By Eugene Tucker
As far back as I remember, I always wanted to be a St. Louis Cardinal.
The day after Tommy Herr homered in the first inning of Game 6 of the 1987 World Series, I sprinted outside, the screen on the back door clanging open and closed from the force of my exit. Bundled up against the autumn chill, I tossed a wiffle ball into the air, intently watching it fall back to earth, before whacking into the alley behind Devonshire. It was not Tommy Herr forcing Twins fans to put away their Homer Hankies, it was Eugene Tucker.
On summer evenings, the sun would begin its labored descent, taking the heat with it, brilliant shades of oranges and pinks staving off dusk. My parents would sit on a brick patio, listening to the radio. Barefoot, I crunched the grass rocking back and forth, prepared for the next batter. As I threw the tennis ball against the red brick detached garage, it was not Ozzie Smith, but Eugene Tucker who basked in the adoration of thousands following a diving stop and throw from his knees.
Bed was a sentence, not salvation, back then and I would pray - beg is probably a more apt description - that one day I would be a Cardinal. I would hear the cheers.
***
The first game I ever started while playing high school varsity football was against Mater Dei on September 25, 1999. Before we headed out to warm up, our head coach told us that the boys from Breese had planned to go to the Galleria after the game to celebrate their assumed win. “Let’s ruin their shopping day!” he exhorted. I should have laughed, but I was terrified.
As I sat in that locker room, my stomach in knots hearing the muffled roar of a crowd five football fields away, I turned to my friend Adam and said, “How in the world did I ever believe, I could play for the Cardinals? I’m stressed about playing in front of a couple hundred people.”
***
For six and two thirds innings, Game 3 of the 1996 NLCS was as frustrating as it was predictable. While the underdog Cardinals may have led the series two games to one, the real Braves - the defending world champion Braves - showed up for Game 4. Denny Neagle effortless retired Cardinal after Cardinal as the Braves offense built a 3-0 lead.
But then Tom Pagnozzi walked. And Bobby Cox ambled out of the Braves dugout, calling for Greg McMichael. And Tony LaRussa reminded Dmitri Young he was a switch hitter.
***
I would have been petrified. Dmitri Young was not. For him, there was no time to be worried, to be nervous. As he saw it, you only have two choices in such a situation:
Of course, he wasn’t scared where I would have been. That’s why he’s Dmitri Young and I am not. But I think it speaks to the overall theme of this issue: the easiest way to beat fear, to soothe doubt, is to not be afraid.
You’ve heard me tell this story before, so I won’t repeat myself. Instead, let Dmitri Young tell you what he was thinking, feeling, experiencing in that moment. How Nas and Lauryn Hill’s song “If I Ruled the World” gave him a new perspective on Chipper Jones. What Ron Gant told him before he whacked that ball over the head of Ryan Klesko. How St. Louis crowd deserves some credit for the hit.
Share this post