Blast From the Past

So, last night Kirsten and I went to the Cardinals-Padres game (the fourth game of the series) and watched Rick Ankiel play major-league baseball.

I know!

Honestly, the guy is a real feel-good story. He comes up in 2000 as a can't-miss pitching prospect and rookie-of-the-year candidate, then throws 5 wild pitches in one inning against the Mets in his first postseason game.

Then he goes down to the minors and breaks his leg, or his wrist, or his skull, or all three. I don't recall. But there was surgery involved.

This year he's in class-AAA minor-league ball as an outfielder, leading his league with 32 homers and 89 RBIs, and gets called up to replace apparent drug addict Scott Spezio.

Godspeed, Speeez.

So they announce Ankiel on the stadium PA system right before the game, and the dude gets a standing ovation. And again when he comes up to bat (infield fly). And a round of seated applause when he makes a catch in the outfield. I got the feeling that Cardinals fans all really like the ending of Titanic too. It's the same story. Leonardo (Rick) has a girl (team) fall in love with him (him). Then he dies (blows it in his first playoff start). Then the girl dies (team sucks), and he shows up to lead her to a happy afterlife (possibility of a .500 season). It's the same story, just with different outfits. And fewer nice-looking boobies. Oh, Kate Winslet, why did you take out that restraining order?

When Ankiel hit a home run (did it with the chick in the Model T) in the 7th inning, his first since 2000, I honestly believed that the stadium was going to collapse. I haven't seen a curtain call since Larry Walker hit a grand slam in a game in 2005, and the standing O when Ankiel went out to his position in the top of the 8th wound up leading to a four-times-around-the-stadium wave by the fans.

It's a great story, and in addition to being a real warm fuzzy moment, gives me an opportunity to update my blog. Everybody wins.