They. Just. Won't. Go. Away.

Much like my blog posts about baseball, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals team just would not quit. Really, the entire season was full of the the Cardinals proving people wrong, which I admired. They had developed their own quirky superstitions, from "Happy Flights" to a rally squirrel. By the time the World Series rolled around, they had been faced with numerous "do or die" games, so often that I always believed in my heart they would win. So when Game 6 of the World Series came down to not only the last out, but the last strike, with David Freese at the plate I had no doubt in my mind he would come through.

The fall of 2011 I had a night class at MSSU, which was unfortunate, because a couple post season games for the Cardinals fell on class night. My dad's theory was, if I skipped class that would give the team bad luck and they would lose. His guilt trip worked. I may have paid more attention to my phone giving game updates during class than I did to my professor, but I never missed a single night class. Then I realized Game 6 of the World Series was set to fall during my night class. Oh the agony! However, I was in luck, rain had swept into the St. Louis area, and Game 6 had been postponed to Thursday. (God truly seemed to be working in my favor!)

Thursday night finally came and once again, I was faced with a dilemma. At OCC, Thursday nights are reserved for dorm devotions at 9pm. Game time was at 7:05. Our dorm parents were gracious enough to let us invade their little apartment living room to watch the game. They even excused us from devos to continue watching. But yet again, my dad's theory, if I skipped devos it would bring the Cardinals bad luck. At that point in the game, the Cardinals were down 7-4 and needed all the luck they could get. So at 9pm I grudgingly made my way outside with my fellow dorm mates, while my best friend, Brianna, sat happily in the apartment continuing to watch our team.

As we sat around a bonfire, singing praises to God, I watched my phone... (For some reason, my dad was okay texting me constant updates of the game, as long as physically I was in the place I needed to be). I sat anxiously and squealed as I read that Allen Craig hit a home run bringing us within 2 in the bottom of the 8th. At last, devos were over and I sprinted up the hill to my dorm, just in time to catch the all important 9th inning. Unfortunately, there was a negative vibe in my dorm parents apartment, so I elected to finish the game upstairs in my room with my trusty radio. (I don't like watching the Cards with people who lack faith in them).

David Freese landing safely at 3rd to tie the game in the 9th.

On the bright side, and to my advantage, by listening to the game on the radio, I learned the outcome of the game several seconds before those watching the TV. I listened and I paced my dorm room floor, while my roommate videotaped my ridiculousness. When David Freese belted one out to the wall for a triple to tie the game I knew it was historic. With the game in extra innings, and the Rangers going up by 2 again, I still knew not to count out those "never say die" Cardinals. As I stood frozen, no longer pacing the floor, hands on my head, the Cardinals tied it up again. On TV, I later learned Joe Buck exalted, "They. Just. Won't. Go. Away." Oh how true that proclamation was. How fitting, when the Cardinals were down to their last strike, for the 3rd time that game, David Freese was back at the plate. I went back to pacing the floor, when I heard the famous words of Mike Shannon bring joy to my heart, "Get up, baby, get up, baby, get up!"

Freese after hitting the walk off home run,
being greeted by his team.

Normally, I'm a quiet, composed person, but with those words, I went screaming and running down my dorm hallway. As I rounded the corner to go down the stairs, I almost ran over my dorm R.A. She gave me the look of death, because 10pm starts quiet hours, and by then it was well past 10. Then she noticed who she was giving the look to and in shock said, "Oh... Caitlin? Never mind, continue!" While she didn't entirely care what the Cardinals had just done, she knew it was important to me. I continued my marathon run, while screaming, until I reached my dorm parents apartment, where I was racing to find Brianna. On TV, David Freese had yet to hit the game winning, walk off home run, but Brianna already knew. She had heard me up above them, screaming and running (sounding like an elephant), so she screamed and pushed through the crowd that had gathered at the door to meet me with a giant bear hug. Finally, the TV caught up to real life and cheers of disbelief erupted from the crowded living room. The Cardinals just wouldn't go away.

The Cardinals shredding Freese's jersey.
A tradition they made in 2011 when players hit walk offs.

The excitement from Game 6 made for a lackluster World Series win in Game 7, nonetheless, the Cardinals, at last, found themselves champions. My family's superstition with Dave remained in tact. What we had known since June finally came true; we just had no idea what a wild ride it would be to get there. Back in August, the way I met my future best friend, was made all the sweeter with World Series Champions attached to the memory. The knowledge about the Cardinals my dad had been passing to me since 2010 seemed a lot more significant now that we had shared our own history together. While feeling overwhelming joy from the long, hard fought victory, late in the night on October 28, 2011, we were all once again left staring out the window waiting for spring.