Laptop & Loki updates

As I type I am sitting in my living room watching the end of "Paint Your Wagon". Yes, that's right, I finally can access the internet from my laptop. I got the laptop in the beginning of August, and it took me until December to get the wireless connection working. And I don't even need another internet port. In fact, we are going to try and return it. All we had to do was turn on a switch and type in a password. Lucky for me, my mommy did it for me so when I got up, my internet connection was in operation. So I am blogging for the first time on my laptop. Hehe, no more sitting at the dumb desktop complaining about the speed or lack thereof. My laptop is very fast and I love it. Now I can take it with me and access the internet at places that offer free connection like the St. Louis Bread Co.
* Loki is now 10 months old now and will be 11 months on January 8th. She is done w/ obedience lessons, she doesn't have an official piece of paper declaring her a graduate; but she is. She is very smart and did really well. She still acts like an idiot when ppl are over. Despite all of her training, she still acts like she has no manners when it comes to ppl. She is still very much a puppy, so it is forgivable. Labs in fact, don't really mature until they are about 3 years old. Shadow still acted like a puppy at times up until her last days.

Chrsitmas 2006

*Okay so Santa visited last night and left a nice loot of goodies behind. (apparently Santa thought I was a good girl this year ;)). Among the loot that I can claim as mine; boots (yay! finally some tall black boots!), a nice teal shirt, Hershey Kisses Fondue Set, Chocolate for the fondue set, Printmaster (program to create my own calenders, greeting cards, etc), a soothing neck wrap and face mask, a suit (which is going to be returned b/c its too tight on the shoulders and itchy), and a sign for my garden (very cute).
*I also recieved some lovely gifts on Wed from my friends when we met up at the Old Spaghetti Factory (yummy food by the way) for our annual Holiday Party: Very Sexy Lotion from Missy, Oklahoma! DVD & VS lip gloss from Jenny & Tom, Vanilla Bean Noel (my fave holiday scent from Bath & Body works) lotion from Liz, and a really neat candle set from Angie.
*So I braved the crowds yesterday to find some knee-high socks (I selected the boots myself, so I knew I was getting them and I knew I needed socks for them). The crowds weren't bad; just like any other Sunday. With the exception of it being Christmas Eve.
*Watched the movie Invincible- true story about Vince Papali a guy who got to play for the Eagles even tho he never played college football. Really good movie. Also watched a lot of episodes of Star Gate season 9 (Golum's present), Gremlins, and Fantastic Four. Christmas Day is great for doing nothing; all we have is opening gifts in the morning and then the family dinner at night. There's only four of us, so its a small informal deal, but very good food and important.
*T/m I will brave the crowds again, though not in the early morning. New York & Company is having a fabulous sale and I have a coupon for 15% off. There are two shirts I want and a suit(exchange for suit I got for Xmas). Going to NY & Co and that's it, maybe Best Buy or I just might send out Golum to get my stuff. Ah well, we'll see
* Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!!

2006 in Review

This survey is about the year 2006. Answer the questions thinking about the past year. My answers are below:


1) Overall, have you had a good year? yea I guess so
2) What has been your biggest achievement? graduating from college
3) Did you take any exams, pass? last summer, and yes I passed
4) Have you been on a vacation (list where and when)? nope...summer school and no money
5) Have you bought anything expensive? a laptop computer- my first!!
6) Have you had a job? some little assigments from Kelly Temps
7)Made any big decisions? um, researching a puppy?
8) Lost a friend or loved one? yea, RIP Riley Hughes, and Shadow- beloved black lab
9)Met anyone amazing? uh...that'd be a no
10) Made new friends? yep
11) Moved house? nope
12) Changed College? nope, I'm all done now
13) Tried something new? obedience training a puppy
14) Been more happy or sad? happy
15) Made any enemies? not on purpose...
16) What music will you remember from this year? my introduction to Raggaeton (ty Amber) and "Hips don't lie" By Shakira, and "Buttons" by Pussycat Dolls, "Promiscous" by Nelly Furtado, and "Switch" by Will Smith
17) What movies have you seen at the cinema this year? um.... Superman Returns,
18) What was your best night out? Jenny and Tom's Wedding
19)What was your worst night out? hmmm....I don't know
20) Best day? gettting my puppy Loki
21) Worst day? when we had to put Shadow to sleep
22)Best month?May- I found out I was going to graduate in August!!
23)Worst month? Febuary
24)Was summer a gooden'? I was in class most of the time, but having Loki helped
25)Have you made better friends with anyone? yes
26) Lost any friends? yes...it makes me sad b/c it wasn't my fault
27) Made any plans for next year? not really, getting a job and perhaps going to Sectionals to help choose new Railroaders
28) How many hair colours have you had? just blonde
29)Got pierced? no
30) Got inked? never!
31) Changed your image? nope
32) Missed anyone? yes- my brothers!!
33) Know what you want in the future? yup
34)Regret anything? yes, everybody regrets something
35)Have you had any relationships this year? no but I've gone on dates
36) Been to church? for Jenny and Tom's Wedding
37)Cried yet? yeah....
38) Been on a diet? yes the doctors have put me on a few diets to make my tummy better
39) Pulled an all nighter? yep- good old 4 AM visits to the ER
40) Drank Starbucks? YUM
41) Went Camping? define camping
42) Bought something(s)? lots of things
43) Met someone special? everyone is special
44)Been out of state? yea
45)Gone Snowboarding? no.
46)Gotten in a car accident? nope not this year
47)Gone over your cell phone bill? nope!

Snow, Snow, and more Snow!!

As previously posted, we got about 5 or more inches of snow last night/this morning. The trees are covered in ice and look wonderful. Mom and I managed to get some great winter shots. My highlight is the awesome Cardinal picture I got! For a while now, I have been trying to get a great shot of a bright red Cardinal in a tree. A nice close up. Well, today I got it!! It is awesome! Here is the link to the winter pics.
*Loki and I went sledding and had an absolute blast. Granted, Loki didn't know what exactly was going on. The reason I went sledding is b/c our pile of wood that is protected by a tarp is at the bottom of the hill. So I decided to sled down the hill and bring the wood up in the sled.
*Loki is enjoying her first taste of snow! She loves to push her nose in it and sniff. She also likes to run in it!

St. Louis's worst Snow Storm!

That's what people all over are saying. That is snow storm is possibly the worst one in the city's history. When they first said that a system was headed our way, I was a bit doubtful. Then again, this is St. Louis. If something doesn't make sense, the answer is- that's St. Louis. The stystem came and hit us hard and fast. First the temp dropped 30 or more degrees, then the rain started. It dropped some more degrees, then the sleet came. All Wed night the sleet fell, until we had at least 2 inches of slush. Loki was thrilled. She had sooo much fun chasing her retriever in the slush. Before I went to bed, I saw lightning, and then I heard a big crack of thunder, and I got really excited b/c I thought we were going to get Thunder Snow! Thunder Snow has only hit St. Louis once, that was in the winter of '82- mom was pregnant w/ me and said that they got 24 inches!! Unfortunately, no thunder snow. We did get about 5 or more inches of snow. Not bad for our first snow storm. The trees are covered in ice. Several big branches are down. We got lucky, other areas were hit a lot harder. Kirkwood for one; they lost power lines, trees, and power. Lucky for us, we still have power and only lost it briefly. So we are quite toasty w/ a roaring fire going on all day. Columbia got Thunder Snow- and 16 inches of wonderful snow! Friday the roads were plowed and were better than Thursday afternoon/night.
* For those of you who think the snow will be gone by Sunday- think again. Beneath all of the snow, there is a layer of ice- a nice solid 2 inches layer of ice. There must have been 6 inches of ice on mine and my brothers car alone. This stuff is going to stick around for a while as we are in for some cooler temps all week. Sure everything might have melted in the sun today, and the roads were better. However, it is about 24 degrees outsitde right now and everything is freezing over again. Tonight we might hit single digit degrees! So stay inside and stay warm. If you venture out, drive w/ extreme caution and bundle up!

Sales, Glorious Sales!

This year I was one of many who went shopping the day after Thanksgiving at 5 AM. I wanted to go shopping, just not at 5 AM! That was mother's idea. "I don't want to deal w/ the crowds, the rush, the traffic". Not a problem, JCPenney's opens at 5. The main store we want to go to is New York and Company. They weren't open (like I figured) that early. They opened up w/ the rest of the mall at 8. I did manage to get a sweater at JCPenney at 60% off, so that made me happy. Here's the sweater I got except mine is green. Plus, mom fed me- cinnabon! I made it out to NY & Co on Sunday- they must have been really wanting to move some merchandise b/c they kept sending me emails on discounts. $25 off purchase of $50 or more, or $50 off purchase of $100 or more. Had to take advantage of it. Mom wanted some navy slacks, but she doesn't like to shop, so she sends me out to get her stuff. I also managed to find a cute lacy red shirt. It is flirty enough to be fun, and high necked/concealing enough to wear at work!
*On another note: Thanksgiving was wonderful-the food was great, and we got to relax.
Rented the movie Ice Age The Meltdown- very funny.

Scouting for Food

This Sat is Scouting for Food Collection Day. Scouting for Food orginated in the St. Louis area, is the largest single day food collection and every year our city brings in the most amount of food. The scouts will hit the streets at 10 AM. I will be at the firehouse all day! I am soo excited, this is my favorite service project. I will probally be at the firehouse from 9-3ish. I will help w/ set up, making boxes, unloading cans, boxing cans, traffic control, and lots more. I want to remind everybody to leave a bag of food out on your front porch for the scouts!
Good Items: Soups, Beef stews, Veggie mixes, fruit cans
Bad Items: Expired things- if you won't eat it, neither will they, damaged cans, cans w/o labels. Candy- it is perishable- don't worry it will be eaten- the scouts will enjoy it!
We're at a new firestation this year, so set up will be different. Traffic will be much better tho. If anybody wants to join me, let me know- we always welcome help!

