(and more!)
It is the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the United States, which has put me in a sentimental mood.
Okay, so maybe I am always in a bit of a sentimental mood — maybe that is my lot in life. A more honest sentence is probably “It is the Sunday after Thanksgiving in the United States, which has given me an excuse to write a sentimental post that I am unashamedly taking”. Regardless, you all know what you are in for this Sunday.
This is a St. Louis Cardinals blog, though, so I will start with that as my initial focus before I ultimately run of out of ideas and realize I need another 250 more words or so to feel like I’ve written something sufficient and then start to vamp.
Let’s kick it off with an obvious one. The first thing I am thankful for was being able to watch Albert Pujols play baseball. There are a bunch of baseball reasons why: in his 12 seasons with the Cardinals he was a clear Hall of Famer, slashing .326/.417/.614 for a 166 wRC+ and 83.3 fWAR. He is a two-time World Series Champion with an overall postseason wRC+ of 157 that includes 19 postseason homers (18 of which while wearing the Birds on the Bat). That is all reason enough to be thankful. But being able to experience witnessing Albert Pujols play is even more than that. To watch and hear about someone that is one of the best at what they do among anyone that has ever lived in the peak of their ability is one of the more humbling and awesome experiences of my life. It feels dramatic to write like that, but at its core, that is what it truly was. We as humans tend to believe we are all unique and special and sure, we are in some regard, but we all kind of boil down to the same sort of traits. People like Albert Pujols, people with ability beyond the average, beyond the above average — that is the closest we get so seeing the Universe all clicking and moving in perfect harmony. It is the closest we can get to seeing something captured in a moment that I am even afraid to name. It is someone fulfilling a destiny with prophecy-like certainty. It was just really cool to watch his do stuff like this:
and this:
and this*:
*At least I would have been grateful to watch that, except it was broadcast exclusively on Apple TV and not on any of the platforms I already pay money to in order to watch baseball, but this is a post about being grateful, not an airing of grievances, so, moving on!
Moving away from the nostalgia to sort of the other side of the spectrum, I am excited about some of the young players the Cardinals have moving through the organization and am thankful the team is making some changes that might allow us to see them play. I am believer in Jordan Walker and I think he poised to break out. He is a fantastic interview and once things click for him in the big leagues, I think he is a star in the making. There is also Masyn Winn coming off a solid rookie season where he amassed 3.6 fWAR with above average offense coming in with a 103 wRC+ and very good defense. Victor Scott II is a speedster that led the minors in stolen bases in 2023 with 94. On the pitching side, Tink Hence has been an exciting name in the minors for the past few years. He was recently added to the 40-man and though he struggled with some injury last season, showed a lot of promise when he was healthy. And these are players in the organization right now — with the Cardinals returning to their roots and renewing their focus on drafting and development, there could be more exciting names in the future. I feel excitement about the team returning to me, and for that I am thankful.
The last big thing I am thankful for is of course, you, for sticking around with me. In 2025 Viva El Birdos will be entering our 20th season of existence, an existence spun from a fever dream of the fantastic baseball mind of Larry Borowsky. I am grateful to have been part of it for the last, I think going on 11 seasons now. Can that possibly be correct? This site has given me more than I could ever deserve. I’ve made life-long friends. I’ve made life-long enemies. I’ve had laughs and maybe a few cries. I’ve learned so much about baseball, but also about life. It was someone I met through VEB that gave me the most useful advice I’ve ever received: You probably pay for towing and roadside assistance through your insurance already. So much about me has changed in these past 11 years — I would like to think for the better, and I would like to think in part because of this community. I am thankful to be here, writing this post for you.
Here are some other things I am thankful for, in no particular order (including, but not limited to):
Fangraphs, Baseball Reference, and Baseball Savant
Lars Nootbaar in the World Baseball Classic
Mike Shannonisms
David Freese’s triple in the 2011 World Series
That time Matt Carpenter hit all those foul balls off Clayton Kershaw in game 6 of the 2013 NLCS before hitting a double
The nacho bar at the stadium where I can put as many jalapenos as my disgusting heart desires on my nachos
People adhering to nacho bar decorum and not dropping gross food items into the other nacho bar items
Dogs
Also cats
The enemies to friends trope, when successfully pulled off (speaking of which…)
Avatar: the Last Airbender on Bluray — the DVDs are not in the original aspect ratio, but the Blurays are
Reed diffusers — candles are not good for your HVAC, or so I’ve been told
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — my brain chemistry has been altered from that game
My sister doing an impression of Mipha saying “Sidon!” — I laugh every time
Emily Axford
I think that is all I have for now. I’d like to read things you are thankful for — Cardinals or not — if you’d like to share. Who knows, maybe next year it ends up on my list too!
Happy Sunday!