ST. LOUIS, MO. - - I guess if your bald eagle won't meet its handler on the pitcher's mound and instead lands gracefully in right field, you know your birds just aren't right.. From the St. Louis Cardinals' perspective, the Fourth of July weekend didn't go as planned.
But for my Cubs, things were almost as good as could be. Only a Kerry Wood brain cramp in Saturday's game kept the Chicago Cubs from sweeping their arch-rivals.
Former Cardinal-turned-Cub Jim Edmonds must have felt right at home when he received a hero's welcome in his first at-bat on Friday. He even tipped his cap to the Cardinals fans in appreciation. Well, that's where the lovefest stopped. Edmonds, in a desperate attempt to prove himself, really couldn't get anything going offensively.
Hey, speaking of offensive, I have to mention what happened to me at my hotel in St. Louis. I'm wearing a Cubs t-shirt and riding in an elevator with a 60-ish man who's apparel does not indicate any team affiliation whatsoever. We never spoke until he looked at my shirt and said, 'Another Cub fan?! You're gonna lose tonight.' I was pretty floored by his rude outburst but held my cool and said simply, 'Have a wonderful evening.' Of course, after my Cubs were victorious that night, I really wanted to find him and blast him! (no such luck)
Anyway, sights of St. Louis from my July 4th weekend:
What does it say about the team when it's top two bullpen pitchers take over at short during batting practice? Answer: they know how to field their positions!
Derrek Lee got some pretty good swings in the cage, but left much of the offense work to his teammates over the weekend. The red-head outside the cage is Matt Murton, who is now a former Cub (sad to say).
Next to singing 'Go Cubs Go,' this three-man celebratory flying bump is probably my favorite thing about Cubs victories!
Pitchers Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly have a little strategy talk prior to Sunday's game. No, Demp, I'm not listening in!
Busch Stadium, like many new ballparks, pays homage to its historic heroes. This one is Hall of Famer Stan 'The Man' Musial.
Maybe Ryan Theriot always wanted to be a pitcher? Or Mark DeRosa wants to add 'catcher' to the myriad of positions he's already played for the Cubs?
If you grew up watching the Cubs play the St. Louis Cardinals like I did, you recognize the player that is represented with this statue. Ozzie Smith was one of the most acrobatic shortstops I've ever seen and frequently ran out to his position and reached his spot with a flying somersault. Seriously, this guy was a nut...but fun to watch!
