Lost Along the Way

"TWA" ©MaryMontagueSikes

Somehow, this year, I have become lost along the way in my life and I haven't posted on my blog. The words have not come. I have not been inspired to share my thoughts, although there are many.

In the past, we have been devoted travelers. All my adult life, I have traveled and have often lived looking forward to the next travel adventure. In the past several decades, we usually have had at least four trips a year. The Covid-19 pandemic changed all of that.

Little did we know in early March 2020, when we returned from our annual baseball spring training trip to Jupiter, Florida, that we would not get on an airplane again for another two years.

When we boarded our flight on February 28, 2022, it felt strange to walk up the Jetway. Wearing our masks on two flights seemed strange as well, but we did it. On one of our flights when we landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, I looked out the window and thought we might have gone back in time because a plane was parked at one of the gates with TWA on its tail. That was our favorite airline until it disappeared years ago!

Last October, I spent many hours on the phone and on the computer purchasing and printing tickets for seven St. Louis Cardinals baseball games and for parking for each one. As we traveled, we were excited and hopeful for seeing all of them. But then the lockout continued, and with each passing day, hope dwindled. However, we went to Roger Dean Stadium most days for two weeks. 

We watched John Mozeliak, president of baseball operations for the Cardinals, as he watched the minor leaguers practice. I saw him get the call probably telling him the major league lockout was over. We were excited to see Jordan Walker, a promising young prospect, hit. We watched other prospects, like Luken Baker and Nolan Gorman, practice. We loved being on the back fields again, being let in without having to get checked as we were in 2020. It was refreshing and exciting. 

My husband chatted with players in the outfield and was tossed a practice ball while waiting by our rental car. Our daughter, Allison, took photos on each of the four fenced fields where the minor league practiced each day. Both of them prefer the back fields to the actual spring training games.

It was not until our final day in Jupiter that the major league players returned. We are home now and watching the games at Roger Dean Stadium from the convenience and comfort of our own TV room.

Perhaps I am no longer lost.

"John Mozeliak Watching" ©MMSikes

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"Pitchers Wear White" ©MMSikes

"Nolan Gorman Interview" ©MMSikes

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Being a Baseball Fanatic

Mark McGuire signing for me

 "You're just a baseball fanatic," my mother used to tell me.

She was right. As a 10-year-old, my love for the St. Louis Cardinals began, and it has never ended. Over the years, I followed the team with Stan Musial, Enos Slaughter, and Red Schoendienst, listening to late night radio as the signal bounced cross-country from KMOX, the voice of St. Louis. I dreamed of studying journalism at Washington University because I truly wanted to be a journalist and I wanted to be in St. Louis.

But life took its own turns. I kept listening to and watching the Cardinals, but I also graduated from high school and college (not in St. Louis), had a family, played tennis all day long every day during the summer months and almost forgot about baseball.

But not quite. 

At the end of the 20th Century and in the beginning of the 21st, my passion for the sport elevated almost to fanatical once more. Perhaps it grew because I started following Mark McGuire's home run record chase in 1998. I remember watching "Big Mac" approach breaking the record while we were barricaded in a room in a scary part of San Juan, Puerto Rico. We were stranded in the city during a holiday when all the rooms were taken. We eventually found a room in a hotel unlike anyplace we ever stayed before. What a calming relief to get to see my team play with so much on the line for Mark McGuire.

Tony La Russa at manager's party

Not long after that, we discovered baseball spring training in Florida. It was a joy to see players up close, chat with them, watch games, and attend the manager's party arranged following selected games at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. That was a dream come true. In the photo, I became the little 10-year-old girl again in 2007 during spring training following the team's World Championship victory in the 2006 World Series.

That spring training was one of a series we have attended every year. Next February, I hope COVID-19 will not put an end to the unbroken string of years in Jupiter.

This year's World Series ended last week. Soon after, Tony La Russa, Cardinals Hall of Fame manager for many years,  came out of retirement and signed as manager of the Chicago White Sox. That was the team where he started his managerial career many years ago. I began remembering past times and longing for spring training to begin. 

