Above: A super-fan poses for this shot one hour before the World Series game Thursday.
When I was a kid, the highlight of each summer was when Dad took me to St. Louis to see the Cardinals. Willie Mays was the best player in baseball, but my favorite was Stan Musial. He hit for average and for power, but I also liked him as a person. I remember reading that after a baseball game, he was smoking a cigar. There were photographers around. "Don't take any photos of me smoking," said Musial. "Don't forget the kids." He realized he was a role model and didn't want to set a bad example. He'll be 91 years old next month.
Going to a World Series game was on my bucket list, but I can scratch it off now. Thursday, I saw my first one and it was exciting. The Cards lost 2-1 when the Texas Rangers scored twice in the top of the ninth to pull out a squeaker. Besides being an exciting game, Stan Musial was there!
I'm disappointed they lost, but anything now is icing on the cake. Hardly anyone expected them to beat the Philadelphia Phillies. They were underdogs to the Milwaukee Brewers. They are underdogs (according to the oddsmakers) to Texas. Heck, they were lucky to even get in the playoffs. They got hot at the right time and a good Atlanta Braves team had to collapse.
Above: TV cameras were everywhere. Here they zoom in on players doing their pre-game stretching. Click to enlarge any of the images.
Above: The first pitch of the game was from Jaime Garcia to Ian Kinsler.
Above: The grounds crew kept the field in good shape.
Above: Albert Pujols is the face of the Cardinals' franchise, but is a free agent as soon as the World Series is over. Do you expect him to return or will one of the rich teams outbid St. Louis?
Above: David Ortiz was honored before the game as the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. Boston fans, such as this one, remember that he hit 54 home runs in 2006, the year the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.
First photo taken by an usher. The others taken by me and with my Canon at F/4, 1/60 sec. and ISO 400.
Thanks for the pic's. The "Like" button was pressed very well.
ReplyDeleteNice post Mojo. I wish I could have been there with you. Enjoyed the pictures too.
ReplyDeleteI hope Pujols stays. It just wouldn't seem right to see him in another uniform.
That first picture was Cornholio, right?
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by MoJo! Looks like your retirement is going good. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhile the 9th inning of game 2 was a disappointment, perhaps the respect that you showed for Albert Pujols caused the vibes the contributed to his performance last night. And we will be cheering for the Cardinals again tonight.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind comments that you leave on the Viva la Voyage travel photo site that my wife, Julie, does, with a little assist from me.
I grew up in St. Louis in the 1960's, in the years of Tim McCarver, a native of Memphis, as I recall.
Very cool series! And I love that one of the fanatic fan! Can't imagine who that might be! Your photographic skills are excellent!
ReplyDeleteThanks to all who left comments.
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