire now, his 1998 season wasmagical.  I was in college and this was my days of casual fandom.  I still followed the Cardinals, but didn’t hang onto their every move like I do now (or did when I was younger). 

When I went to the game with my family, it was the last weekend of the season and the Cardinals were already out of the playoff race.  The season was far from over though, with the great home run race still in the balance.  Who would win the home run chase between McGwire and Sosa, and how many they would hit?

I was sitting in left field that day, and I remember McGwire’s number 68 like it was yesterday.  Not only did he hit it out, he hit it directly over my head, and the ball was still rising.  I’ll never forget seeing a home run hit this far and this high.  The ball seemed like it would never come down.

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

As a kid, one of the coolest things you can keep is a major league baseball from the game.  When I was young, I liked to keep score and when I had tickets close, I would go down to the railing to watch the pitchers warm up (when the bullpen was on the side of the field).

One night I was standing down by the bullpen, when a ball came rushing down the right field line.  The late Dave Ricketts caught the ball and tossed it over to me.  My eyes widened as the ball was coming near me and I could hardly believe my good luck.  Unfortunately I forgot to drop my pen and scorecard, and the ball bounced off the pen before I could catch it.  It landed in another man’s lap, who was happy enough to keep the ball for himself (and was booed by the nearby fans for not giving it to the kid). 

My heart sank as I sadly walked back to my seats.  I was embarrased and disappointed in not catching the ball and my parents did everything they could to chear me up.  I’ve since been able to pick up balls in batting practice and been near a lot of close calls, but I’ve never been that close to a baseball during a game again.

I Wouldn’t Have Missed it For the World
July 28th, 2002

The Chicago Cubs were leading St. Louis 9-4 at Busch Stadium in the 9th inning, and at Busch Stadium with several of my college buddies.  The game looked like it was out of hand, and one of my friends was worried about finding the Metro so he could make it back to his house in Illinois.  I had never left a game early before, but I decided that I’d walk with him to the Station to show him where it was.  The game was virtually over anyway, and I wanted to get back home.

This is the reason why you don’t leave games early.

Tom Gordon gave up three straight hits in the ninth and the game was suddenly 9-6, Chicago. Enter Ole Six Fingers, Antonio Alfonseca. He gave up two more base runners before uncorking a pitch that Edgar Renteria launched for the game winning 3 run home run. Six runs, only one out recorded, ballgame. 

Needless to say, it would have been better in person than on the radio.

Falling in Love Again
April 3rd, 2000

I had just graduated from college in December of 1999 and had found a job in St. Louis.  Coming home from work, I turned on the game and found that the Cardinals were leading 5-1 on opening day. 

I hadn’t paid much attention to the Cardinals in the pre-season.  I was engaged to be married and was working in my first job after college.  It was a hectic time and baseball hadn’t quite worked itself back into my life yet.

After turning on the radio, I was captivated by Jack Buck.  His voice was like listening to an old friend that I hadn’t heard from in years.  I was remembering all the joys I had growing up listening to the games.  

While I was reminiscing, Shawon Dunston came up and hit a pinch hit home run.  Buck’s call of the home run gave me a rush of emotions and helped me remember my excitement for the game.  It was just a pinch hit home run, broadcast from a radio as I was driving home from work.  But to me, it was so much more.  I remembered why I fell in love with the game in the first place and I was hooked again.

Walking in Memphis…  the day that baseball died
June 22nd, 2002

For my dad’s generation, everyone knows what they were doing the day that John F. Kennedy was shot.  For me, it was the day Darryl Kile passed away.  I was with my wife and a group of friends in Memphis and we were getting ready to go to a minor league game to see the Redbirds play.  Walking out of our hotel, we got into the car and turned on the radio to find that they Cardinal game had been delayed due to a “tragedy in the Cardinals family”.

I remember getting out of the car and keeping the radio on with my friends.  We stayed in the parking lot as questions came in torrents and the information came in short bursts.  Why are they canceling the game?  How did he die?  How could this happen?  He was so young.  What will the Cardinals do?  First Jack Buck and now Darryl Kile?  What will his family do?

It was a day of extreme sadness and confusion and one that is etched in my memory banks.

Houston We Have A Problem
October 17th, 2005

The Cardinals were a flawed team in 2005.  While winning over 100 games for the second year in a row, they battled injuries and were not the same tremendous team as 2004.  So when they were down 4-1 in the National League Championship Series to the Houston Astros and their dominant closer, Brad Lidge, was on the mound you just knew the game was over.

Second Chances
October 24th, 2006
In 2004, I had World Series tickets to Game 5.  Of course, we all know what happened.  After the thrilling victory over the Houston Astros, the World Series was canceled due to an unfortunate Martian attack on our planet.  In exchange for letting everyone live, they told us the World Series that year, could never be played…

Seriously, after the Cardinals were swept in the World Series by the Red Sox, and the whole nation was swept up in bloody sock fever, I had a bad feeling that my team would never see another World Series game again.  Getting to the World Series is hard enough to do, but winning one has been known to  elude a fanbase for over 100 years.  Whose to say that this wouldn’t be my last shot?

Then the inexplicable happened.  A mediocre team got hot at the right time in 2006, and my season tickets allowed me the chance to buy World Series tickets.  I jumped at the chance to go, and my wife and I went to the game.  Carpenter was dominant and the Cardinals were never really threatened.  The 5-0 win was a fantastic memory.

Celebrate Good Times… Come on!
October 27th, 2006

I wasn’t supposed to be there.  So many good stories start with that line.

I had bought tickets to game 4 of the World Series from my friend Matt Wilson because of the threat of rain.  His Dad did not want to drive up from Southeast Missouri to watch the game when there was a 90% chance of a rainout.  I had already seen my World Series game, and the tickets were expensive, but I couldn’t pass up another chance to go.  After thinking I’d never get to see a World Series game, I’d now get to see two!

Of course, the Cardinals were rained out that day, but rescheduled the game until after the next one.  With Matt Wilson and I in the stands, we hung on every pitch and watched the Cardinals win the World Series.  This was one of the biggest thrills of my life, and one that I will never forget.  From the first pitch to the party in the streets, I could write pages of commentary on this experience.  (Since this blog is approaching book form, I will leave it for a future post.)

There are many other fantastic Cardinal moments during my lifetime, but these are the ones that stick out in my memory.  What are your favorites?

Filed Under: Baseball