Then, I became concerned the team will not look the same. Cardinal catcher Yadi Molina might not be there. 

If that happens, the little girl in me will be sad. But as in all things, baseball teams change. And I will still be a fanatic. Even in late fall and winter.

TV announcer Al Hrabosky, Yadi Molina (middle)

How Quickly Things Can Change

"In the Dugout with the St. Louis Cardinals 2020" ©Mary Montague Sikes

We went to Baseball Spring Training a little early this year. It's my favorite time of year, and I look forward to next year the moment we return home.

This year was a little different. Near the end of our two weeks in Florida, the players grew more hesitant to sign autographs. Then, just a little over a week after we got home, Major League Baseball shut down Spring Training. I felt a little sad for those who planned trips to Florida or Arizona for the final two weeks. However, I was glad we chose to go early.

"Watching Jack Flaherty Warm Up" ©Mary Montague Sikes

We enjoy sitting in the section behind the bullpen because we get a perfect view of each pitcher as they warm up. What a joy it was to watch our ace, Jack Flaherty, as he got ready to pitch. And we always like to see our long-time ace, Adam Wainwright, closeup. All the other pitchers--lots of them at the beginning of Spring Training--gather to watch the game's starter get ready. This is really a fun time.

"Kim Throwing Warm Up 2020" ©Mary Montague Sikes

The new Korean pitcher Kim was impressive to watch from the sixth row of our favorite section. We also saw Andrew Miller throw so many wild pitches that the coaches decided to shut him down instead of sending him out to pitch an inning in the game. This reminded us of a time, years ago, when we were watching Rick Ankiel on the back fields. He threw so wildly that day that he decided to quit pitching. (He worked hard on his game and came back as a good outfielder instead.)

Now, we can only wait to see what happens with baseball and with everything else as time stands still. Perhaps the virus will teach us patience.

Being an Artist and a Writer is Hard, So Let's Make it Harder

Being both an artist and a writer is hard work. In addition to writing books and making art, you need to promote both as well as create a brand image for yourself.

Getting Manager Mike Shildt's autograph

Although I understand all of the challenges a creative life involves, I've decided to make it even harder. That's because I'm a baseball fan. I'm not just a casual, follow your team, look at the scores fan. No, I am a crazy watch every pitch of every game on satellite TV fan. It's possible that sometimes I might know almost as much about the games as some of the coaches do.

When I was about 10 years old, I fell in love with the St. Louis Cardinals. Through the magic of KMOX radio, their games resounded across the country, and while listening I got to know all of their players and became a fan of each one. How exciting when, years later, I got to meet one of those players, Red Schoendienst, on the Spring Training fields in Jupiter FL.

Every year, we go down to Florida for two weeks to watch the Cardinals train on both the back fields

Jim Edmonds, my all-time favorite player, signing

and in regular games at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. For me, it is the most exciting time of the year. Every team has a chance, and excitement fills the air. I like seats located behind the bullpen where the action involves watching the pitchers who will play that day warm up. These are box seats and are the same price as seats behind the catcher that are actually better locations for seeing the game. However, games in the spring are just exhibition events, so I enjoy the bullpen location much more. This year, it was especially fun to see fire-baller Jordan Hicks practice for some of his many 100+ mph throws from the picher's mound after he entered the game.

Tyler O'Neill signs in the dugout.

Another place I really like to be for spring training, is next to the Cardinals dugout before the game. That's when I feel like a "groupie" edging into the crowd, standing there and leaning into the dugout for player autographs. It's also a good place to get the signatures of TV
broadcasters, Dan MacLaughlin and Ricky Horton. Although I'm not a big autograph-collector, it is fun to be in the mix and to listen to the conversations there.

We are back home now, and I am looking forward to next spring. In the meantime, I will watch every pitch of every game this spring, summer, and fall. And somewhere along the way, I will write books, promotional material and press releases. I will also paint paintings and hang them wherever possible.

