You don’t have to be on the team to be with the team.
There’s something energizing about the start of baseball season…I can’t put my finger on what it is exactly, but I love it. I am sure it’s like this in a lot of cities, but here in St. Louis, it’s electric and will not — can not — be ignored by anyone, sports fan or not.
There’s something about possibility, being greater than the sum of parts, and finding a common determination that gets this town going. STL isn’t just rooting for our team, we ARE our team. In a time where everything is getting increasingly polarizing, we can all shut the hell up for a few hours and enjoy baseball. When it’s baseball season, our “city” becomes a “town” — yes, there’s a difference and yes, it’s a good one.
Twenty years ago, I had the pleasure of experiencing the home run race between Sammy Sosa (a rival Chicago Cub) and STL’s very own Mark McGwire. It’s hard to describe that season, but let’s put it this way: if I ever wanted to rob a bank, I’d have done it during the few minutes Mark McGwire was up to bat because all eyes on the city were focused on the television — and every place had a television that season (even places that normally didn’t or even shouldn’t). It would have been the easiest robbery ever and I would have probably had time to also grab all the red lollipops out of the basket and stroll right out of there.
As luck would have it, I landed a ticket to the game.
He hit the record-tying 61st homer the day before so I was pretty psyched knowing that I would most likely be at the game where it all happened.
I parked blocks away and as I walked towards Busch Stadium, I could feel it. There weren’t just sports news channels there, it was ALL news channels. It wasn’t just an American event, I passed several Japanese news channels all set up around the stadium. The world was watching and we could all feel the electricity in the air. Tonight was the night. We all knew it.
It felt like you were walking in to a friend’s party and everyone knew each other. My ticket was right behind the Cardinals’ dugout…at the top-most row in the whole place. I had a great view when he hit it out over the left field wall (his shortest-distance home run of the season) and the place erupted. Fireworks. Camera flashes. Cheers. Hugs. All the players — both teams — on the field. Confetti. They gave him a 1962 candy apple red Corvette, for F’s sake. I mean, totally bonkers. I had to explain to a kid next to me, her first baseball game, that not all games were like this. They usually don’t win a car for hitting a home run.
It takes all of us to make it work.
As the game ended and the celebrating crowd poured out into the streets of downtown St. Louis, the electricity was still very present. It was no longer a “it’s going to happen” feeling, but rather a celebratory “we did it” feeling.
We. You. Me. All of us. We were all a part of this and we all did this. We tracked every single game for months leading up to this and now, it was our time. Years later, the whole HGH thing would come up and yeah, I know, it sucked and still does. But on that September night in 1998, Mark McGwire was the city of St. Louis. And we were he. And it was glorious.
As we begin another season of possibility, being greater than the sum of parts, and common determination, I felt it worthwhile to think back to that season and ponder about what it taught me about community, about personal investment, and about sharing a journey.
As I continue to build Magic Room Brand, that idea of a shared vision and community is a key part of what I try to do every day. It’s easy to put my head down and just do what I have to do and then see what happens, but it’s far more worthwhile to incorporate every piece of feedback I get from friends, musicians, and family — customers or not. That way, it’s not just me doing this, it’s us…all of us…and that’s the only way this journey is ever going to work.
So wherever you are and whoever your team is, may your skies be clear and your sunflower seeds plentiful. Cheer often. Cheer loudly. Let’s do this.
Play ball.
#bewhatyoumake