Cardinals Updates

Here are some Cardinal Updates:
Cards signed center fielder Jim Edmonds to a two year deal!! Edmonds will continue to patrol center field until 2009!!!
*First baseman Albert Pujols was awarded the Marvin Miller Man of the Year. This goes to players who not only make an effort on the field, they go above and beyond off the feild.
*Chris Carpenter placed third in the Cy Young Awards.
*Third baseman Scott Rolen picked up his 6th Gold Glove, and Pujols earned his first. Catcher Yadier Molina was denied his first gold glove, Houston Astros Brad Ausmus got it instead. The only Ausmus had over Molina was his batting average. Molina is the best defensive catcher in the league.
*Manager Tony LaRussa didn't even get a vote in the Manager of the Year award. The award considers regular season play only. The manager for the Marlins won.
*MVP players will be announced on November 21. Hopefully, Pujols will win again- he should, he had an awesome season and his team won the world series.
*The Cards will start their new season defending their NL title. That's right, April 1st its Cards vs. Mets! Down w/ the Mets!
*Cardinals do have a homegame on May 5- my bday- so I want to go!
*Spring Training starts sometime in Feb, it can't get here soon enough for me!
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Yo Soy Boricua, Pa'Que tu lo sepas!

I'm Borciuan, Just so you know! That's the translation. I stumbled onto this clip quite by accident. Boricuan is a Puerto Rican living in New York. My mom is from New York and is Puerto Rican ergo she is 100% Boricuan!! This show was all about the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. I finally learned what Boricua means, and I learned about the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The first parade was held in 1958. My mom was only 7 or 8 at the time, but it is very possible that she went to this historic moment. If not this one, she had to have gone to at least once. I love learning about my heritage, so this clip grabbed my attention immeadiatly. Learning about my Puerto Rican heritage is extremly important to me, and not a lot is known about it. Mi bisabuela Florence Ernest(great-great grandmother) came to NYC from Puerto Rico w/ her husband, her daughter who was pregnant with my grandfather, and her two sons. She told them "We are in America now, we speak English" and that was the end of Puerto Rico for them. Mi abuelo knew about his home land, had visited, and from that the most we are able to gather is that they were originally from San Juan- the capital. Not really sure tho, and we probally have family there. Mi abuelo's brother's, Cecil Gonzales, wife supposedly went back to Puerto Rico w/ her two or three kids. But Gonzales in Puerto Rico is like Miller or Smith in the US. So any family history or any knowledge I gain about Puerto Rico is precious to me.

Cardinals Victory Rally!

I managed to get two tickets to Sunday's Rally at Busch Stadium. Nobody wanted to go w/ me so I went alone (Froggiegirl and Gimlet were the exceptions- they had family over).Unfortunately, I arrived so late I totally missed the parade. The tardieness is partly my own fault. I should have left much earlier. As such, I had to park a block away from the Metro link station in Shrewsberry. The train going there and back was packed like crazy, like sardines litterally. The crowd downtown was NUTS! I don't think I have ever seen downtown St. Louis that crowded! And they were all wearing red and screaming for the Cardinals!! When I finally got to the stadium, the streets were blocked b/c of the parade, but the crowd was at least 30 ppl deep on both sides. Naturally I couldn't see a thing. Being short didn't help matters. Finally I got accross the street only to get caught in another major traffic jam of people. After at least 45 minutes of being pushed and shoved I made into the stadium. The whole process of getting ppl into the stadium was not well thought out. Thousands of people wanting to get in and only a handful letting them in. One guy, tired of waiting, took matters into his own hands. He climbed the gates, and jumped in. He didn't get hurt, and came back later w/ a beer to flaunt. My seats were in the Redbird Infield club- an exclusive place, the ppl there check your tickets before you can enter, there you have your choice of places to eat, and mixed drinks. The seats were padded and offered a great view! I got there in time to see Mike Shannon talk and introduce General Manager Walt Jocketty. Jocketty spoke, Owner Bill DeWitt spoke, finally Tony LaRussa was called on the field and spoke. He came on amid cheers of "Tony! Tony! Tony!" The crowd went nuts! After some talk, the players and some of their family came out, and the crowd- already loud- got louder!! They talked to Molina, who had the biggest grin on his face!! He looked hot! All the players looked extremly proud and happy. Here are the pics to recount my adventure. I wish I had asked someone to take my pic, oh well.
*Felicidades a los Cardinals!! Congratulations 2006 World Series Champions- the St. Louis Cardinals!!!
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Cardinals are World Champs!!

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals!! 2006 World Series Champions!! Yadier Molina was Red Hot last night, he went 3 for 4. David Eckstien was declared the MVP of the World Series, well deserved, and he recieved a sweet ride for it. Eckstien was not only presented with a trophy, he was given a set of keys to a 2006 500 horse power Chevy Corvette- yellow! Jeff Weaver pitched an awesome game and Adam Wainwright came into the ninth, allowed a double, walked a guy and then got the next guy out w/ three strikes! And bam! Cards are World Champs! Manager Tony LaRussa became the second manager in baseball history to win a World Series in both leagues, just like his hero Sparky Anderson. Cards beat the tigers 4-1 in the series, and 4-2 was the final score last night. The town went nuts. I don't think the parying stopped until early morning. I predicted that we would win in 5, and we did! We weren't going to Detroit! It was destined to end last night! Now I gotta go out and get a World Champ hoodie for myself- I love hoodies! Once again, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS, 2006 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!!
*Up Next: Victory Parade downtown, Sunday October 29th at 2:00 PM. I will be there!

Magic Number is 1!!

Cards won 5-4 last night!!! Tigers took an early lead of 3-0. Shortstop David Eckstien started the rally, with an RBI double in the bottom of the third. Eckstien is my mom's hero- she thinks he is just great. I like him b/c he is only 5'7" (an inch taller than me) and he is playing in the major leagues! Shout out to all short ppl out there- we can do anything!! Okay back to the game summary; Yadier Molina proved that he is till Red Hot in October- he got a double that scored Scott Rolen! Eck came thru again btm of the 7th getting a double off of Tigers reliever Fernando Rodney. It seemed catchable but Tigers centerfielder slipped and Eck got another double. So Taguchi entered with the intention of dropping a bunt to get Eck to third, but Rodney slipped and badly threw the ball to third which allowd Eck to score. Preston Wilson got a single which allowed Taguchi to score. Cards lead 4-3, but those rotten Tigers came back in the 8th to tie things up. Rookie closer Adam Wainwright allowed a double from Brandon Inge which allowed Ivan Rodgriguez to score, but thats the only run he would allow. Joel Zumaya(he of the 100+ mph pitcher, and yet when they're that fast he can't find the strike zone) took the mound, walked Yadier Molina and little Eck came up again and hit it deep. Tiger's left fielder Craig Monroe tried to dive for it but it bounced off his glove and Eck got another double!!! Cards tooik a 5-4 lead and that was all the Cards needed! Click here for the official wrap-up. Also check out J-Rod's blog- a behind the scenes look. My friend Russ, is one lucky person, he got to go to Tuesday night's game and Wed night (now Friday b/c it was rained out). My buddy JR is going to get his butt kicked b/c he called me at 1:54 AM! I hate calls that late/early!
*Up Next: Game 5 at Busch Stadium vs Tigers 7:00 PM. Jeff Weaver vs. Justin Verlander.
* Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!! Let's win the World Series!!!

Cards up 2-1!

Chris Carpenter was flat out amazing last night! He looked exactly like a Cy Young Winner. Hopefully, he will get the honor of being the 2006 Cy Young Award Winner. The game was great. At first it looked like it was going to be a pitchers duel, then all of sudden we started scoring! It was a great game. Carpenter got the run support he needed. I got a little scared when Joel Zumaya came out and started throwing heaters at 99, 100 & 101 mph! But they were all balls!!! Carpenter not only pitched great, he shut out the tigers and shut them down!! Final score was Cards 5-0!! Jim Edmonds came through with a two-run double, and then two more runs scored off an error by Zumaya! Preston Wilson finally got a hit, and So Taguchi earned a start in right field!! Albert Pujols hit with two on and two out, he laced a groundball at Zumaya which normally means the end of the inning. Instead, he threw it away by throwing the ball behind the third baseman! Pujols managed to motor around to second while Preston Wilson and David Eckstien scored! Taguchi scored in the 8th on a wild pitch! Click here for the official wrap up.
*Up Next: Game 4 vs. Tigers at Busch Stadium 7:00 PM.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Let's Go Cardinals!!

