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.