The Cardinals in solemn silence stood. They watched clips of a young man on a screen until years glowed. 22 years old. Oscar Taveras wore 18, and Carlos Martinez wears the number now to honor his teammate. That number is…
Tag: st louis cardinals
With two outs and a runner at second, Carlos Martinez stared at the batter. Cincinnati’s Brandon Phillips hit from the right side. He twirled his bat like a windmill and braced it against his shoulder. He waited for his pitch….
Yadi stands on deck, chomping on bubble gum. He holds his bat on his shoulder, and swings it across his body. Then he knocks a donut weight off the bat and walks toward home. He straightens his helmet with his…
The third base coach draped his hand over the player’s shoulder. Spring training jerseys don’t come with names so players can be recognized otherwise. This one tapped third base with his foot, and sauntered toward home. The centerfielder pushed his…
I stood in a crowded stadium, and someone else’s beer dripped off my Cardinal-red shoes. It was October, and no one else played. It was exactly what I’d dreamed of when I imagined attending this game. I wondered for 20…
“I’m entering my 52nd season as a Cardinals fan,” he told me. I poured his coffee. I told him I’d been a fan since I was 8, and that Jaime Garcia pitched a couple of good innings the day before….