the incredible land of red

I hail from the land of red. Although our mail lady would say our address clearly states Kansas, the city of red is a place where a piece of my heart has always belonged. When I moved away from St. Louis, I knew a piece of my heart would remain homesick. Because, let’s be honest. Everyone from St. Louis somehow finds their way home one way or another either in spirit or in person. It’s a city filled with a lot of pride, a lot of love and some of the best fans to their home teams. Now, do not get me wrong. I love all things Kansas City. Don’t get me started on the architecture, Weston and the Plaza. I could go on for hours about how much I love living here. But, there is one thing Kansas City will NEVER take out of this gal: her love for the St. Louis Cardinals. Unfortunately, the only way I get to see games is on my phone through the iPhone app, Sportstap, during the regular season. However, something happened at the end of September. Something quite unbelievable. The Cardinals, my homeboys, made it to the playoffs. The team that was to never step past a September season made for a fabulous Red October playoff season. Best of all, the games WERE ON REGULAR CHANNELS IN KC! This was music to our ears.



This led to every game night filled with pizza, beers, our Cardinals jersey and friends who shared our love for all things red and baseball. Did I mention, us St. Louisians, we have a lot of pride for our homeboys who wear those red jerseys so well? And, then there is the infamous night. The night that will be go down in baseball history. The night, where we had two outs and two strikes. The night where I sat in front of the tv, surrounded by friends, believing. The night where “the other guys” were supposed to win their first ever World Series title. And, the impossible seemed to have happen. Our boys tied the game with one hit by a hometown boy. A repeat happened in the 10th inning, and then in the 11th inning, I remember hearing the smack of a baseball bat against that ball that gave us a homerun and the win for a game we weren’t supposed to win. I felt as if this were a movie. But, it was real life. Seeing that stadium flooded with screaming and excited fans and watching my friends jump, scream and shout with happiness that night is something I never want to forget.



I write this because that night reminded me of something I often forget. No matter what, no matter the circumstances, you have to believe. Life will give you situations with two outs and two strikes. And, when it does, you have to always believe and always have faith in what you do because just like the amazing Redbirds, if you want it, you work hard and you give it your all, you WILL make the impossible happen. To my Redbirds, thank you for this said reminder and for making 2011 even MORE memorable than it already has been this year!



(All photos are from St. Louis Cardinal's website)