Game 3 tonight at Busch Stadium. Weather's a bit cold, nothing St. Louisan's aren't used to by now. Loki will be close by as always; she's my good luck charm so I will be rubbing her belly and collar for luck. I'm sure Lokilu will enjoy the extra attention. Loki got groomed at Petsmart on Sunday so she is a sweet smelling puppy right now. They gave her a "lotion treatment" b/c of her sensitve skin. Cost us a bit more but well worth it. They also gave her a "pawdicure" (trimmed her nails). My friend the cop, Russ, might be coming over to watch the game w/ us tonight, so that should be fun. As mentioned before weathers cold, so planning on having the first fire of the season tonight; that will shock Loki who's fave resting spot is on the fireplace. We will all be cheering on the Birds on the Bat tonight- loudly. Cardinal Nation is going to be really loud tonight!
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Series tied 1-1

Game 1: Cards won game 1 with Rookie Antony Reyes on the mound. I was pleasantly suprised by his control and the win. Cards were on target. Nine of us gathered in a travel trailer at Lost Valley Lake and watched the game while eating chilli (we had a chilli cook off- 3 tpes of chilli- yum!). Reception was horrible, we couldn't see where the ball landed on most plays. However, the game itself was outstanding.
Game 2: Tigers came alive with Kenny Rogers on the mound. Jeff Weaver pitched a great game but got zero run support. Durring the first inning, camera's zoomed in on Roger's pitching hand and pointed out a wierd substance on it. It looked like pinetar. By the second inning, it was gone; he had washed it off. Nothing was done. LaRussa did speak with the umpires about it, but nothing resulted from it. Roger's should have been ejected from the game for the suspicious substance. ~Two years ago, Cards pitcher Julian Tavarez was ejected from a game b/c of substance on his hat that looked like pine tar. He was suspened briefly. It was later discovered in a lab that the substance was not pinetar. Why was Tavarez ejected and punished and nothing happend to Roger's?? Umps have got to treat every game and every player the same. If you eject one player for one reason, you must eject another player for the same reason; you can't play favorites.~ By the second inning, the substance was gone from Roger's hand- this proves that something illegal was on his hand; otherwise he wouldn't have washed it off. His washing his hand demonstrates that he was guilty of something and had something to hide.
The series is tied 1-1. The Cardinals are home for the next three games. I am predicting Cards in 5, however should we have to go to 7 games like the NLCS- Cards will win game 7.
Been reading J-Rod's blog and I have been seeing some interesting posts;
*To the Met's fan who said St. Louis fans have no class: It's the New York Met's fans who have no class. Every time a Cards player came to bat they were booed- you call that class?! Met's fans insulted Card's players and said that they didn't stand a chance against their Mets. Also this poster said that the better team did not win. I beg to differ; the better team did win. Just b/c all of the broadcasters were saying that the Met's were going to dominate doesn't mean that they are the better team. The Cards played a better game and that's why the won. End of story.
*To the Tiger's Fan who said St. Louis fans are bad: Just b/c your pitcher got away w/ cheating is no excuse to blame our team of cheating. Leave Mark Mcgwire alone, the man is retired; his career in baseball is over-his time is done. Tiger's fans appeared a lot nicer to Card's fan than Met's fans so kudos on that. Trash talk all you want, but leave the integrity of the players alone.

*Up Next: Game 3 vs. Detroit Tiger's at Busch Stadium 7:00 PM. Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter vs. Nate Robertson.
Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Ready or Not Detroit, here come the Cardinals!!

Cards won game 7!! 3-1!! Yadier Molina hit a well timed two run HR and made it 3-1. Jeff Suppan rocked! He was flat out outstanding!! He won the MVP award for the series!! Well deserved. Rookie reliever Adam Wainwright pitched the last inning and stuck out Carlos Beltran w/ bases loaded!! All of the announcers and everyone else have been saying Mets this Mets that, well it's time to shut up!! THE CARDINALS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!
The game was outstanding, and the ninth inning was awesome. Shea Stadium fell dead silent when Molina hit the HR! Way to go Molina! Great job Supp and Wainwright!!!
Por Siempre, Let's Go Cards!!
*Up Next: World Series Game 1 Saturday October 21, 2006 6:30 PM.

On to Game 7

Okay, we are going to game 7. DARN IT! The Cards just did not play tonight. Well that's not entirely true, they did play....in the bottom of the ninth and So Taguchi did drive in two runs w/ a double. Which would have tied the game had the Cards not allowed the Mets to drive in two more runs. So the game was 4-2 Mets win. All I'm gonna say is that if the Cards play like this again t/m night, they deserve to lose. The Cards seriously need to buckle down and focus. You haven't won the series yet! The series is now tied 3-3, whoever wins t/m night's game goes to the World Series. I would love to see my team go but if they are going to play like they did tonight or like they did in 2003, forget it.
Por siempre, LET'S GO CARDINALS!!!
*Up Next: Game 7 vs. Mets- Thursday October 19 7:19 pm

Red October

I think October is my favorite month. It's when the weather finally turns cold and I can wear my cute sweaters and long sleeve shirts. The leaves turn colors and fall, and the hillside on 44 going across the Meramec River is gorgeous with all its different colored trees. There are oranges, yellows, greens, and browns. It's very picturesic and possibly the best fall foliage showoff in Fenton! It's football time and chilli time! I made my first batch of chilli on Monday and it was (and still is-leftovers rock) wonderful! Spicy but not too spicey. And best of all, October means playoffs for baseball. The Cardinals are playing again tonight and will beat the Mets and go on to Detroit and to the World Series!!

Cards lead series 3-2!

We won Game 5 last night!! 4-2. Albert Pujols hit a solo HR, getting his first RBI for the series, and Chris Duncan came off the bench to make it 4-2 w/ his own solo HR. Preston Wilson got things started by hitting a double that scored David Eckstien from first! It was sweet!! Relievers Josh Kinney and Adam Wainwright were on fire! Now its off to NYC to win Game 6 and go to Detroit to the World Series!!
Por Siempre, Let's Go Cardinals!!
*Game 6 vs. Mets 7:19 PM

What a nightmare!

Cards lost 12-5 to the Mets last night!! I didn't watch the entire game, I was tired/hurting and not in the mood to see my team get beat up. I went to bed when it was 11-3. Then mom comes and says Edmonds and Molina just hit HR's. Turn game back on. It's now 11-5. We don't get any more hits/runs in that inning. Mets come up to bat...they get another HR... 12-5. Goodnight. The Cards had a rough night. We are definately heading back to NYC. All hope is not lost yet. The Cards have been known to bounce back. Sure the series is even, 2-2, and yes the Tigers are happy b/c they think the NLCS team will be tired and won't perform well at the World Series. Well the fat lady hasn't sung yet. So keep the faith. Cards and Mets go at it again tonight at Busch Stadium. Jeff Weaver is on the mound. Let's hope that last night's defeat has added some fuel to the fire and the Cards kick butt. Reading John Rodriguez's blog again, I am reminded that the series isn't over yet. We still have more games to play and the best thing to do is put the game out of our minds and focus on the future and what we can do. Victory will be even sweeter should we clinch in NYC! Imagine celebrating on their turf!! Keep your heads up boys, and bring us home a victory!! Por siempre, Let's Go Cardinals!!!
*Tonight's game: Game 5- Cards vs. Mets 7:19 PM.

Go Cardinals!!

Vamos Cardinals!!!! Tonight, the birds on the bat, send rookie pitcher Anthony Reyes to the mound. Reyes hasn't had an easy season, but its the post season and anything can happen. Hopefully, the offense will help him out. Reyes is considered one of the top prospects for future Cardinal pitching (according to StlCardinals.com) . Reyes is getting the nod over inconsistent Jason Marquis. Marquis is good when he is focused, but is really bad when something is off kilter. In previous postings, I have lamented on the poor pitching (from my viewpoint) of Tyler Johnson. I have to eat my words now, he has proved in the past games that he deserves to be a Cardinal and can be relied on when called upon from the Bullpen. Also Josh Kinney has been proving himself bullpen worthy too. Adam Wainwright, our new closer -as Izzy is out for the season- is doing fantastic. Haven't seen Braden Looper yet (and he is on the roster, I just checked). He has a very good track record as well.
*Tonight: Game 4- Cards vs. Mets 7:15 pm. Hopefully they will do the entire team introductions again b/c they weren't aired on tv b/c of the Detriot Tigers winning the ALCS. Go Cardinals!! Rock the house!! Beat those Mets!!

Cards up 2-1!!

Mets are Pond Scum!! That's right I said it. The New York Mets are in town, and the Cardinals are showing them the "royal treatment". First, we beat them in their own stadium, Shea Stadium (never been to personally-but mom-native New Yorker and Mets fan(grr)- says its really cool). Then we come home and send our ace Chris Carpenter to the mound. Carp didn't get the win but the birds on the bat did. Spezio has been the hero of late w/ two two-out (and well timed) triples). So Taguchi laced a HR to win Friday's game, 9-6. Last night, Jeff Suppon took the mound and showed why he earned a spot on the post season roster. Supp pitched 8 great innings. Supp was flat out amazing! The Cards blanked the Mets 5-0. The Mets were forced to go to their bullpen mid second inning. They took their starter, Steve Trachsel, out supposedly b/c he was "injured" (note: if he is truely injured, then I'm sorry and I wish him a speedy recovery) but I think it was b/c they were afraid and wanted to stop the bleeding. Supp not only pitched a great game, he hit a HR!!! And get this, he winked- he WINKED- at the pitcher not once but twice before he hit it!!! Supp's leadoff HR made it 3-0, the next two runs resulted from a wild pitch and Jim Edmond's grounding out. According to the Cards website, Supp's HR was fifth long ball hit by a pitcher in the NLCS and the first since Kerry Wood of the Cubs since 2003!! Wow! Click here for the official details on last nights game (which was AMAZING!!!) I have been reading John Rodriguez's blog that he has been keeping for the playoffs and decided to post a response. I said that the Mets are Pond Scum and scum was astericked out. I didn't cuss for the record, MLB blogs is just taking it a bit too seriously. Everybody needs to wear red and cheer louder tonight, whether you are one of the lucky ones with tickets to the game, or at a bar, or a home catching the game on your living room tv. Just cheer really loud- you can rest your voice later!! These games only happen in October and in the post season. The Cards play the Mets again tonight and t/m night. If needed they will return to NCY for 2 games. I don't think that will be necessary tho, we're going to clinch in St. Louis and then go give the Tigers (ALCS Champs- congrats) a run for their money!!
As always- Let's go Cardinals!!!!

