I walked into a lamp pole. It’s true.
Twenty minutes prior, I stood at a bus stop, and caught my breath.
No!
I’d forgotten my Cardinals cap.
I normally wear it during my commute and on lunch breaks. It’s a conversation starter. Keeps sun out of my eyes.
Isn’t it obvious?
I wear it for luck.
I have two:
One I bought during the 2011 NLDS. It’s got a bird on it. Sunday alternate. I associate it with Cliff Politte pitching on Easter Sunday some 17 years ago. My mother wasn’t pleased that they played ball on a holy day.
But I liked him.
I wore it during Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. I stood on the first base line, behind the good seats. I nervously took the hat off and put it back on, wiping my brow like a middle reliever with two on in the 7th.
Of course, they won.
So I wear it for important games.
The only problem is it’s a little smaller now. I’m not sure how that happened.
Anyway, when I wear it I can see Oil Can Boyd looking over his shoulder during his windup, long legs stretching even further toward the dirt.
I didn’t know about his cocaine use.
I just think about how he wore his hat.
The other cap I have is the traditional StL on red. I bought it online while sitting in the Seattle airport. I’d just flown in from Fairbanks after a month spent underneath a blanket of northern lights. That was further north, in Bettles.
I suppose I was ready for spring.
When people make comments, I can tell them I was there when Mike Gallego played second base. They haven’t always been good. Of course, they were in the NLCS back then, too. They were outscored 32-1 in the final three games against Atlanta. So it was different.
I regret that the StL may resemble a Yankee logo, what with the winning and all. The Cardinal Way.
I guess it’s more fun to win than to be liked, but just barely.
It’s the red one I wear when I run to catch a bus, and when I sit on a bench and count down the racing minutes of a lunch break.
It’s what I didn’t wear when I hit my head, in such a rush to choose a path to work. Of course, I went home early that day.
And I watched baseball.
by 