According to this story, the St. Louis Cardinals' Rally Squirrel, which I've already blogged about, is going to be getting its own baseball card.
The funny thing is that the card is supposed to be the card for Skip Schumaker, the Cardinal batter who was up when the squirrel ran across home plate in Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
I love how the whole squirrel story has taken on a life of its own. Congratulations, Rally Squirrel. You're further cemented in the history of baseball.
Tomorrow is Squirrel Appreciation Day, so it's about time to get a little nutty.
The National Wildlife Federation has some tips for how to celebrate the big day, and I've decided to get a head start on the suggestion about sharing my squirrel stories.
I remember fishing amongst big spruce trees when I was a kid and seeing the remnants of Douglas squirrel cone feasts carpeting the ground around the trees. The endearing thing about Douglas squirrels is their crankiness. They can't stand to be intruded upon, and they aren't shy about letting you know it. Also, the Pacific Northwest is one of their main areas, so they have added importance for me.
Eastern gray squirrels are a source of mixed emotions for me. On one hand, they are not native to the Northwest, so it's troubling to see them take over areas here. On the other hand, I do like watching them scurry around and roll up their tails behind them as they eat.
I hope you get a chance to enjoy Squirrel Appreciation Day. I think I'll wear my Rally Squirrel T-shirt.
Last night, less than 24 hours after completing a World Series Game 6 comeback that served as a microcosm for the team's season and provided an ultimate example of perseverance, the Cardinals prevailed in Game 7 to win their 11th world championship.
The victory capped an incomparable run to first get into and then progress through the playoffs. In two months of work that seemed more like play, the team created something special; and right in the middle of that special experience, you'll find a real-life squirrel, name Rally Squirrel by the St. Louis fans.
Even after the real squirrel was caught in a live trap and relocated to a wooded area away from the ballpark, St. Louis embraced it: Fans dressed up as squirrels, relief pitcher Octavio Dotel carried a toy squirrel with him, and a squirrel mascot was hired to accompany the Cardinals' usual mascot, Fredbird. Major League Baseball even created a commercial that tied the playoff theme "Legends are Born in October" to the squirrel's runs around the field.
Sports aren't always all they're cracked up to be, but I'll treasure the experiences the Cardinals and Rally Squirrel gave me this fall. It was something more than playing a game and winning. For just this once, it was the stuff of life.
I'm a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, so this fall has been pretty exciting. The team had a special run just to make the playoffs, and it's been a lot of fun to watch.
Then, on Tuesday, the Cardinals played Game 3 of their National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. That's when things got really interesting: A squirrel ran on the field at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and momentarily delayed the game.
Yesterday, a squirrel (perhaps the same one) ran across home plate right after a pitch, and an inning later, the Cardinals scored two runs to solidify a lead that gave them a win, letting them tie the series at two games apiece. Watch a video of yesterday's squirrelly events below:
The squirrel has been named Rally Squirrel by Cardinal fans, and it now has a Wikipedia page, two Facebook pages, and a Twitter account. Without doubt, this has been an interesting mixing of human and nature, and now, people seem to be speaking for the squirrel.
In 2006, the Cardinals won the World Series. That was pretty neat, but regardless of what happens for the rest of this season's playoffs, the September comeback by the team combined with the adventures of Rally Squirrel have really made 2011 memorable.