Recouperating

Okay, I'm a bit sore, but feeling better. I even made it out of the house on Wed! Just to walmart but I escaped! Climber tried to get on my lap, and stepped on my stomach twice...that hurt! Game 1 was rained out, and then Cards dropped game 1 to the pond scum Mets last night. However the rain out is good b/c we can send our ace Chris Carpenter to the mound tonight. Mets keep getting injured, its going to catch up to them. Well I am hurting now so I am going to go relax now. John Rodriguez is keeping a blog on the Cardinals post season, its pretty interesting, click here.
Let's Go Cardinals!!!

In Loving Memory- Riley Hughes, Jr.

This past Monday the world lost a great guy- Riley Hughes, Jr. Riley lost his brave 2 1/2 year battle w/ lung cancer. He was a police officer for 38 years, and actively involved in boyscouts. Its going to be really strange w/o him. He was a great guy and its not fair...cancer sucks. This is the second person my family and I have lost to cancer and I hate it. So if you could please have a moment of silence for Riley today.

JBear's going under the knife

Yep, I'm having surgery Monday afternoon. I am having my gall blader removed. Apparently there are some gall stones and some sludge in there, and I'm in pain, so its got to go. For those who didn't know, I spent two days in the hospital trying to figure out why the heck I was so sick. Don't freak out on me, I'm fine, I have a really high tolerance for pain-but last Monday morning the pain was too intense. Tests came back normal (typical), went to doctor on Tuesday, went back to ER on Wed b/c I wasn't improving, got admitted and and to spend two and a half miserble days at St. Johns Mercy. I didn't tell ppl b/c I didn't want ppl to get scared. I am only telling ppl now b/c I don't want ppl getting all "ohmygosh, you're getting your gall bladder removed!". It's not a big deal, just a little outpatient laproscopic surgery. I will be fine, and hopefully after the surgery my stomach won't hurt all the time
*Warning: I am in no way posting this to get attention-that is the absolute last thing I want. I just don't want ppl worried about me. If anybody thinks that visiting me after my surgery is a good idea, forget it. I don't want any visitors until Thursday at the earliest. I don't like ppl seeing me all incapacitated. Besides Monday I'll be all drugged up. I won't be good company either, trust me. If you want to send flowers, cards, teddy bears thats fine (I am so kidding- a simple get well soon posted on my comments here will do the trick). I don't want this thing blown out of porportion, so I am telling everything now. The procedure is minor, I will feel bad for 3 or 4 days and in 2 weeks I will be fully recovered. I will admit I am a little nervous, but I've had worse surgeries so it's not that bad. I will just have to avoid having Loki jump up on me and hit my stomach. I WILL BE FINE!
*In other news, Loki is doing great. Her spaying went fab, and the stitches are out and everything looks great. Her fur is growing back fast, and she is her normal chaotic self. She did get into some grass seed w/ fertilizer and had red eyes and a swollen snout for a few days. She looked like she was majorly hung over. We gave her a benadryl (vet said this is okay). We also put a wet, cool washcloth over her eyes and that really helped get rid of the red puffy eyes. Poor puppy! Silly puppy is actually a better description, always getting into trouble, maybe she'll learn a lesson from all this. Then again maybe not.

We won Game 2!!

It's official, the Cards won game 2 2=0!! We are coming home! Pujols got a single and a double. Molina got a single but was caught in a run out. Pujols managed to go to second on a single b/c of bad play by the Padres. Pujols later bobbled a ball, but managed to get the out. Belliard is showing just how good he is, making another awesome catch. Edmonds keeps making it look easy.
*Joined a new group on facebook- Redbirds for Life. Mentioned that we needed a pic....said it should be a Molina pic, I just checked the group, apparently "Yadier Molina" agreed w/ me. Yea, so not believing its actually him b/c when he posted he was playing. I seriously doubt La Russa lets them go anywhere near a computer during the game. I just love all these profiles on myspace and facebook for the "players". Like they actually have time...its just fans who are "pretending" to be somebody they're not.
*Joined Myspace and already I've had to change my song....grrr. Daddy Yankee took off Rompe (my song), there is a Rompe Remix...I'll have to listen to that. Right now I have Jesse McCartney's Right Where You Want Me. Its peppy and fun, I like it. I still would love to have a good Latin/Salsa song or Reggaeton song tho.

Cards win Game 1 vs San Diego Padres

The Cards won today 5-1 w/ Reigning Cy Young Winner Chris Carpenter on the mound. MVP First Baseman, Albert Pujols, hit a monster HR in the top of the 4th inning to make it 2-0 (driving in Left fielder Chris Duncan, then Centerfielder Jim Edmonds got a base hit, then Right fielder Juan Encarnacion drove him in on a sac fly making it 3-0. Every player in the starting lineup-including Carpenter- either got a hit or drove in a run. Consecutive two-out singles from Pujols and Edmonds drove Shortstop David Eckstien home; 4-0. Catcher Yadier Molina got a basehit and drove in a run to make the score 5-0 in the 6th. Carpenter once again proved why he won the Cy Young Award last year and why he deserves to win it this year, he went 6 and 1/3 innings, collecting his 3rd win in four career post season games. Padres starting pictcher Jake Peavy, who started the Padres- Cardinals playoffs last year, lost the opener to Carpenter. San Deigo got on the board in the 6th when Dave Roberts scored after a one out triple. Tyler Johnson came in to take over for Carpenter, and after some typical Johnson dramatics, he got out of the inning (bases were loaded w/ one out). He did a suprisingly good job, I still don't think he's that good. Adam Wainwright came in and finished up the game, recording the four final outs. For the official report and additional details click here.
*Next up:
Wed is a workout day. Mets will play wild card Los Angeles Dodgers. Mets are unsure at the moment as to who will start game one as their slotted starting pitcher, right-handed Orlando Hernandez, injured his calf muscle during warmups. It is doubtful he will recover to start for Wed nights game. This means two pitchers out; one of their aces: Pedro Martinez is already done for the season. This could be good news for the Cards. I hate hearing about anybody getting hurt, so I wish both players speedy recoveries (just not too speedy). However, I want our Cards to win. So go Dodgers!!!!
Thursday, Oct 4: Game 2 at San Diego. Cards pitcher Jeff Weaver vs. Padres pitcher David Wells.
And of course the New York Yankees take center stage tonight (as they will every game they play in the playoffs) w/ the prime time slot on Fox 2. All I have to say about Fox covering the games this year; it had better be better than last year. Last year the Cards were ignored, even when we came home for game 6, they had Astros players miked up. And they spent more time talking about the Astros and introducing them. Equal reprensentation that's all I'm asking.

The St. Louis Cardinals Rock!!!

CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS 3 YRS RUNNING!!!!!!! Even tho the Cards dropped their last game of the regular season to the Brew Crew (5-3), the Cardinals are going to the playoffs!! The Houston Astros lost their last game to the Atlanta Braves. Cardinal Nation went nuts, doing the Braves chop(something we normally wouldn't do if our lives depended on it but hey they knocked the 'stos out of the series and made us very happy). The Cards managed to hit three homeruns in the bottom of the 9th. Chris Duncan started it off w/ his 22nd HR, then Albert Pujols hit number 49, and then Scott Spezio (yesterday's game hero w/ his walk off triple).

Let's Go Cardinals!!! Get the pennet and then World Series baby!!!!

Magic Number Countdown

Okay so baseball season is drawing to an end (sniff, sniff- tearing up at the mention of this sad fact) and the Cardinals appear to win the Central Division for the 3rd consecutive time. The magic number (which when it reaches zero is when the Cards clinch their division) stands at 5. It has been this for two days. They have dropped the last three games; one to the Brewers, which allowed the Brew crew to win the series, and two to the rotten Astros. I can't stand the 'stros! David Eckstien was in the lineup last night for the first time since exiting the game hurt on August 18th. He hit a game opening homerun. The Cards held a 5-2 lead until the eigth inning. Thats where it started going downhill. Marquis was scratched and will start tonight, which explains my confusion last night at seeing a pitcher I've never seen before pitching. Emergency starting pitcher Chris Narveson, who did well for his debut. The rookie left-hander pitched four innings, aquiring six strikeouts and allowing two runs on two hits. Closer Braden Looper lost the game by allowing the game winning hit, very unusual for Looper who is very reliable and is known as 'the vulture' according to FSN broadcasters. The Cards go at it again, Marquis is on the mound and will hopefully bring the magic number down to 4. It could even go down to three, granted the stupid Cinnci Reds lose.
So boo Reds and Let's Go Cardinals!!

Loki Tales

This past Tuesday, we had Loki spayed. Poor puppy was all bewildered when she came home, she didn't understand why she was all drugged up and was hurting. She was so excited when she got home she jumped out of the car and promptly whimpered b/c it hurt. Poor baby didn't know what to do, she kept looking at us all forlorn and didn't want to lay down. So we finally had to put her on command and make her lay down b/c her legs were going bowlegged. She was so docile and sweet all night, it was quite the culture shock to us. We are used to Loki running around the house like crazy living up to her name. She spent the majority of the night laying in my lap....well half in and half out of my lap. I will post pics of that later. The next day Loki was back to normal. Loki is herself once againn, driving the family batty. The vet told my dad that the surgery went beautifully and that Loki's hips (which he x-rayed for us to see if we could expect hip probs in the future) and told us that her hips are in the top ten of all the dogs he has x-rayed in the past eight years!! Her hips are perfect! And what do we do...we spay her-she would have been perfect for breeding. Which is what we would have done w/ Shadow had her hips been perfect. But we are happy w/ Loki and stand by our decision. I can't imagine having more than one Loki running around the house, chasing the cat, and creating chaos. Having a puppy in the house has made looking at puppies easier-we no longer want one-as we have one. Wheras when we had Shadow, we wanted a puppy to play with and go on walks w/. So Loki is all better after her surgery and the family is great. There is a pet day coming up at the People Pictures place at Crestwood, so we are going to take Loki w/ us on that day to get a family pic- b/c Loki is a very important part of the family! So finally mom gets the family pic taht she has been asking for - for about a year now.