Still, it would be so much easier if I weren't a crazy, fanatical fan. I shouldn't add to the difficulties of the creative life.

Baseball Season Opens Today - My Favorite Time of Year Returns

The Major League Baseball Season opens today, and, of course, I am super excited. This is my favorite time of year.

Tyler Lyons warms up ©Mary Montague Sikes

We returned from spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida in mid-March. This is a time of enthusiasm for all because each team has a chance as the players prepare for the new season.

We attended six games and had seats in our favorite location in Roger Dean Stadium, six rows behind the bull pen. From there we have a perfect view as each pitcher gets ready to enter the game. It is an ideal location to photograph not only the pitchers but also the other players as they stretch and get ready prior to the game.

"Alex Reyes, Phenom" ©Mary Montague Sikes

 During one of the games, our young phenom, Alex Reyes, showed up wearing a shirt with 97 on it. I don't think anyone else in the seats behind the bull pen realized who he was. I knew he wasn't no. 97 because that no. was listed for a young non-roster pitcher I had watched earlier. After throwing about 15 pitches, he smiled, spoke to a bull-pen coach and left. Normally, the bull pen warm-up area is reserved for the next pitcher coming into the game. Reyes won't start pitching in games until May. Seeing something special is one of the benefits of spring training.

I'm excited about the new season and have high hopes for my teach, the St. Louis Cardinals. It is a special time of year.

"Pichers Gather to Watch Adam Wainwright (50)" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Too Long Isn't Long Enough

"Sunset on Singer Island" ©Mary Montague Sikes

The palm trees glistened as the bright orange sun touched the edge of the horizon, then slid like lightening out of sight. Two weeks vanished in a moment while the vision of major league baseball players grew ever more familiar. The time was too long to be away, yet it wasn't nearly long enough.

"Why don't you move down here?" someone askled.

"I couldn't do that," I replied. I didn't explain that it is spring training baseball that calls me to Florida. The drills and practice games last only for four or five weeks. Once we went down for the last few games instead of the first and discovered that by then the players were weary of practice and ready to fly north for the "real" baseball season. The early games are more exciting because everyone is happy to be in the warmer climate and anxious to play ball. All the teams are even then and have great hope for the season.

"Before the Game, Cardinals Dugout" ©MMSikes

In addition to taking more than a hundred baseball photos with my Nikon camera, I also took numerous pictures of the Atlantic Ocean as the waves crashed along the beach of Singer Island. When the winds came, the ocean grew ever more beautiful and the waves more dangerous. In late afternoon, the beach sights captured me, and I dreamed of the colors I would use to paint those visions abstractly in gentle hues like those that filled my canvases long ago.

Such a contrast--the beaches of Singer Island and the playing fields of Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. They both made my stay too long, yet not long enough. I didn't want to leave, but I could hardly wait to return home to my studio in Virginia where I will fill my canvases with colors I had forgotten long ago.

It's Over for the "Next One Up"

The baseball season is over for me. Since I was a child, I've been a St. Louis Cardinals fan. I listened to their games on the radio late at night. For more than 10 years, my husband and I have gone to Spring Training at Jupiter FL for one or two weeks. Now that we have satellite television, I hang on every pitch for the 162-game season.

"Spring Training in Jupiter FL" ©Mary Montague Sikes

This year, it was especially hard to be a Cardinals fan. From Spring Training on, they suffered injury after injury to key players, including their pitching ace and my favorite player, Adam Wainwright. On top of that, they always seemed to be losing the game. Sometimes they would stage a comeback. They did that 44 times, the most in the Major Leagues. And almost all their games were one-run wins or losses. That was hard. I often longed for a blowout win with no fear of their losing. That happened almost never. They were truly the Cardiac Cardinals.

Even with all their injuries, it seemed someone would always be the "next one up" to step in and make up for the loss. They played well and with lots of heart. With all the adversity, the Cardinals won 100 games and had the best record in baseball for the season. I thought that fact alone should take them to the World Series. It didn't, and the season is over for them and for me.

