Sports: The center of the world

It had been 8,773 days since the St. Louis Cardinals had last won the World Series.

To put that into perspective, I've been alive for 9,014 days. So yes, I was born in the same year that the Cardinals had won their last world championship until Friday evening. On Oct. 20, 1982, the Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games at Busch Stadium II. Just over 24 years later, the Cardinals would knock off the Detroit Tigers 4-2, closing it out in five games at the new Busch Stadium, which opened this season. Members of the Herald staff were there to witness history. Or, to be more accurate, were outside Busch Stadium to witness history.

I was outside Busch Stadium Friday evening for Game 5 of the World Series with Herald sports editor Andrew Wilson, editor-in-chief Waylon Harris, opinions editor Raymond Whiteside, and graphics editor Kaytie Hunt. We were in St. Louis for the National College Media Convention at the Adam's Mark Hotel. And it just so happened that the World Series was in the Gateway City the same week we were in town.

The Cardinals won just 83 games in 2006. But this wasn't your normal 83-win team. This was a team that had to deal with injuries to Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Jason Isringhausen. Since 2000, the Cardinals have won five division titles, two National League pennants, and a world championship. The 2006 Cardinals, however, struggled to win the National League Central. They lost nine out of their last 12 games to close the regular season. Once the postseason starts, however, the regular season can be thrown out the window. The N.L. Division Series would be over in four games as the Cards' would take care of the San Diego Padres. In 2006, the New York Mets would win a league-high 97 games. Yadier Molina's 2-run home run in Game 7 at Shea Stadium put the Cardinals in the World Series where they would face the Tigers.

Andrew and I left the Adam's Mark a little after 5 p.m. We walked through Kiener Plaza where we were handed red beads. St. Louis isn't New Orleans. Of course, New Orleans doesn't know a thing about winning championships, but I digress. Kiener Plaza's fountain was sparkling with red water. I was able to take a picture of the fountain, the Gateway Arch, and the Old Courthouse. The skies were gray, but the picture was beautiful. The walk to Busch was fun because it started to hit me: I was going to be at the center of the world. The World Series this past Friday evening was the center of the world. Regardless of whether you're a baseball fan or not, an event such as the World Series can be considered the center of the world.

I'm currently working on a feature story for my feature writing class on the Cardinals' fans at Game 5. I was able to interview several fans, mostly from out-of-state. There was this woman who drove from Wichita, Kansas to St. Louis on Friday. Keep in mind that she didn't have a ticket to the game. She just wanted to be a part of the atmosphere. The same could be said for the majority of the fans that were outside Busch Stadium on Friday evening.

There wasn't a better place to be in downtown St. Louis Friday evening than Busch Stadium. Throughout the course of the game, fans would start crowding Clark Avenue behind the center field gate. I was behind the center field gate for half of the game until I moved up onto the stage across the street. Two television vans were to the left of the stage and they had TVs (obviously). A group of fans lined up around the van to watch the game. Once Waylon, Raymond, and Kaytie came over to Busch, we went over to the left field corner to watch the game on the team store TVs. We couldn't get into the team store since we didn't have tickets, so there was a huge crowd crowding the team store windows to get a glimpse of the game on the TVs.

During the bottom of the 7th inning, two team store employees came up to the team store to deliver the championship merchandise. The Cardinals still had to deliver six more outs, of course. And once the 9th inning rolled around, the fans outside Busch Stadium would be full of anticipation. When Adam Wainwright had two strikes on Placido Polanco, fans started chanting "one more strike." Polanco would walk, but the chant would start up again when Brandon Inge was at two strikes. Inge would strike out and St. Louis had won its first world championship since 1982.

Fireworks would go off in downtown St. Louis, delighting the crowd. One fan started pouring beer on himself and would end up on fans around him. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch sold special editions that had the headline "CHAMPS" on the front for a buck. I took way too many blurry pictures during the post-game festivities, but that's what happens when your digital camera isn't the greatest in the world. Remember, I'm a much better writer than I am a photographer.

St. Louis doesn't riot, they high-five each other in a line. For the most part, fans were peaceful. People were honking their car horns for blocks and the beer would keep flowing throughout the night. Simply put, it was a special night.

We were fortunate to be a part of the atmosphere in downtown St. Louis. It's a night that I'll never forget. And for anybody who wants to downgrade sports and say that they don't matter in the grand scheme of things, I'll just point you to the events of Friday evening. Civic pride can go a long way, folks.

St. Louis is the best baseball town in America and it's not even close. The events of Friday evening proved that fact to me in a hurry. No ticket, no problem. As fun as it would have been to have been inside Busch Stadium, being outside the ballpark was just as rewarding.

Enjoy this, Cardinals fans. It's been a while.