Breaking News: Baby Abby Woods has been found!!!

As I am writing this, they are saying on the news that baby Abby Woods and the suspect have been found alive. Woods was taken from her home on Friday, after a female suspect entered at gunpoint and slit the mothers throat. The mother survived the wound (Thank God) and ran over to her neighbors house w/ her one year old son and called police. Abby Woods was found about five miles from her house, with the female suspect. I am sooooo happy and relieved that baby Abby is home safe!! God has answered several hundered prayers in returning Abby home, especially that of her mother and father's! So I am happy for them and their family. Personally, I hope the woman that took Abby gets the chair. Normally I don't believe in that but this is a special case. It's really brave kidnapping a poor defenseless baby, oh so brave (major sarcasm here if you can't tell). If it had been my baby taken, I woulda told the sherrif to get the woman who took her as far away from me as possible, I'm not talking 20 or so miles, I'm talking two states, or the other side of the country or even better out of the country. My instinct would be to cuddle the baby and then hurt the witch that took her. To take a child from its parents is one of the worst things that someone could do. Doesn't matter what age, it isn't right. If someone did that to my family, the person who dared to take or hurt one of my family members would be in serious pain! I hope that Abby Woods is 100% okay, and I wish her and her family the best. My thoughts and prayers have been with you the entire time. I hope everything turns out the way it should. Congrats to the hard working sherriff and police officers and countless volunteers who searched and found baby Abby. Good work! More miracles like this should happen. I seriously hope they do!!

Remembering 9/11

*Several articles were available to read all over the web today( on 9/11-on the attack and the repercussions). On msn.com you could watch a clip that replayed those horrible happenings. I got into 2 seconds of it and had to stop it...I saw the second plane crash into the towers and saw both towers fall once, I can't bear to see it again...unfortunately I did see the second plane crash again and relieved the awful memories. On my way home from work, riding w/ Dad, and listening to the radio, The Big 550, they began to play a song "Have You Forgotten?"-thankfully they didn't play the entire version...it is a great song, very moving, but it always makes me cry...the vivid images the words present set me off every time. We must never forget what happened that day- we must never allow it to happen again. I stand behind Bush in his war against Terrorism- I have from day one and I will continue to do so. Terrorism has no place in this world. I had a moment of silence for the victims of the towers and flight 93 today, and I hope that many people did the same. God bless...and yes I am blogging that...and stay safe!

The Chris Carpenter Show

Carpenter was on fire tonight! He showed everyone why he won the Cy Young Award and why he should win it again. His victory tonight is his third complete game shut out, as the Cardinals blanked the Astros 7-0! The first inning went by uneventful and boring. Things got interesting after that. Carpenter improved his record to 14-6 making him the pitcher w/ the most wins on the Cards, and lowered his ERA. The fun began in the third when second baseman Ronnie Belliard hit a 2 out single up the middle to score left fielder, Chris Duncan. Belliard came thru again in the following inning, hitting a triple to clear the bases. Cards also scored on a basehit by Duncan, and a walk delivered to Juan Encarnacion w/ the bases loaded! The Cards magic number is 15 over Cinnci and 14 over the stupid 'Stros!
Let's Go Cardinals!!
*Also of note, a middle school band played God Bless America and it was awesome. It was the best performance by a band that I've heard all season. Then a choir from the same school ruined the moment by screeching their way thru the National Anthem.
*The St. Louis Police and Fire Depts were represented on field tonight in rememberance of 9/11. They stood at attention and either held the giant flag in the outfield or saluted it. A fan in the seats had a flag of his own...not a mini one-a full flag-how the heck did he get that past security?! They also replayed the late great Jack Buck's moving speech from 9-17-2001 in response to the acts of terrorism on 9/11.

Hello Movin' 101.1

Okay so apparently the radio station, The River, has bit the dust. And Movin' 101.1 has emerged! And I am loving it!!!! Today there are no commercials!!! None, nada, nil, zero! It is so cool! Its all music, and its a really good mix of hits from now and hits from the 80's and 90's! I have heard some songs today that I haven't heard in years!! As of this moment this is my fave station. We will see how things change on Monday....hopefully Steve and DC are gone and Vic and Trish in the morning are back! That would be sweet. OMG! They are playing Men In Black by Will Smith right now!! Awesome!!! In other news, Loki is chewing on my computers cords and the door stopper so I will have to get her out of this room soon. Loki turned 7 months yesterday!! She is getting so big! Her training is really coming along...today we went on a walk and she heeled beautifully, listening to me and behaving like a little lady! Even tho we did play hookey from class today...long story short- I was tired, allergies are driving me nuts, Loki and I haven't worked together in a while so she woulda been a goober brain anyways-so it was a smart thing to do. End of Story. Anyways.....if you haven't checked out Movin' 101.1- Do it!

Cleaning does the body good

So I got into a cleaning frenzy this evening. I blame Froggiegirl...she and Gimlet have Gimlet's friend, Gary, visiting this weekend, and she has had to do a lot of cleaning (and laundry for Gimlet) this week. So first I started innocently enough with my bathroom. First I clean the sink, then I decide to tackle my bathtub/shower (something I haven't done in years b/c I can't kneel b/c of my stupid knees). I really scrubbed that (if you want something done right, do it yourself). Then I decided to vaccum... but first I decided to give more time to the clothes in the dryer, then I febrezed the living room, then I dusted the living room. Then I tackled my room. I dusted everything...well not everything- I didn't get the topmost shelf of my tall book shelf or my high shelves b/c I'm too short to do them w/o standing on a chair(which I refuse to do as I am petrified of heights). This meant moving and rearranging stuff on my desk and bookshelves. I finally cleaned out the little printer holder (or whatever its called) and I put my lotions(stocked up ones that is) on the top and all my b-day/thank you/graduation cards in a ducky bag I found. So my desk is clean- dusted and de-junked. I started dusting my room w/ dusting my bed. After dusting, I decided it was time to change my sheets, so I did that, thew the blue checked ones in the washer, and put on the sheets that match my comforter. Then I made my bed all nice and neat. Then after all this dusting, I vaccumed first my room, and then the living room. I even washed my puppy's food and water dish. I stayed hydrated by drinking Lemonlime Gatorade. Then I was done, or at least I thought I was done.
My back was spazing and I was tired, figured I'd tackle my desk in the office Sat. Nope, after watching the rest of the game (which I watched throughout my cleaning frenzy) and the post game and some stupid show on tv. I decided to go online. However, in my cleaning frenzy, this meant I had to dust and de-junk my desk. Which I did, it looks great now. So whoever messes it up (besides me that is) is gonna get hurt. My comp is the only comp upstairs that gets the internet, so mom and dad use it. Mom is not allowed to drink while on my computer (after leaving a soda can and then later a water glass near my comp- I paid a lot of hard earned money for this comp and I'm not about to have it get fried b/c somebody else was careless). Dad is not allowed to eat at my comp after getting crumbs all over the desk and keyboard.
So my living room, office and room are nice and clean. Loki and the parents are camping so it will stay tidy until Monday afternoon when they come home. Until then, I'm going to enjoy my hard work and revel in the tidieness of the house.

Carpenter shows why he is a Cy Young winner

Chris Carpenter, our ace, got the start tonight, the win, and the complete game. Carpenter was amazing, everything was dead on. According to catcher Yadier Molina after the game in an interview on FSN- Carpenter's fastball was the pitch that was the best. Yadier Molina was hitless again, but his defense alone keeps him in the lineup. Manager Tony LaRussa has said many times that Molina could have a .000 batting average and he would stay in the lineup b/c of his defense. Molina has a cannon for an arm and has thrown out 44% of runners who have attempted to steal (that's the hightest %age in the league!!). With Giants catcher (former Cards catcher) Mike Mattheny out for the rest of the year due to concussion syndrome, Molina seems to be a likely canidate for gold glove. I think he deserves it, he has been outstanding and the guy is tough as nails, he took a head on collision a season or two ago that was scary...his mask and hat flew off and he was knocked to the ground but he held on to the ball to get the out at homeplate...he remained in the game too! Okay back to tonights game.... Preston Wilson homered and scored two runs. Carpenter got his 3rd complete game of the season and number 23 total career. Carpenter has a 13-6 record, and is one game shy of leading the league. He is in the running for the Cy Young Award again. He deserves it, the guy is flat out amazing. He spent his first year w/ the Red Birds on the bench (all season), the next season he comes back from Tommy John surgery and gets 20 wins and wins the coveted Cy Young Award. According to the St. Louis Cardinals website, Carpenter has issued only one walk since the beginning of August! Now that's impressive. Click here for the full story and more details. I was cleaning while I was watching the game. I missed some of the game, but I did see Wilson's HR-that was cool. The Birds on the Bat now have a 5 game lead over the Cincinnati Red's who have been having a rough road trip (yay for us). Those annoying and pesky Astros are 7 games back, so they are still a worry...we have to face them 7 more times. Don't count them out until the division champs and wild cards are official. These guys went to the playoffs and the World Series for the first time in a really long time last year and are hungry for another chance at being the World Champs.
As always, Go Cardinals!!!

Take that Marlins!

