Rookie of the Year in 2000. 3 time All-Star. 68 triples for his career, putting him at 8th among active players.
Sadly, the Cards had to play the whole 2013 season with Rafael Furcal on the DL after elbow surgery. And even more sadly, there was no Happy Flight back to St. Louis after the World Series ended in Boston. You might remember that Furcal inspired the team shortly after his arrival in St. Louis with Happy Flights - winning the last game in a city so they were happy as they left. This, along with the rally squirrel, became a motivation for the team on their way to their 11th World Series title.
Hopefully this cache will put a smile on your face with another smiley.
About this series - I grew up bleeding blue (and I don't mean for the St. Louis hockey club, though I do that now too.) And so seeing the "Go Crazy, folks! Go crazy!" homerun is one of my least favorite things since it was against my Dodgers. Ever since I arrived in Southern Illinois in 2000, I've gone to Dodger games at Busch Stadium. But I have come to appreciate the Cardinals. They have a well-run organization from top to bottom, and I respect Redbird Nation fans as very knowledgeable about the game. So much so that after the Dodgers, the Cardinals have become my second favorite team. This series of caches [ADiRN, A Dodger in Redbird Nation] is dedicated to those who have been both Dodgers and Cardinals.