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“OTD”

By Jake_Wood28 Nov 19, 2024 | 9:00 AM
Howard Smith-Imagn Images

We’re so often reminded of the past that sometimes it makes you wonder when more of those memories will be made.

This article was inspired by @AugieNash on X. When mentioning to Augie that this post was inspired by him he had this to say “Well Thanks. That’s what’s great about Cardinals history. It can spark a great memory, or ‘Hey, I remember that guy.’ I’m really happy to see some younger fans embrace this history. It’s important and has led the Cardinals to where they stand in the community and with us fans.”

If you’re unfamiliar with Augie’s work on X he has a daily post series called “On This Date.” So many Cardinals fans love and respect Augie’s historical perspective and genuinely enjoy his content and you can count me as one of the many! Many times I would be reading one of Augie’s posts and be overcome with a mix of emotions. Joy, because I enjoy what he brings to the table. Nostalgia, because I enjoy looking back and reliving some fond memories and I also enjoy learning about history (I’m a nerd it is what it is.) Most of all though I was overcome with sadness because even though I enjoy reminiscing on the past, at this point, all Cardinals fans seem to have is “the past.” Two consecutive seasons of no playoff baseball hardly constitutes a drought, just ask the Angels who are now 10 seasons removed from their last playoff trip, regardless as a sports fan your annual hope is that your team is a capable contender who can make a deep run and not since 2019 have we experienced even winning a round of playoff baseball! Yes, the Cardinals are trying to implement a new direction and one they feel confident will return them back to their days of annual contention, but as so many Cardinals fans express their frustration with a “just get in” mentality, we implore the team to take a step further than that, reminiscing on the days of the MV3, a middle of the order that was deep featuring like the one Pujols, Holliday, Berkman, Freese, and Craig, or rotations headlined by pitchers like Carpenter and Wainwright.

I am hopeful that were entering the new Genesis (not Cabrera) of great Cardinals teams headlined by Walker, Gorman, Nootbaar, Winn, Donovan, Herrera, Weatherholt, Matthews, Hence, Hjerpe, Davis, and so many other young contributors to follow. I believe Chaim Bloom is the man capable of helping this team rise once more but it’s going to take time and growing pains are always a part of a young team’s ascension. But, until we take back our place in the Central and the National league as a whole I’ll just be over here reminiscing “On This Date.” Thanks for reading.