As you can guess from the title; this posting is about baseball. Suprise, suprise. I was talking w/ Froggiegirl the other day (whom I had lunch w/ on Thurs.- I ventured the new metrolink in Shrewsberry- very clean and slow at that station, the others are great) and I started talking about my fave baseball team (Cardinals, duh!) and she said "I really don't pay attention to it, if I want to know whats going on I read your blog." That was an awesome compliment! I love sharing my view of baseball and hope that I'm doing a good job. Okay now to the point.
Thursday night, the entire family (mom, dad, me and golum) went to Busch Stadium to see the Cards rough up the Marlins ( Cards beat them 5-1). This was mom's first time to Busch, so we got there early so she could explore. As we pull into our friends lot (we don't have to pay for parking ;)) it starts to rain. These tickets were purchased way back in March- I spent five and a half hours trying to get tickets, and dad walks in and takes over...20 min later he has ticktes...and asks "why did you have trouble?" Grrr. So we were not pleased when it started to rain. Luckily it slowed down, and stopped by the time we entered the stadium. Mom wanted to see the Build-A-Bear Workshop there, as well as the view from the main entrance to the stadium (the diamond). Mom and I go looking at the ppl taking off the tarp, and Dad and golum disapeer...they went to get beer already! Mom and I looked in the Team Store (Dad and golum outside w/ their beers). Finally, we were ready to go to our seats. Well Daniel Boone (golum) (who has only been to the stadium twice) decided that he would lead us to our seats...Dad and I have been there 4 times and know the layout...but nooo Daniel Boone insisist that he knows where he's going. So we venture up to the top level (we had to go up to go down- wierd I know), and then Daniel Boone sees the stairs and says we have to take them. We go down four flights before I start to balk...the stairs only open to three sections- the top most level, the private section, and the bottom level- they don't go to where we want to go- the Loge level. So Dad and I decide to go back up the stairs to the top level and take the ramps to our seats. We got to our seats first, a few min later mom and Daniel Boone show up. They "claimed" that they stopped to look at a store first...yea right.
The begining of the game wasn't good..the Marlins struck first. Their pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, was giving our guys a hard time. Finally we tied it up, then they got a run. In the 7th inning, Chris Duncan pinch hits for So Taguchi. He hits a homerun to tie the game. Pujols walks and goes to third on throwing error, so one on, nobody out. Rolen comes up and gets a base hit, Pujols scores. Encarnacion smacks a double, then Belliard gets a basehit, Rolen and Encarnacion score. Score is now 5-2. Suppan was the starting pitcher, but like Willis he didn't get the win. Braden Looper got the win, and Izzy (the same Izzy who almost blew it w/ bases loaded in the ninth- Pujols and Rolen saved him when the guy-Dan Uggla- on third ventured away and Pujols shot the ball to Rolen who tagged the guy out for the final out- bet Uggla got chewed out when he got to the dugout) got the save. The game was great! The atmosphere was electric, everytime Pujols comes to the plate, the place goes nuts. Fireworks went off for Duncan's 15 HR, and when the game concluded w/a Cards victory. Molina and Suppan were the only Cardinals (not counting pinch hitter Vizciano or Spiezio) w/o hits. Molina's defense speaks for itself. He nailed a runner (Hanley Ramirez- shortstop) trying to steal second base- guy was stupid...he actually thought he could steal w/ Molina behind the plate! Haha, yeah right! Suppan pitched a great game...he is shapping up to be the number 2 ace for the Cards (pitching wise that is).

All Hail King Bennett!!

The Cards swept the Cubs!!! Friday night, the birds on the bat blanked the Cubbies 2-0. Saturday afternoon, the Cards came from behind to beat the cubbies 2-1, thanks in large part to back-up catcher Gary Bennett, who homered in the 3rd inning, and then hit the game winning single in the bottom of the ninth. Chris Carpenter pitched a great game, didn't get the win, and left the game w/ back cramps. Last night, it was Bennett who was once again the hero of the game....He smacked a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth with two outs to win the game 10-6!! The game last night was intense. Cubs struck first, going 2-0 in the top of the first inning. Then the Cards came to bat, tying the game 2-2. The second run was scored by third baseman Scott Rolen, who singled and made it all the way to home! Preston Wilson was on first base and scored easily once Rolen laced a single! (2 outs, one runner on here- this will be a pattern that will huant the Cubbies the entire game) Rolen loped one out to right field and the right fielder didn't give a good chase- he assumed that Rolen would stop at first or second base...nope, Rolen took advantage by speeding around the bases and tagging home w/o being tagged out. It was really funny to watch. The reaction in the Cubs dugout was hilarious... manager Dusty Baker looked really mad! LOL!! The fourth inning was even funnier. It all started w/ a bunt from first baseman Albert Pujols, he got on base....another opportunity missed. Then the Cards hit three singles and two walks to make the score 6-3. Unfortunately the Cubbies tied the game at 6-6, and things were looking gloomy, until bases were loaded 2 outs bottom of the ninth inning. Gary Bennett steps up to the plate and unloads....He slams a game winning Grand Slam to make the game 10-6!!! It was an awesome game. My dad scored a ticket to the game, he went w/ the gal I went w/ on Friday. So dad saw possibly the most entertaining game of the season. Lucky guy. Click here for the official report on how the Birds on the Bat clobbered the poor little Cubbies! Awwwe soo sad....NOT!! ROWL!!

Jack Buck Lives!!

Last night I was invited to the Cards vs Cubs game by my mom's friend (also was her maid of honor at her wedding), it was my first Cubs game!! It was soo much fun. Cubs fans are funny! Their team is 13 and a half games out of it, no chance for even the wild card spot, and they still pray and act like their team is number 1. I don't get it! One of the best parts of the game was seeing the late great Jack Buck sing "Take Me out to the Ballgame"!!! It was awesome! The entire crowd was rivited to the big screen and went wild when Jack put on his Cardinals hat! My other fave part of the game was seeing Izzy nail all of his pitches and earn the save! When he first came into the game, the Cubs fans started cheering (they know Izzy has lost games before). Lucky for us, Izzy was razor sharp last night! Jeff Soupon pitched a great 7 innings and recieved a standing O for his work. Randy Flores came in and did a good job of keeping the Cubs in line. There were some Cubbie fans near us and they cheered whenever the Cards didn't score. Oh well, we all know the outcome- 2-0 Cards!! The place was electric when the Great Albert Pujols came up to bat. Fireworks went off after Izzy threw the last pitch to strike the batter out and win the game!! I had a blast, even tho Gary Bennet was catching...his offense is really improving. Yadier Molina is out with a muscle strain in his right arm...slight case of tendinitis in his shoulder. Click here for the official details and the details on shortstop David Eckstien's injury. I wish both of them a speedy recovery! Go Cards!!

102nd Posting!!!

Most ppl celebrate the 100th of something....not me. I am celebrating the 102nd posting of my blog. So this posting will have random things on it:
*The St. Louis Cardinals made a new aqquistion with the picking up of right fielder, Preston Wilson, who was designated for assignment by the Houston Astros (their loss). Wilson, who wears jersey #3, first played with the red birds on Friday against the Chicago Cubs. Wilson added to the Cardinals run count by slamming a single homerun. The Cardinals ended up beating the Cubbies 11-3. Sat- Catcher Yadier Molina hit a solo homerun to make the game 2-0 Cardinals. Unfortunately, the cubbies ended up winning in the bottom of the 9th w/scoring a single run-5-4 Cubbies. Sunday Chris Carpenter went to the mound and went 8 innings for a Cardinals win 5-3(even tho Izzy came into the 9th and almost blew the lead). Cardinals are leading their division w/ a 2.5 game lead. Gold-glover center fielder Jim Edmonds is battling post-concussion syndrome, and it is uncertain when the vetran will return to the starting lineup. Shortstop David Eckstien is sidelined for at least a week(everyone cross your fingers that that's all the time he'll miss) with an oblique strain he suffered on Fridays game while slidding into homeplate. He was safe at the plate, but ran into the Cubbies catchers legs. Ouch! Juan Encarnacion has taken over in center field, and Aaron Miles has taken over at shortstop. Third baseman, Scott Rolen, is up for the Comeback Player of the Year Award- he should get it, he is awesome this year. You can help him by voting here. First baseman Albert "the great" Pujols is yet again up for the Hank Aaron Award, vote now. Cards have Monday off in NYC, then Tuesday they start a 3 game series against East Division leaders (by 14 games), the New York Mets (boo Mets are pondscum-must do this b/c mom is from NY and is a fan). Then its home for 3 games vs the Cubbies (boo).
*Loki is six months old now and weighs 40.5 lbs. She is getting to be a big girl. She is so funny and sweet. Froggiegirl and I took Loki swimming atBlanchette Park in St. Charles last Monday for Pool Paws for Humane Laws. Loki got to go swimming in a swimming pool for ppl, she had an absolute blast. Froggiegirl was amazed at Loki's sleeping thru the entire car ride there and back. Froggiegirl took lots of pics w/ her underwater camera-Mom really wants to see those pics soon (as do I). hint hint. Loki is growing stronger everyday, she is solid muscle which is good, b/c that means she is a health dog.
*I am officially job hunting- one application in (if I can get the interview I am sure I can nail the job), I visited Kelly Temps(my current employer) and updated my skills level -which was a joke b/c the system was so outdated. I can work access, excell, word, and pwr pt w/ the best of them. Unfortunately the system had Windows 98, and I had to work Word , Access, and Excell 97- none of which I have worked with in the past 5 years. So obviously my Access says needs training as well as my Business skills (which is bull- they need to update and then they will have an accurate record of my abilities). I am getting sooo bored sitting around at home. I am playing the waiting game w/ Kelly Temps. I want to get an assigment so I can have something to do and have some income. I am contstantly looking at Monster.com and Hotjobs but have found nothing that sounds remotely interesting. I am going to give a gal a call today who works for Martiz's competition and get advice from her. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll get a job soon and get out of the house (the family is driving me nuts). Troll boy keeps asking "when are you getting a job", my response: "when are you gettting your Bachelors?". The boy has no room to complain-he works as a lifegaurd-and works nowhere near 30 hrs a week, and then complains b/c he doesn't have enough time or money...that's what you get for not going to college.
* Mom has started school, as well as troll boy (who is at Meramec yet again). I get to laugh at them as they trudge off, no more stupid assignments or dumb term papers for this girl. I helped mom fix up her classroom Wed, only to have her students take everything off the walls on Thursday b/c her room was to be painted. Nope, didn't happen. They ran "out of time", yeah right. Hopefully, it will be painted soon, and the plants from "the jungle" (all the plants on our front porch) can go into work.