Now I will have time to write, paint, and teach art classes for the next four months. I will count the days until mid-February and the start of Spring Training.

Being a baseball fan is hard work.

Reflecting on a Year Turned to Art - 2014

When I reflect on 2014, I realize it was a year that began and ended with art. Along the way, some lovely travel was sprinkled in.

Workshop students at GAMi ©Mary Montague Sikes

I love interaction with other artists, so what could be more satisfying than working with a group of adults teaching experimental painting. My workshop at Gloucester Arts on the Main was the first of many I taught or took during the year. I was happy to be part of Mary Anne Beckwith's class in Boone NC in August and, as always, enjoyed Karen Eide's encaustics class at West Point. In December, I taught my experimental painting class for Arts Alive in West Point.

Along came February-March and off we went to Palm Beach FL and Jupiter for St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training. We stayed two weeks and got to watch so many of the young rookies, including Oscar Taveras, the talented superstar of the future who later died in a tragic car accident in October. In the dugout photo below, Taveras is facing first baseman, Matt Adams, 32. Spring training is a special time when everyone is hoping and dreaming of going deep into the post season. The Cardinals came within one game of another trip to the World Series.

St. Louis Cardinals' Dugout Spring Training 2014 ©MMSikes

Late March, I put on my writer's hat and was guest speaker for the York River chapter of King's Daughters in Gloucester. In May, I enjoyed painting en plein air at Rosewell. For the event, I purchased a special French easel that I put to use again in September painting outside at New Town Art Gallery.

Painting at Rosewell ©Olen Sikes

In July and September, I participated in Pastel Society of Virginia art exhibitions. The first was at the Glen Allen Cultural Art Center.

In July we were treated to a trip to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, planned by our daughter, Allison. Our other daughters, Alicia and Amy, participated as well, making this a very special event. Because of their extreme interest in Aviation, we spent one day at the Aviation Museum near Portland.

Olen at Air and Space Museum ©MMSikes

During September, October, and November, I was excited to be a visiting artist at New Town Art Gallery in Williamsburg. It was fun to get to know most of the gallery artists and to participate in gallery events.

New Town Art Gallery at Night ©MMSikes

Enjoying the Tropical Setting ©Olen Sikes

 In September, we spent a week in Hilton Head SC and then a week in Puerto Rico. Those warm weather memories will help us through a cold Virginia winter.

November, we hung a huge art exhibition of 11 of my largest paintings at the new Ward Center for Contemporary Art in Petersburg. The opening night for that show will take place, February 13, 2015. We also flew out to Sedona AZ, landing in Flagstaff for the first time.

Ward Center Exhibition ©MMSikes

Sedona from Hillside restaurant ©MMSikes

In December, my dear friend, Mary Jane Tolley, hosted an art show open house for some of my work in her home. I loved meeting her friends and discussing my work with them.

Much more art than writing provided Notes Along the Way in 2014. Wonder what will happen in 2015 when my new book is released? We will soon see how the story of the artist in Evening of the Dragonfly will frame the new year.

STL Stained Glass Surprise

Last month, in the midst of the A to Z Challenge, I received a lovely surprise--a stained glass piece featuring the logo of the St. Louis Cardinals. In October, prior to the 2013 World Series, Ed Irish, who is as big a fan of the Boston Red Sox as I am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, proposed a bet on the outcome of the Series. If the Red Sox won, I would create a painting for him; if the Cardinals won, he would make a stained glass piece for me. Of course, I lost the bet and in January I made a pastel painting of Fenway Park for Ed.

I am thrilled with this beautiful piece of art. Thank you, Ed Irish. What an amazing surprise!

Leaving Spring Training and Back to the Real World

"Cardinals Celebrate Spring Play on Practice Fields" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Returning from a long vacation is always hard. Leaving this year's St. Louis Cardinals spring training was harder than usual because it seemed things were just getting started.

