Friday, April 25, 2008

Think you're seeing rainbows? You aren't the only one

Attending the Cardinals game at Busch Stadium on Sunday where we hosted the San Fransisco Giants on a gorgeously sunny afternoon, my best friend's two year old daughter-enjoying the first game she'll remember (one doesn't count)-was sitting in my sister's lap, taking in the sights and sounds of this new world she had never discovered beyond the realm of television. I can only imagine what she saw; an endless array of a gazillion strangers, or our closest friends, randomly screaming, joyously pumping their fists, high fiving one another and chanting to their hearts' desire, and she joined them as if she were born to do this. She was, of course. Being a Cardinals fan is her birthright.

And she did the things baseball fans are prone to do at baseball games. Besides the previously mentioned ballpark practices, she ate junkfood beyond the recommended amount a two year old should consume in one day. Hotdogs, cotton candy, and ice cream were intermittently brought in to mingle with her chanting and laughing. It was a joy to see-someone so young and still unjaded by the atmosphere. Still untouched by the pitfalls of being a true fan who experiences it all. She probably couldn't believe we were actually all sitting outside and screaming for close to three hours. At one point she even pointed to the field and exclaimed to her mother, "Mama, my turn!" because she insisted her turn to play on the field was something we all couldn't afford to miss. I laughed at the thought of Besan the two-year-old taking the ball on the mound from Tony and then running away as the players chased her and thousands of people laughed. It didn't seem like such a bad idea.

We lost the game, but we didn't leave the ballpark discouraged by this year's team. It seems Cardinals' fans took things for granted and many of us, not me, egregiously became jaded by all the winning. We were warned before Spring Training that this year's team wouldn't stand a chance and many fans even went so far as to over-react to the national media's assessment of Albert Pujols's elbow (even though they should've known better!). These fans said Tony would be insane if he didn't shut Pujols down before the season even started, send him off to surgery and hope he makes it back by mid-season next year, perhaps when this younger/inexperienced team with a year under their belt stood a chance.

Spring came and went, Pujols continued to play and we all prepared for the worst. Then the season started and the product on the field didn't yield something that resembles what we'd expect to come out of one of the Clydesdales' behinds. In fact, they were playing exciting baseball. We lost players last year that represented the core of this decade's Murderer's Row, but those players weren't producing anymore. This year's team is running, hustling, and yes, making mistakes, but considering what we were expecting-I'll take it. I think, for the most part, Cardinal fans know this isn't a team ready to take the division title, but what we've seen so far convinces me that the road to contention isn't as long or crooked as we might have been led to believe by the "experts". I feel good about this team because I know that, sure we're rebuilding, but we're still competing. And as long as we're still competing and making dazzling plays like the one pitcher Joel Piniero made on the mound yesterday, I can live with this.

At one point, little Besan looked out beyond the stadium, pointed to the arch and said, "Look! A rainbow!" We all laughed and corrected her. But maybe if we're as insightful as Besan, we'll be patient and see the rainbow is not too far off in the distance-even if they're telling us it isn't there.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Did You Feel That!?

I awoke this morning to my bed shaking and my door rattling. At first I thought the wind was rattling my door (as will happen when the window is actually open). But when I remembered the window was shut and it occurred to me my bed was shaking, I took notice and grew frightened... especially as this went on for longer than 10 seconds. Yeah- nothing like an EARTHQUAKE TO WAKE YOU OUT OF BED!

I know people in California will think we're wusses, but let's think about this. We never feel earthquakes here in St. Louis. I realize that it's a daily occurance in Cali, but we're used to brushing off tornado warnings. The sound of tornado warning sirens going off in July is as common as the sounds of puppet-like clapping at a Cards game. Plus, we learn early here about the New Madrid Fault line that runs along St. Louis, so if anything, we're taught that the earthquakes in St. Louis are insane, kill people and we're supposedly getting another one at some point. You can imagine the frustration this caused in high school...

Students: "when?"

Geology teacher: "I can't say, but there's a big chance a major one will occur.I can't say for sure."

students: (more frightened) "But when?!"

Geology teacher: "I dunno. But the last one killed a lot of people. It's pretty scary when you think about it.

Students: Look of fear, mouths gaping. "But...but..."

Geology teacher: "So about those rocks..."

I began to wonder if anyone else felt it and checked my clock to get an exact time to help fill details in my story the next morning (it was 4:38 am) when I heard my mother, father and sister talking as they met up in the kitchen. I walked out, knowing we had all felt this earthquake, and we all exchanged our own accounts of what happened.

The (well, second) biggest thing for me is that I went to bed around 9-something pm. I know this might be normal for some people,but being an insomniac, sleeping this early is a rare occurance for me. I usually only sleep that early after flying into another country and my sleep pattern is off. I guess it's just one of those nights.

We checked the news about 15 minutes ago and they're reporting it to have centered in southeast Illinois, at 5.2 on the richtor scale. Once they mentioned it was felt in places like Chicago, my sister and I joked that we might get more media coverage now that Chi-town was victimized by nature. Otherwise, everyone would of shushed us up. Sort of like how my mom was shushing us and begging us to go to bed as we began to joke and imitate hicks calling in news stations to report their remote controls had fallen off their potbellies as they were watching their TV.

"It done fell right off my belly and onto the ground!"

Or other people, who over react (like my dad did)...

overreactive St. Louisan:"My cat was on the bed...but then it wasn't there anymore!

Police officer: "Ma'am, do you think it just jumped off?"

overreactive St. Louisan: "I haven't seen kitty in an hour!"

Police officer: (pointing to cat in kitchen) "Ma'am, is that your cat?"

overreactive St. Louisan: "Kitty! Oh Kitty!" (runs and hugs her cat)

Anyways, hope all is well and nobody's pictures fell on their heads. I just had an epiphany. When watching the news, I always ask why people who are affected by natural disasters choose to live in those types of areas. But then it occurred to me: in St. Louis, we experience tornadoes, flooding, and right now, earthquakes. We're like a Biblical story waiting to happen. Good to know.

So I bought tickets and plan on going to the Cards-Giants game on Sunday, but that's if, as I told my sister, we can make it.

Like everyone else, I am going to die. But the words – the words live on
for as long as there are readers to see them, audiences to hear them. It is
immortality by proxy. It is not really a bad deal, all things considered.
-J. Michael Straczynski

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