My favorite baseball memory was in 2006, only a few months after the new Busch Stadium opened in St. Louis. I went to a day game that summer with my dad and we watched as Albert Pujols (still a Cardinal at that point) hit 4 home runs in one game. The Cardinals went on to win the World Series that year, the first in my life time.
My Freshman year of high school (2004) the Cardinals went to the World Series after defeating the Dodgers in the NLDS and then the Astros in the NLCS. Walking the halls of my high school, everyone was fired up. My Geometry teach even let a student monitor the game from her computer during class (this was before we all had smartphones). I no longer remember which game in which series, but I remember him stopping the lesson to let everyone know that the Cardinals had just hit a Grand Slam. The Cards eventually lost to the Red Sox in the World Series that year, but man that playoff season was fun. .
In 2011, I stayed up until 2AM to watch the Cardinals beat the Rangers in Game 7 of the World Series. Two hours later I had to work the opening Lifeguard shift at he YMCA and I still had all the adrenaline I needed to stay alert in case anyone started to drown. 😂
This book gave me an insiders look at a whole other dimension of the game of Baseball. From unwritten rules, to on-field retaliation, cheating scandals, and team pranks, I learned that the game I grew up watching has more than a few questionable things in its history. Even so, always having your teammates back, showing respect for your opponents and playing to win seem to be the themes of the ball players “code”.
My favorite quote because it can so easily be applied to life in general: “I honestly believe that what you learn in this game is not yours to possess, but yours to pass on.” -Dusty Baker