The weather was especially nice this year with no rain outs or delays. Our last day, we went to the practice fields where Willie McGee, a Cardinals favorite from the past, was working with some of the young players. When he was leaving the fields, he turned around and came back to sign autographs for the enthusiastic fans waiting by the low fence that separates several of the back fields at Roger Dean Stadium. McGee told us he has a lot to learn for his new coaching job.

That's an interesting thing about former Cardinals players. Many of them want to return to the team as coaches and in other capacities. Talking to another spectator at the last game we attended against the Washington Nationals, I learned that Rick Ankiel, the outstanding pitcher in the Cardinals organization who lost his pitch control and became an outfielder, has officially retired. While enjoying his love of fishing, he has high hopes of becoming a coach somewhere for the Cardinals. This week, Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals outstanding Cy Young winner, took a job with the front office and is at spring training. And so it goes.

I see games on television with many empty seats at the spring games of other big league teams, but the Cardinals games are mostly sellouts. Two of the games we attended had standing room only which made for a very crowded stadium. One of those games was the one with Boston where storm clouds brewed for most of the game.

"Storm Clouds, Boston and St. Louis" ©Mary Montague Sikes

This week, I will play catchup on writing projects and art back at home, but I will miss the ball park and the back fields at Jupiter, Florida. I will dream of next year and plan paintings of players batting and fans screaming. I will remember watching Adam Wainwright throw his warmup pitches in the bullpen in front of Section 102. Sadly, the real world is less kind than the fantasy land of baseball.

"Adam Wainwright Warming Up" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Games and More at St. Louis Cardinals Spring Training

"In the Dugout at Roger Dean" photo by Mary Montague Sikes

"This is the place to be," I was told by a small group of friendly fans standing at the side of the St. Louis Cardinals' dugout in Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, Florida.

In the past, I've gone down to the front railing by the Cardinals bullpen. That's where players sometimes stop to autograph balls and other items. I'd never thought about going to the bullpen until that day when we had seats right behind it. But, the fans were right. During the time waiting there, I got five autographs on my baseball, including Matt Adams, Kolten Wong, and Mark Ellis.

"Al and Dan at Roger Dean Stadium" photo by MM Sikes

Dan McLaughlin and Al Hrabosky went through the gate next to the bullpen to tape their pre-game remarks. I feel like Dan and Al are old friends because we watch their MLB broadcasts on Fox Sports Midwest by satellite TV throughout the season. The next day, when I stood at the same location, I got to momentarily chat with both of them.

My second day by the bullpen was interesting, but I failed to get any autographs. The uncle of Matt Carpenter edged his way to the front, next to the railing, promising to summon his nephew. Carpenter did come over, hugged his uncle and signed his ball and two others. Yadier Molina stopped to sign but left just as he reached me to go stand with teammates for the singing of the National Anthem. Peter Bourjos proved wrong the fan who claimed he never signed by stopping and autographing baseballs and other items for several minutes.

Although it's fun to get autographs, I really enjoy watching closeup the reactions of fans and players alike. It's interesting to see how players handle themselves in this situation. Most are extremely polite. I loved watching Adam Wainwright who accepted a couple of balls tossed to him in the dugout along with pens, signed them, and tossed them back.

Wainwright's smile says it all. He loves playing baseball, and he loves being a St. Louis Cardinal.

And I love being next to the bullpen where story ideas might evolve for the writer in me and paintings might be inspired by the photographs I take.

Baseball Spring Training - a Wonderful Time of the Year

Cardinal coaches watch first practice game at Jupiter FL

Allen Craig and Matt Holliday at Spring Training

"Don't get hurt," I heard St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Mattheny call out. He was concerned when pitcher Jason Motte and catcher Yadi Molina both raced on a collision course to retrieve a bat during a practice game between players on the team.

This was all fun to watch standing close enough to touch the coaches and players who sat on a bench or leaned against the wire link fence. Spring training has to be one of the most exciting times of the year. Fans get to interact with players, and everyone is excited about the possibilities for the season to come.