Goober Brain Strikes Again!

The past two weeks, Loki has been doing great in her lessons. She can now "chill" (where the dogs put their head b/t their paws when laying down) with the best of them. Her "heeling" is wonderful. She can do the "Yoyo" (sit, down, sit, down, etc) command very well. However, when we got to Level 5 (lesson #3 on this level- she's done it 3 times), all of that went up in smoke. Loki decided it was too much, and it was time to play. She broke command over and over. Her long distance recalls (put dog in sit or down, walk to middle of room and call them to come) were awful. If she had been called a few dogs sooner she would have done fine. So next Sat. I am going to ask the trainer to call her 2nd or 3rd or even first. She just wants to play and give everybody (especially the other dogs) kisses. She is a very smart dog, just has a short attention span. What made me mad was the fact that there was a lab only about 12 weeks doing better than Loki! 12 weeks! That's when you are supposed to start! But this was one of the professional trainers dog. We are going to take Loki to the city park and work with her there- there are more distractions. Hopefully, next week she will do much better.....I hope!

I love the Zoo

Today, mom and I ventured out to the St. Louis Zoo (before it got too hot). We started off in River's Edge where we saw Cappberras (they are related to Guinea Pigs), hogs, a cheetah, and Raja! We also visited the bears; one was playing with a bone-he was standing up and tossing it over his head! We also visited the Penguin and Puffin Exhibit for the first time. There was no long line this time; it was soooo cold in there! They were soo cute. Then it was on to see Zebras, Camels, kangaroos, and finally Big Cat Country! My two fave areas at the zoo are the Wild Area where the bears play, and Big Cat Country! A lot of the animals were taking naps, but a tiger, a puma, and a leopard were striking poses. Click here to see my pics from the zoo

It's gettin' hott in here!

The Red Birds have won three games in a row. Last night they smashed Cinncinatti! They lead their division by 4.5 games (Cinnci is in second). Catcher Yadier Molina hit a homerun making it 5-0 in the first inning and reached his career high for RBI's. Chris Duncan, playing right field, hit a solo run home run, Scott Spezio hit a two run homerun, and third baseman Scott Rolen also hit a solo homerun. Pujols walked and scored on a throwing error. The Cardinals capitalized on all of the mistakes made by Cinnci. Starter Jeff Weaver got his second win as a Cardinal, and looked pretty good out there. Aaron Miles got the start at shortstop, as David Eckstein had to attend to personal business. He did not make an appearence in the game, though all throughout the game the announcers kept saying "He'll be here any moment". The Birds on the Bat are on fire! Keep it up boys!
Let's Go Cardinals!!

My new toy

As previously mentioned in my earlier post, I bought a laptop. Thanks to Gimlet and Froggiegirl, I got a pretty good laptop. As they are more computer savy than me, I asked for their advice. They recommended Toshiba. So I am now the proud owner of a Satalite Toshiba 15.4" sceen laptop. The only problem is that I had to go to two different stores to find one, then at the second store the only one available was the display, so I took that. I went home, proud( and a little nervous this was my biggest purchase on my own- Gulp!), with my new toy. Got home opened it up, turned it on and noticed a stratch. At first I thought I could rub it off, nope...have to get another laptop. So mom called Office Depot (where I bought it), and told them about the scratch. They said that there were more in the warehouse and they might get one in on Monday afternoon. So today (Monday) I give them a call, where they tell me it missed the truck and the earliest it will be in will be sometime on Wed. The truck doesn't have a specific time that it comes in, so technically it could arrive to the store anytime between 7 AM and 4 PM. I want to personalize it, play with it, and enjoy it! I am very excited about my laptop, its my first one. My first computer (where I am working now b/c I can't get internet on my new comp), is a desktop and was purchased in August of '01. I have been wanting to throw it out the window for several months now...hopefully after I restore it to its orginal status (after I take off all my stuff), I can sell it and make a nice profit. Not too much, but enough so I'm not just giving it away. Click here to see all the specs for my new laptop. Hopefully, I can get my new laptop early Wed morning, and then I will be in business by that night.
* Another note of interest: The Cardinals have won two games in a row now!!! Pujols hit homerun number 34 yesterday! All right! Go Cards!!

That's right, I'm a graduate!

I am an official graudate of the University of Missouri- St. Louis!!! Yay!! I had my graduation party on Sat, August 5th, it was a small gathering. A nice bbq in my backyard with a few friends. Just what I was looking for. I got some nice gifts. Rachel K. got me a gift certificate to Bath & Body Works(I love that store- visited yesterday and stocked up!), Gimlet and Froggiegirl gave me three candle holders in the shape of flowers and extra tea candles. My brother gave me a gift certificate to Best Buy (suprise, suprise- that's his usuall gift for everybody)-used it to get a laptop carrying bag. My parents suprised me by paying a nice chunk of change on my new laptop! All in all, I'm happy. I have yet to send out graduation announcents, which I will be doing soon (I promise!). It's still a little weird not going for back-to-school shopping, and prepping for classes. I can't wait to start working! I am taking one week off to relax and then I'll call Kelly Temps- tell 'em I'm free and can work. I figure I'll work there until I find a more permanent job. So Congrats to me! 2nd Generation to attend and graduate from college!!

Hot Hot Hot!

St. Louis has been on fire lately...and I'm not talking about the Cardinals. The past week and a half, the midwest city has been reaching temps above the 100 mark. This brutal heat has made training with Loki impossible. Even our nightly walks have been put on hold. We are currently redoing our front landscaping. Unfortunately, its been so hot, mom can only get in a few hours every morning before she has to call it quits. Thankfully, it looks like things are going to cool down. The landscaping is almost finished...it looks very nice. Loki and I managed a training session for a while and we weren't dying when we went inside. Last week Loki was a goober brain in class... she was totally out of character. The hot temps are to blame for that. Hopefully, we will be able to get in another solid session t/m night. She was good tonight, only broke once. For the most part, Loki does very well in class. She is still the youngest in her class, so she has some maturing to do. I am amazed at how smart she is sometimes. She has the potential to blow the rest of her class out of the water when she matures a bit more. I can't wait. I am really grateful the temps are going down; I miss my nightly walks w/ Loki.

Pagin the St. Louis Cardinals....um the season is not over yet

That's right, we still have a few more months left of baseball. However, the Cardinals have dropped their last 7 games. So this is what it feels like to be a Cubs fan...I don't like it. The Cardinals appear to be in some time of funk and they need to get out of it. They are still in first place b/c the other teams in their division are lousy. The Cardinals need to shape up fast. If they continue to play like this, they can kiss playoffs good bye. We have two new birds on the bat; Jorge Sosa recently aquired from the Atlanta Braves and Ronnie Belliard from the Cleaveland Indians. Hector Luna was traded to the tribe in exchange for Belliard. Belliard has taken over as the lead second baseman. Aaron Miles is now the backup. Too early to judge either player. According to all reports, both players are fitting in. Both players have seen action wearing their new uniforms. Belliard aqquired his first hit as a Cardinal in tonights game. Cardinals dropped the 7th straight to the Phillies. Congrats to Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley, who has extended his hitting streak to 35 games. The Brew crew comes into town next, hopefully the Cards will sweep them and get back on track.
A true fan through and through- Go Cardinals!

Free Ice Cream? Yes, Please!

Y98 has this great deal going on with Maggie Moo's all summer long. When it hits 98 degrees at Lambert, and Y98 announces it, the next 98 minutes- ice cream is free at all Maggie Moo's locations!! I have been hearing about this on the radio for about a week now, and was excited. I love free stuff. So today I knew the temps would be up really high today so I turned on my walkman to listen to Y98 and see if it was free ice cream time yet. Much to my delight, it had just hit 98 at Lambert! Free ice cream time!!! So mom and I headed over to Maggie Moo's in Gravois Bluffs in Fenton. I got dark chocolate (I am a chocoholic so all choc. is good, but this was extremly good) and mom got an expresso bean (if you like coffee you'll love it). Unfortunately for me, I hate coffee, and was therefore disgusted when I sampled mom's choice. There was a bit of a line, but it moved fast and there were 5 servers. We ate inside, and it was nice. So I am loving this Y98 free ice cream thing!! I hope that it will hit 98 degrees sometime again soon, the weather ppl keep saying its going to be a hot week, so I think theres a good chance for free ice cream again!! Click here for all the yummy details!

My little Loki

I swear my puppy knows when I'm in a hurry, that dog can take forever to go to the bathroom. Loki is doing very well in her obedience class- I now have more time to devote to her training sessions! I worked with her tonight, and we had a rough start but towards the end Loki was doing fab. I don't anticipate us passing to the next level this coming Sat., we still have some work to do, and I am grateful for the time. Loki hates having her ears clean...it is a two person job, unless we put her pinch collar and leash on. She suddenly gets all lovey and wants hugs. Loki is growing so fast! Her newest collar is on the third hole, where as a week or two ago it was on the fourth, and seemed a bit big for her. She has grown into it. I have to say that I love coming home and being greeted by Loki. She is all wiggles and always happy to see me. She can be a menace sometimes, but she is a real sweetie. I found Shadows old collar today, and was stuck by how much I miss my Shadow...I can still picture her in my mind and I can only hope that she is happy with Loki being a part of our family. Occasionally, we slip and call Loki Shadow. The pain of Shadow not being here is still present, but everyday with Loki is making it easier. I love my little Loki, she's my little girl and the cutest puppy in the world. She is going to be beautiful when she grows up, we get so many compliments on her looks. Yep, my little blonde puppy already has tons of fans... now if only we could get her to realize that ppl do not just exist to give her attention....

