A Boy and His Team

 Early in the 2010 baseball season, JT managed to come across an entire Major League Baseball schedule.  Since then, most of my days have begun with a review of which teams are playing that day.  I quickly learned that the last chore of each summer night was to check the scores of everyone playing, especially his favorite team.

That team is the St. Louis Cardinals, an inheritance from a grandfather similarly engrossed by the game.  Like his grandfather, JT has become a veritable font of baseball wisdom.  There are frequent calls to Grandpa to review the stats of of the day and the prospects of their team.  And the Cardinals' daily fortune has a direct influence on the level of the happiness in our home.

All of this came together on Saturday, when we made the journey to Washington D.C. to watch the Cardinals play the Nationals.  We had great hopes for the game - not only because we'd get to see JT's heroes Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina - but because the Nationals are last in their division.  We figured on a Cardinals victory.

As it turned out, we figured wrong.  But the excitement of the ballpark itself and seeing his heroes at work was pretty terrific.  He called his grandfather in California to share his excitement.

We were at the field in time for Cardinals' batting practice.  From the outfield, Skip Schumacher threw a ball to the boy in the stands wearing a Cardinals t-shirt and cap.  JT had his glove on hand for just such a moment.  That excitement certainly helped to make up for the Cardinals' defeat at the hands of the Nationals.

Like any true baseball fan, JT has learned to be stoic about the wins and losses of his team.   If things don't work out this year, there's always the next season.  Smart money says that the boy is already working out his plans for a return engagement.