The father of Jordan Swagerty was in the practice field stands along with a friend. His son, a right-handed pitcher, is a non-roster invitee who has lost two years of play because of Tommy John surgery. Jordan had great promise and is yet another excellent prospect in the Cardinals farm system. His father glows with excitement at the potential for his son.

There are fences on the practice fields that weren't there a few years ago, a fan points out. When Mark McGwire joined the team as a player, the fences were erected for crowd control, she explains.

So many stars to watch. Is there a Hall of Famer among them?

I marvel at all the possibilities, at all the young talent that fills the warm, grassy Florida practice fields. As a writer, I think of the many stories that abound there. Only my imagination limits the potential for writing fact or fiction about baseball.

Is there a book hidden somewhere?

Perhaps there is.

I love spring training.

Seven Months Later - Following a Baseball Team

Matt Holliday batting at Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter FL ©Mary Montague Sikes

Seven months ago, excitement filled the warm Florida air and so did the thrill of anticipation and hope. It was February and the start of Baseball Spring Training. In those early days, every player believes his team has a chance to win and go deep into post-season play that starts in October. Every player is trying for a place on his team's roster. Watching the players practice and having a chance to get many of their autographs is a fun time for the fans.

As St. Louis Cardinals fans, we created special memories waiting by the players' parking lot gate and meeting Trevor Rosenthal and Shelby Miller when they stopped their SUV to sign autographs.  At that moment in time, the dedicated fans by the gate didn't know Rosenthal would become one of the best relief pitchers in all of baseball. They didn't know that Miller would be one of the leading rookie pitchers in the National League. Like the players and the other fans, we were excited and happy a new baseball season was underway.

Late September and October are bittersweet. The season ended today, and that's always a little sad. However, although the Cardinals had some ups and downs during the season, they won their division and have the best record in the National League which gives them home field advantage. They even tied the Boston Red Sox for the best record in baseball.

I don't know how far the Cardinals will go in the post season. They kept "manufacturing" pitchers all year long, so we're strong there. And we have a lot of stand out position players, not just one star. We also have an amazing manager, Mike Matheny, who has led the Cardinals to the postseason for the first two years he has held this job. He has brought a special quality of play to the team. It will be interesting to watch and follow and hope we will have a wonderful conclusion to this 2013 baseball season.

Pitcher Shelby Miller signing ©Mary Montague Sikes

It's hard work being a fan and hanging on every pitch. Go Cards!

Departure of A Legend and An Icon

The statue of St. Louis Icon, Stan Musial - MMSikes

What makes a legend and an icon? I don't believe it's possible to define exactly, but for St. Louis Cardinals' fans, Stan Musial has been a legend and an icon almost from the time long ago when he first appeared in a Cardinals' uniform. Unlike most major league baseball players, he remained on one team all of his playing career--22 years. Then he made St. Louis his home for the rest of his life which ended Saturday, January 19, 2013.

Although in declining health, Musial was always present for special events including the season openers, playoff games, World Series, 2009 All Star Game and more. At the season openers, we often saw his grandson drive him around the stadium warning track in a red golf cart. He was "The Man" in St. Louis. His statue stood at the main entrance of the old Busch Stadium and was later moved to the new stadium when it opened in 2006 and now stands at the main entrance there.

Musial was an ambassador for baseball, a gifted player who long stood in the shadows of the more heralded greats, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. He was just as good--maybe better--but the other two players were in New York and Boston where center stage lights shown brighter.

America needs icons. America needs legends. Ones that the children can look to as their special heroes.

Number six is retired forever. A hero is gone. Cardinals Nation is saddened.

--Mary Montague Sikes

Blogging A to Z Around the World in 30 Days - Jupiter, FL

The Passenger to Paradise is a baseball fanatic, so what could be more perfect for "j" than Jupiter. Not the planet, but Jupiter, Florida. Every February/March, the Passenger rushes down for spring training. It's the most exciting time of the year for her because there is great hope for a wonderful baseball season.After all, every team has a chance in the spring.

