52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History - Sports

This week, the 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History prompt is "Week 15. Sports. Did you have a favorite sports team as a child? If so, which one and why. Did your parents follow the same teams? Do you still support the same teams?"

Growing up in Western Kentucky, there was only one professional sports team - The St. Louis Cardinals.  I was raised on that team.  In the days of three channel television and no sports networks, our house came to a stand-still when the Cardinals came on television.  Daddy even scheduled his beloved golf around those weekly games.

My aunt lived in St. Louis and her house was the half-way point to my grandparent's farm in Iowa.  We would stay at least the night and sometimes two as we traveled.  In order to get a bratty five year old out of their hair, Daddy would take me various places.  Sometimes, it would be the St. Louis Zoo, where I remember seeing Marlon Perkins during one visit.  Sometimes, it would be to Grant's Farm where Daddy looked the other way when I sneaked a sip of beer.  During one visit when I was much, much older (eight or nine, at least), my father took me to an entirely inappropriate tour of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.  Well, inappropriate for a nine year old in my mother's eyes.  I had a good time though!

However, my fondest memories are in Busch Memorial Stadium, the old Busch Stadium (and the only *real* stadium if you ask me).  Daddy and I'd go downtown and make our way to the stadium.  A Coke, hot dog and a bag of peanuts were in order.  Daddy was fond of telling the story of how, when I finished my peanuts, I told him I was ready to go.  I seem to remember them warming up and when they went to the dugout, I thought the game was over.  Either way, it made for a good story.

I don't remember the outcome of any of those games.  When my parents moved to Nashville, Daddy ended his forty year affair with the Cardinals and began rooting for the Atlanta Braves.  Well, he may not have ended it entirely.  I have it on good authority that Daddy still watched the Cards on the side.

I'll admit that I don't go out of my way to watch the Cardinals play anymore, but when I see them on television, I remember my daddy and warm summer afternoons.