Cards vs. Cubs, my drive to St. Louis

Our readers have gotten to know me by reading many of my columns. One of the things I’m very passionate about is my love for the Chicago Cubs.

I was born in Chicago and left there when I was 10-years-old, but I never left my love and devotion for certain Chicago sports teams, the Cubs, Bears and Bulls.

My daughter works for the Seattle Kraken, so my hockey loyalties will move to wherever she currently works. I also have a Chicago Cubs logo tattooed on my upper left arm, so my loyalty is true and forever.

On June 24th of this year, I jumped in my truck and drove nine hours to St. Louis to watch my beloved Cubbies play our arch-rival Cardinals, at Busch Stadium. I scheduled this trip before the gas prices went sky high, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well my Silverado did on gas mileage. It cost me $150 each way for gas, which was less than I budgeted for, so I was as pleased as I could possibly be.

Now, if you’re wondering why I would drive all the way there to watch a baseball game alone, I didn’t. Back in 2014, I was living and working in North Carolina and I met a guy named Doug at one of my Rotary meetings. He was the CEO of the local hospital and a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan. Him and I would verbally spar during some of our meetings, but we grew to have a close relationship. Once he retired, Doug and his wife Barb, decided to move back to St. Louis where their children and grandchild were living. It was 2017 and he told me back then, “Dave, if you ever want to see a Cubs vs Cardinals game, just let me know. I’ll buy the tickets and you can stay at our house.” Well, in 2019, while still living in North Carolina, I took him up on his offer and drove from there to St. Louis and I had a great time. And this time was no different. Doug and Barb treated me like I was family and I’ve grown to love them both.

Back in 2019, my first trip to Busch Stadium, I was really disappointed, but not for the reasons you might think. For those who don’t know baseball, the Cubs and Cardinals have one of the oldest and most fierce rivalries in all of sports, and I don’t go to any games without wearing my Cubs jersey or hat or both. I have many Cubs jerseys, but I’ve worn my bright blue, 1994 Cubs jersey to stadiums all over the country and I’ve had some very interesting interactions with opposing fans and let me tell you, I’ve been called some crazy, multi-syllable names at some of these stadiums. I’ve been called names that only my two ex-wives have had the pleasure of calling me.

So, the idea of walking into Busch Stadium in St. Louis with my Cubs jersey on, definitely had me prepared for some serious trash talking. I expected the fans to cuss and yell things and this is where my disappointment came in. The Cardinals fans couldn’t have been nicer and classier, and it pissed the living hell out of me!!! I was screaming inside my head, “Stop being nice you dirty #&%#$, I don’t want to like you!” But no, they were so nice and some even complimented my jersey, which has Shabaz on the back. I knew, even in 1994 that players don’t stay loyal to one team, so I had my name put on the back of the jersey, so that way I could wear it forever and then leave it to my daughters to wear.

I had the same experience this trip. Fans were friendly and cordial. The young, twenty-something couple sitting next to Doug and I were there for their anniversary. Now that’s a great wife!! They were from nearby Danville, Illinois. He was a Cardinals fan and she was a Detroit Tigers fan and she let them celebrate their wedding anniversary at the game. This is not the experience I expect from a rivalry game, but when you have two classy teams, you’re going to have classy fans.

One sad thing did happen while I was there. Mike, one of my closest friends back home in California found out he has a brain tumor. He told me while I was driving to St. Louis. I called him to ask him his hat size because he is also a die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan and I wanted to buy him a hat from the stadium. When I asked him what I can do for him, he said, “don’t treat me any different, treat me just like you always do.” Well, I then was forced to roast him for the next 15 minutes, Don Rickles-style and he couldn’t have been happier. He said, “that’s what I’m talking about,” after my first zinger, which was, “well, if you have a brain tumor, no sense wasting money on a hat.” I did mention that it would be kind of cool if he woke up from the surgery and realized he was actually a Cubs fan, finding out that the reason he was a Cardinals fan was because of the tumor. He just kept laughing. It was hard roasting him because I love the guy. We’ve been friends for over thirty-years, and he needed me to treat him like normal. I can’t print some of the other zingers I delivered, but he spent the whole time laughing. PS… I did end up getting him the hat.

The game was also a nice break from all the politics and hate in the world. While sitting in that stadium, everyone was wearing red or blue, just like in politics, but no one hated each other because of it. Half the stadium was filled with Cubs fans and we all were wearing the color blue and I never had to think once whether they were Republicans or Democrats, we were all just Cubs fans or Cardinals fans. I’d rather dislike you for supporting the Cardinals than for who you vote for. Sports is great that way, it truly brings people together. Maybe the rest of the world can take a hint from sports and try and unite again.