Inspiration from the Cardinals

28 October 2011

I’m not necessarily a big baseball fan. But when my hometown team, the St. Louis Cardinals, is playing post-season, I watch. And boy has it been thrilling.

Last night’s Cardinals 10-9 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 6 of the World Series (which tied the series 3-3) was a heck of a game, a real roller coaster ride. And the Cardinals offered up all sorts of inspiration in that game:

Never give up. The Cardinals were within one strike of losing the game — and the World Series — not once but twice in this game. Each time, they rallied back with tremendous hits (in the 9th inning by David Freese, in the 10th by Lance Berkman) that brought in tying runs and kept them in the game. Then there was that last, beautiful home run from David Freese in the 11th inning that brought down the house (even my house).

Don’t let mistakes get you down. There were some outrageous errors early in this game (on the part of both teams, but particularly the Cards). Freese, one of the heroes of the game, actually had the ball fall out of his mitt trying to catch a routine pop fly in the 5th inning. The errors resulted in runs. I can only imagine how demoralizing that must feel when the stakes are high and the whole world is watching. But these players were able to put those mistakes behind them and play great ball.

Take each moment as it comes. In baseball, as in so many other aspects of life, you just need to focus on the current moment. Take each ball as it comes. That’s how the Cards dug themselves out, twice, when they were so close to defeat.

Believe in yourself against the odds. The Cardinals shouldn’t have even been in this World Series. They didn’t win their division. Two months ago, they were 10.5 games behind the leader and being in the play offs seemed unlikely. Yet now they’re one incredible game away from winning the World Series. This team believes they can do it. And, I hope, tomorrow night they’ll show us they can.

Focus on past success. The Cardinals have more Game 7 World Series wins than any other team. That’s not necessarily relevant to these players, but if I were them, I’d be focusing on that statistic.

Next time you wobble a bit as you try to stay the course, remember the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. When you stay focused, don’t give up, and just keep doing your best despite the odds, you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

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