On August 27, 1993, I officially became a St. Louis Cardinals fan. My dad took me (and maybe my little brother?) to a Cardinals game vs. the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. In extra innings, the Cardinals scored 1 in the top of the 10th and Brett Butler was thrown out by Tom Pagnozzi in the bottom of the 10th for the final out. The crowd groaned, my dad and I (and maybe my little brother?) cheered, and I was officially hooked.
Growing up a Cardinals fan in Southern California meant that all I heard about around town was the Dodgers. Which means, all I heard about in my house was how the Cardinals beat the Dodgers. There was the 1985 NLCS (go crazy!). There was also the fact that the only time I ever got to see the Cardinals play was against the Dodgers (fun fact: The Cardinals are undefeated at Chavez Ravine when I am in attendance). As far as I was concerned, the Dodgers were the Cardinals' greatest rival, and I hated their guts.
Then, I moved to St. Louis for school (Go Bears!) and I learned that the Cardinals and the Cubs is the REAL rivalry. I got to see more Cardinals games against more opponents. Sports talk radio was now dominated by Cardinals talk. It was (baseball) heaven, and my hate for the Dodgers grew to distaste, which eventually grew to ambivalence.
Why does all this matter? Last night, the Dodgers won the World Series, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to take the series in 6 games. The last time the Dodgers had won the World Series was 1988 (The Cardinals have won 2 since then). Watching the game last night, knowing that the series could be over, I thought that I would be rooting hard for the Rays, extending the Dodger title drought for at least another day, and possibly another year. Imagine my surprise when I found myself more or less ambivalent to who won. If you asked me point blank, I probably would have said I wanted the Rays to win, but when Julio Urias threw that final pitch for a called strike 3, I was happy for the Dodgers. I didn't expect that.
So, congrats, Dodgers fans! You're world champions. It was well deserved. Enjoy this championship, coming from a Cardinals fan who, at the very least, isn't pissed that you won. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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