In case you missed it...

...last night was the official start of the 2007 Cardinals season. Opening night v. the New York Mets was at 7:05 p.m. and was televised on ESPN2. The girls wore their hats, and Lucy taught Annie to yell, "Go, go, go!" and to repeat this at ever-escalating volumes. Lucy wants to learn more this year, too, like "what do all those numbers at the top of the screen mean?" so we have high hopes for her major league education this year. It was lots of fun (especially when they went to bed after the 3rd inning and I could really pay attention to the game!). Wish we could have won, but just to know that baseball is here again makes me happy. Just feels like, in another corner of my world, things are right.

I would have loved to have seen the pregame ceremonies...the Clydesdales pulling the Budweiser wagon through the wagon gate in the outfield, the World Series trophy sitting next to the dalmation on its' way into the stadium...the players being paraded through the same gate in white Mustang convertibles...the three first pitches from the closers who threw the last pitch of the last three World Series titles we have won, to their respective managers in those games...the F-16s that fly over the stadium at the end of the National Anthem with the Gateway Arch painted on their tails. I was glued to the ESPN coverage in hopes of glimpsing at least some of it, but just the shots of the downtown skyline and the people outside of the stadium made me teary.

I said to Michael, quite unexpectedly, "I can't believe I'm finally going back." A few innings later, my dad texted me from the game (he hasn't missed an opening day in decades, I don't think), "You'll be here next year," and I was teary again...not just for baseball, and not just for St. Louis, but for home.