"Molina Batting"  MMSikes

"Afternoon at Palm Beach" MMSikes

The St. Louis Cardinals are the Passenger's team, so when she heads to Jupiter she doesn't care about any place other than Roger Dean Stadium. She watches the team on the practice fields. She waits by the parking lot gate in hope of getting an autograph from a favorite player. She thrilled when Matt Holiday stopped to sign and when Lance Lynn did the same.

Although the beaches in the area are beautiful, the Passenger seldom sees them. She's almost always at the playing fields.

How sad it must be when April arrives and all the players are gone.

Do you have a sport that you love? Have you ever been to baseball spring training.

Making a List and Marking Off

At 2 a.m. Monday morning we arrived home from a 10-day visit to the Jupiter/Palm Beach area of Florida where I was swept up into a different life style. We started each day with a big breakfast, then headed over to the baseball fields behind Roger Dean Stadium. Six were in use by the St. Louis Cardinals, and the ones with most of the players were a long walk away. When rain and wind didn't close things down, we spent most of our time there. Lunch at Mugg's right across from the stadium was a special treat. I don't know many sports bars that provide scenic views as well as sounds from the nearby stadium. Sometimes I joined in the line of people by the gate where Cardinals players and other personnel park. Fans wait there, supervised by stadium aides dressed in orange flowered shirts. Everyone hopes a player will stop his car on the way out and sign autographs. Some do, but most don't. Each evening, we had a delightful dinner experience--most at the Islander restaurant at the Palm Beach Shores Resort on Singer Island. The lobster dinner there was excellent.. We feasted on 1 1/2 pound lobsters shipped from Maine earlier in the day.

One day when the Cardinal fields were not open, we shifted over to the Miami Marlins fields. To our surprise, we found the Marlin players were not blocked off from the fans by high fences. Instead, stars wandered from one field to another directly through the waiting fans. They even stopped to sign baseballs and other items. People were buying lots of items featuring the new Marlins' logo.

We returned home to a different and more demanding life pace. I've found the need to make long lists of projects left undone. Since I had little time to access the Internet while away, writing a new blog post is near the top of my list now. Another must-do item is to catch up on the blogs of friends. I hope I haven't missed anything too important while away, but now I feel refreshed and ready to start marking off my to-do list items.

Loving the Cardinals - It's Hard for the Fans

Tony LaRussa at Spring Training

It's been about eight months since my husband and I flew into Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and headed to Jupiter for Baseball Spring Training with the St. Louis Cardinals. The first day we were there, we learned that the co-ace of the pitching staff, Adam Wainwright, would be out for the season with Tommy John surgery. That was a terrible blow for the team and diminished their hopes for a post-season run. All the while, Cardinals manager, Tony La Russa, remained upbeat. Spring training is such a special time because every team has hope, some teams more than others. Despite everything, Tony and the Cardinals had that hope.

In late March, the Cardinals started this season with a flurry of losses, making their prospects seem even more dismal. With a multitude of injuries, they plodded along and eventually spent a while in first place before they eventually went on an eight-game losing streak.

During the baseball season, on every trip we took, I had to find a sports bar with satellite TV so we could see the Cardinals play. We discovered sports bars in Boone, NC, Lake Tahoe, CA, Las Vegas, NV, Hilton Head, SC, and up and down Lake Michigan and Lake Superior in Wisconsin and Michigan.

The last week of August, the Cardinals were far behind the Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and 10 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race. How could they possibly make it to the postseason playoffs?

But they did.

David Freese at Spring Training

The team began a magical run and overtook the Atlanta Braves on the last day of the season to take the Wild Card. Then, in an unlikely scenario, they defeated three outstanding pitchers from the Philadelphia Phillies that had been hailed as the best team in baseball with the best pitching staff. Who would have dreamed it?

Last night, the Cardinals won over the Milwaukee Brewers and will now head to the World Series against the Texas Rangers. And, it was not Albert Pujols, but it was instead third baseman David Freese who was named most valuable player in the National League Championship series.

