St. Louis — My experience at Game 5 of the 2006 World Series went like this: 27 outs, 24 outs, 21 outs, and so on and until it was the final out with two Tigers left on base.
I hadn't quite given up hope, as Adam Wainwright's pitching wasn't up to its usual standard.
But Wainwright took a new approach for the final out — three curveballs making their way in for strikes to end the Tigers' hopes of a World Series win.
Tigers fans all over the country shared in these experiences with me.
But my story of Game 5 was complicated by the fact that I was deep inside enemy territory — less than 10 rows off the fence in left center field.
Surrounded by Cardinals fans, I was booed, harassed and jeered for every out of every inning on the way to an embarrassing loss.
However, I cheered when Justin Verlander stepped up to put away some tough St. Louis sluggers. I cheered when Sean Casey hit a two-shot home run deep into the right field bleachers, and I cheered when outfielders Craig Monroe and Curtis Granderson refused to allow the crowd's distraction to keep them from catching some troublesome fly balls.
With every great Tigers play, the Cardinals were able to come right back with their own great plays. And with every great play came more towel-waving and even more cheering. As the sound from inside the stadium grew louder, the rumble from outside grew equally noisy, as close to 5,000 fans listened in on the celebration.
In the middle of the eighth inning — after the Tigers went "three up, three down!" — poachers came out with stuffed animal tigers they had "slain." Several hung over the sides of railings in the stadium; others were sent crowd surfing as fans found enjoyment in mutilating the cotton creatures.
With victory imminent, the stadium noise grew to a roar when Wainwright, the Cardinals' closing pitcher, hit the mound. Less than 10 stressful minutes later, it was all over. Fireworks erupted over a jubilant St. Louis.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't force myself to leave, nor did I allow myself to feel disgusted with the way the game ended. Sure, I would've loved to have seen the Tigers win, but at that moment, with fireworks exploding and fans stomping and cheering and slot officers taking the field to protect the celebration, I looked around and was glad it hadn't gone any other way.
Knowing this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I joined the celebration.
Outside, people poured out of bars and clubs, and the streets became anyone's party. Megaphones blared music and people danced on roofs of cars while high fives and hugs were commonplace for people who didn't even know each other.
The city became the new Mardi Gras — everyone crowded on the sidewalks, swarmed in the streets, rang bells and honked horns.
The cold air of St. Louis — it had snowed faintly for a portion of the game — heated up with the distraction of the big home win, pulled off by a team that was considered by many, even its fans, to be an underdog.
Even though my team didn't win and I spent a couple hundred dollars — $200 on my ticket, $60 on a program, food and drinks — the whole experience was priceless.
Editor's Note: State News reporter Trey Scroggin was in St. Louis for the Cardinals' Game 5 World Series win over the Tigers. Scroggin is a State News reporter. Reach him at scroggi3@msu.edu.
