This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 11, 2012 - WASHINGTON -- Hundreds of Cardinals fans were in Nationals Park on Thursday when the Nats ended a long drought and won the first playoff baseball victory in D.C. in 79 years. When Jason Werth hit a dramatic walk-off home run to win the game, 2-1, Nats fans went wild, fireworks exploded, presidential mascots danced in the grass.
And while many of the Cardinals fans felt empathy with the pent-up celebration of their Washington counterparts, Cardinals Nation die-hards predicted a spirited comeback by the Redbirds in the decisive Game 5 game at 7:37 p.m. CT on Friday, when Adam Wainwright faces Nats' ace Gio Gonzalez.
Here are photos of a few of the Cardinals fans at the ballpark:
Jared Christopher and James Randall, both Kirkwood High Schools grads who now work in the Washington area, proudly sported their Cardinals caps and T-shirts as they headed toward their seats Thursday to cheer for the Redbirds. While they were vastly outnumbered by Nats fans, Randall said they hadn't taken much guff about rooting for the rival team. "Just a little" hassle, he said.
Seven-year-old Colin Burke waved his "Go Cards" rally towel amid a sea of Nationals "Natitude" towels during the game. His dad, Kevin Burke, and his mom, Cat, live near Olney, Md., and say they root for the Cardinals because they are a great team. Colin also likes the Birds-on-the-Bat logo.
Gary Pomeroy and Rob Rehg are old friends and St. Louis natives who arranged to meet at the Stan Musial column near Section 138 in the right-center field stands. "My heart is still with the Cardinals," said Rehg, a communications executive who has lived in Washington since 1988. But he also follows the Nationals and he sported a Nats cap along with his Redbird T-shirt. Pomeroy, wearing a white Cardinal jersey, worked at the Pentagon for 19 years before retiring back in St. Louis. He flew to D.C. to see the Cardinals play, and is pulling hard for the Redbirds to win.
Like many longtime Cardinals fans who also live in the Washington, Kenneth Jost, 64, is rooting for both the Redbirds and the Nats. He wore a Nats cap to the ballpark on Thursday, but he spent some time around the Stan Musial column and chatted with Cardinal fans. "I listened to the 1964 World Series [between the Cards and Yankees] on my transistor radio when I was a kid in Nashville," said Jost. "I spent years listening to KMOX and Jack Buck."
But Jost, as well as other fans with mixed loyalties, were also pulling for the Nationals to win the first postseason game in D.C. in 79 years. And the Nats did that with a dramatic, walk-off home run victory on Thursday. Plenty of Cards fans will be on hand at the final game between the two teams Friday night.