All the while, dedicated fans like us watched every game. For the last six weeks, each game we followed was a "must win" situation. It's been really hard on the fans because we have no control over what happens.

Still, this year, 2011, the St. Louis Cardinals have been the team of destiny. And we've watched every pitch from beginning to end.

Will this team of destiny become baseball's World Champions? It's still an unlikely scenario, or so I've heard. But, I'm hoping...

"J" Is For Jupiter

Albert Pujols bats in Jupiter

"J" is for Jupiter, not the planet but the beautiful little community in Florida that comes alive each spring when two big league teams descend on the town to begin practice for the coming baseball season. The St. Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins are the teams that share Roger Dean Stadium.

For baseball fans, this should be the most exciting time of year. So much hope lies with the teams. The potential is there among enthusiastic players who may or may not make the final cut. Fans are close to the players. They can talk, get autographs, and take hundreds of photos as they wander from one practice field to another.

The Passenger to Paradise looks forward to her journey to Jupiter each spring to see the St. Louis Cardinals. There's no time better than spring training when hope reigns supreme!

Jimmy We Loved You, Goodbye

"Jimmy We Loved You" copyright MMSikes

Jim Edmonds, my favorite St. Louis Cardinals player ever, has retired. I'm saddened and disappointed because he recently signed a minor league contract with the team and planned to come to spring training this year. Then his injured ankle didn't heal properly. He decided not to take a chance with it and announced his retirement last Friday.

For my writer friends, this is not just a baseball story. This is a story of doing what you love with focus and with passion. That's the way Edmonds played the game of baseball. He chased down fly balls, leaped over fences, and dove for balls he didn't have to. He was spectacular. He brought excitement to every game he played in. He was "Jimmy Ballgame." Several years ago, to add a little spark to the team, he decided to give a game ball to the team's best player following every game. He was that kind of leader in the club house.

If his fielding wasn't special enough to make Jim Edmonds a great baseball player, his hitting was sensational as well. He was a clutch hitter, and he was only seven home runs away from having 400--a level few players ever reach.

Five or six years ago, the last time Edmonds came to spring training with the Cardinals, I was thrilled to watch him practice and play in exhibition games. He signed an autograph for me on a ticket cover which was the only thing I had with me at that moment. That spring, I took lots of photographs of him and of the team.

Three years ago, he wound up playing a few months with the Chicago Cubs. I was horrified and created the collage, "Jimmy We Loved You, Goodbye," using one of the photographs I took in 2006.

Having Jim Edmonds at spring training one more time was something I really looked forward to. I wanted to see his passionate determination showing up one more time in a Cardinals uniform.

Thinking about his passion, focus, and determination has made me consider what makes a writer and/or an artist special. Those same traits stand out. The most successful creative people I know are focused, determined, and they show passion in their work.

Jimmy, we loved you. Maybe someday we'll see you once again in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform. And maybe you'll be wearing the number 15. It's a number that no other Cardinal should wear.

Please note that on Monday February 21, I am guest blogger on Dames of Dialogue. My post is on travel to spring training in Jupiter, FL. Please visit that day and make a comment.

End of Baseball Season Marks a Sad Day

As some of you already know, I am a fanatical baseball fan. Today is the last day of the regular baseball season, and I feel very sad to have the season end.

The St. Louis Cardinals are my team and they didn't even make the playoffs--which would prolong the season for me. On paper, they were a great team. They have two of the game's greatest hitters--Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. They had three of the game's best pitchers--Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia. Wainwright is up for consideration for the Cy Young Award. Garcia might get consideration for Rookie of the Year.

Still, that was not enough. The team had injuries--lots of them, to their pitchers, and to their third baseman, David Freese who was eventually out for the season.

The Cardinals were expected to win their division championship. Instead, team members are headed back home. As in other things in life, if you are going to be a champion, you have to play the games and you have to win them.

Fate got in the way. I'm counting the days until the start of spring training!