Hard to Get into True Cardinal Fever

with This Kind of Weather

By Randy Gardner

It’s kind of crazy how the weather in St. Louis does not always match the time of year for certain sports. We are supposed to be getting in the mood for St. Louis Cardinals baseball but it is really hard to when the ground is covered with snow and it is below freezing.

What it does make me think of though is heading down to Jupiter, Florida. It is really hard to watch a spring training game and see everyone in shorts and t-shirts with sunglasses on. It just doesn’t feel like baseball time yet. As soon as the weather breaks though, everyone will have total Cardinal fever.

Every year, the fans go into the season thinking that this will be the year, will it be? I think we have a chance. Let’s break it down this way.

For all of those years, we pretty much just took it for granted that we would be a playoff team and for the past three years we missed the mark, I think that the Cardinals and franchise know that the fans are wanting and needing a good year. Will the fans turn their backs on the Cardinals if they don’t win?

Absolutely not, but Cardinal Nation expects to win and after a few low years, its time to rise back up to the playoff team that we were for years. Opening day is not far off and you know how big of a spectacle that is. It is almost a holiday for everyone in St. Louis. That is what baseball means to this community.

   Onto hockey, the Blues made it exciting here near the end as they went on an 11-game win streak. That is hard to do these days in the NHL. They hit their stride at the right time as the season was coming to an end. Good goaltending and scoring from a multitude of players was key. Good hard physical play and the desire to win also played a big part. The fans seemed to kind of fall off before the streak, now everyone is in full playoff mode.

I will be honest though, even though the Blues haven’t looked pretty good of late, I don’t think they can hang with some of the elite teams in this league. The series are long and hard at this time of the year. It takes a little luck along with some hard work to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

It’s a grind that lasts a long time. I would love for them to prove me wrong though. I am a huge Blues fan and would love to see that Stanley Cup trophy paraded through the streets of downtown.

It looks really good if you are a MLS fan and want soccer here in St. Louis. A few good messages from Don Gardner the MLS commissioner have mentioned that St. Louis is a prominent spot for a team. I think that the support of the current FC St Louis soccer team that plays at the soccer park has been key.

Without a doubt, a team would be supported here in St. Louis. The St. Louis Ambush indoor soccer team has also been doing pretty well. The attendance has been pretty good and the level of play in the league is very positive.

Nothing really compares to the MLS though. This would be a major score for the St. Louis area to land an MLS team.

Finally, hope everyone is paying attention to their health. It is really scary to see people dying in their 50s. Exercise, eat right and take care of yourselves. Remember do it for your family. You have a lot of people who love you. Take time everyday to exercise. It’s the difference in being healthy in your future.

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