Me- 1, UMSL-0

I just won my battle against UMSL in regards to my calculus class. I will not bore you with all of the long details. Short version: I failed my calc class b/c I didn't have any help and I really needed it...I am legally entitled to help b/c of a learning disorder... the paperwork to prove this didn't make it in time for me to get help and pass my final. Ruling at UMSL is that you must pass the final, regardless of your current grade, to pass the class. I had a C going into the final, but I failed the final ergo failing the class. I have been fighting UMSL since January to have my grade changed. The chair of the math department (Mr. Not so nice word) refuses to change my grade. I finally sought a waiver appeal to waive the calculus requirement for my degree, where I would not have to repeat Calc but I would still graduate. Meanwhile I was taking a horrid calc class (and doing horrid in it) at Meramec- just in case everything got denied, there is no way I am not graduating in August. But finally after six months of frustration and tons of stress, my battle is over. I have an agreement with a guy who is higher up in the Business Administration, who has agreed to waive the Calc requirement granted I get a C- or better in my Ops Mgmt class and meet the criteria for my GPA for the degree, campus, and graduation. I got an A- in my Strategic Mgmt class (that was a hard, but well earned grade). T/m I am going to Meramec and dropping my Calc class. Now I can focus on my Ops Mgmt class- I have a tutor and this new stuff I have notes (which we can use on the tests) have step by step instructions. So now I have to argue for reinbursement from Meramec and sell my book back- I'm getting a full refund on that- believe me they do not want to make me mad...I can be quite devient and a force to be reckoned with when the situation calls for it.
To sum everything up...I have a huge burden removed from my shoulders, and my life will be a lot less stressful. Just gotta concentrate on two classes; one I think I'll get a B, maybe an A and the Ops Mgmt-well I will work extra hard and rely on my tutor and father for help, not to mention speaking with the professor and working with fellow classmates. So for now I am extremly happy!! I am seriously going to need to celebrate on Friday- can't Thursday b/c I have a night class-Ops Mgmt! Oh goody!

Countdown to Freedom

August 3rd 8:41 PM I will officially be free from the tyranical system known as UMSL!! I am sooo excited!!! I have less than a month to go. I have had a countdown going since day one- several of them in fact; on my blog, in my planner, on my class sylabus/schedule....truely its the only way I would survive summer school. I am excited to leave school, but I am nervous about not finding a job...I always doubt myself and lately I am having a really hard time of being able to think positively...so I think negatively...I can't get hurt that way...
*I need to bump up my resume, start looking for jobs I might be interested in, buy a book on cover letters, write a cover letter(s), send out my resumés and hope for the best. I know in the back of my mind my skills will speak for themselves....but I always doubt things before they happen. I just want to pass all of my classes, graduate, and then focus on getting a job. It would be nice to know I had a job when I graduate...but I will settle for a Kelly temp assignment while I'm looking for a job, that way I will have a source of income.
*I did see a person I worked with last summer and she said that the team is hurting...asked her to mention I am available to work...she said she would mention it. B/c of my insane summer school schedule, and my lack of constant availability..Kelly Temps did not offer me the assignment I've gotten for two years. One that I have dominated (I can work circles around some of the temps they hire- I'm not being overconfident-just ask anybody at Maritz I've worked for or my dad, and they'll tell ya the same). So hopefully, w/in the next few days or so I'll get a call asking if I can work...having a source of income would be greatly appreciated. Paying for gas to attend classes is getting expensive and I hate asking the parents to pay for it. Not going to class b/c gas is expensive is not an option. I will graduate- I'm soo close it would be extremly stupid not to finish.
*I'm looking at new computers- mainly a new tower and a new monitor...I'd settle for a new tower and then get a new monitor when I'm working again. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse, and an awesome printer so I don't want to pay for stuff I don't need. Gimlet said to watch for back-to-school sales in July. I will keep my eyes peeled and when I find a good deal, I'm going for it. I am tired of my computer moving at a snails pace and constantly having to reboot it. I have had the entire system wiped clean and restarted twice. I've had it. Its seen me through college- I bought it the summer of 2001. So if it can last me until August 3rd, it'll be all good.

Quickie

Here are links to new pics of Loki and pics from Wed night's game! Loki went swimming today and had a great time!! Loki and I did a training session last night; some fancy turns while heeling...she did awesome, and then me taking off running and saying "Loki, Heel!" and she caught up with me and ran w/ me w/ her shoulders even w/ my legs! She couldn't do that earlier!! Whoohoo, my puppy is soo smart!!
Pics of Loki
Pics of Busch Stadium
Hope everybody has a safe and fun Fourth of July!!
Let's go Cardinals!!

Loki Loki Loki!

My little Loki passed level 3 last week and moved on to level 4. She is the youngest in her class and one of the best behaved and trained. I can leave her in a sit or down posistion and walk around the room and she won't move. However, all bets are off when someone pets her. Loki still thinks ppl only come to see her. In order for Loki to pass level 4, she has to remain sitting when someone pets her. That is going to take a lot of work. Luckily there is no class this Saturday, so we have an extra week to work on that. I don't think Loki will pass level 4 quite as quickly as she did level 3. She is still a puppy. She is doing amazing tho. Mom saw a Golden Retriever puppy (about 7 months old) the other day, and said Loki is much better trained than her. Not suprising...Loki is very smart and wants to please everyone. We recently got Loki her own bed. It is a blue quilted bed with red stripes and white stars... very patriotic. The plan is to convince her that her bed is better than the furniture and that she should stay off. Hopefully, it will work, she is already laying on it.
Oh yea, gave Climber a bath today...he is off somewhere pouting.
My brother caught my elusive cat, Phantom, last night. I got to hold him and give him lots of attention. Poor thing, his fur is all matted up (dad had to cut some of it off), and his nails were soo long. I felt horrible for him, I felt (and still do feel) like a bad owner. Next time, my brother catches him, Phantom is getting a good scrubbing to get all of the nasty clumps off. That way he will look and feel better. Loki was an angel last night, letting me hold Phantom and give him TLC. That is until she came up and bit my toes...

Still Recovering

I'm still recovering from Wed. night's game. Not b/c of the two beers I enjoyed, but b/c of the excitement. The atmosphere was awesome. I love this city, complete strangers get along when it comes to baseball. When we left the stadium, it was alive with cheers and screams. You could talk to random ppl about the game and it was cool. Wed. night game was definately one of the best games I've ever been too. Getting home, traffic was a nightmare. We got stuck at one stop light for at least 10 min.
What a town, St. Louis!
Let's Go Cardinals!!

That's a Winner!

Unreal. If I had to explain last night's game in one word, that's it: unreal. Dad and I got tickets from a friend of mom's who shares season tickets with her brother. Originally, we were supposed to go on the 26th. But the ticket holders brother was coming into town so she asked us to switch to Wed. night the 28th. I am sooo glad we changed dates! Otherwise we would have seen the Cardinals lose. Before we left for the game, I checked the Cardinals website, one of my fave websites, to see if there was any special promotion going on that night. There was: it was seat cushion night for the first 25,000 fans 16 and over. So Dad and I got there about an hour and some odd minutes before the game began. Our tickets were for section 128 row 21 seats 9& 10. So we didn't have to go up any ramps to get to our level. We had an awesome view, as we were in right feild. I went down to the rails and took lots of pictures of Yadier Molina, my favorite player, and of Chris Carpenter, last nights starter, and hitting coach Dave Duncan. So I got lots of pictures of Molina stretching and playing catch with Carpenter. Then I got pics of Carpenter and Duncan in the bullpen. More pictures of Molina in the bullpen. I got some really good pics. I will post them later. During the game I discovered that the digitial zoom for my camera was off, so I turned it on...I am kicking myself for not discovering that sooner. I got some awesome pics of home plate, the pitching mound, Jim Edmonds in center field, John Rodriguez in left field, and Juan Encarnacion in left field. Nice close ups. The game was awesome at first b/c we scored first. A single off of Yadier Molina broght the runner home. Scott Rolen hit a single run scoring homerun. Things were looking up in the 7th inning when Carpenter was leading 3-1. Then Carpenter was taken out and Randy Flores came in....who let another single score...then Braden Looper,then Tyler Johsnon came in....finally Jason Isringhausen who walked a guy- then a popup which tied the game, and then the sacrafice fly gave the Tribe the lead. So the eigth innning was really sucking....Izzy lost Carpenter's lead...seems Izzy always has to have some nail bitting dramatics every time he enters the game. Then the ninth inning rolled around. So Taguchi started the come back rally when he hit a pop-up that should have been caught...but wasn't- 9 times out of 10 that catch is made, but the Tribes catcher dropped it!!!! Taguchi went on to 2nd base. Yadier Molina did a sacrafice bunt, which got Taguchi to 3rd. Aaron Miles then hit a double bringing Taguchi home. Then Scott Spezio's grounder brought him to third, two out now. Short stop David Eckstein comes to bat, and Miles scores on a two-out throwing error!!! It was insane at the park. The fans went nuts. The seat cushions went flying onto the feild like giant snowflakes. Everybody was screaming and cheering. The dugout for the Cards emptied and met Eckstein at first base. It was wild. Walking out of the stadium and shouting "Let's Go Cards!" earned several high fives from strangers.
Let's Go Cardinals!!!