This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 31, 2011 - With one last giant burst of fireworks at Busch Stadium Sunday evening, the Redbirds' incredible postseason surprise party officially ended, though unofficially Cardinal Nation will be celebrating this 11th World Series championship until the cows and turtles and squirrels come home -- and Fredbird can fly.
A sea of red lined Market and Seventh streets to watch the last Happy Flight of the 2011 season. The Wild Cards stayed on the ground this time, riding in pickup trucks with family and friends.
The crowd cheered current players and coaches, Hall-of-Fame greats, including Lou Brock and Red Schoendienst, and the team's owners and management. Team Fredbird, the Cardinals cheerleaders, rode on a float featuring a giant replica of the World Series trophy, while Cardinals owner and chairman of the board Bill DeWitt Jr. hoisted the real thing as his truck made its way to the stadium. Marching bands from Lindbergh, Pattonville, Seckman and Belleville high schools performed.
By noon, fans wearing Cardinal red had started staking out prime birdwatching spots to watch the parade that started just after 4 p.m. at Union Station. The high-stepping Budweiser Clydesdales led the procession with a smiling manager Tony La Russa riding on the beer wagon. La Russa, who would announce his retirement the next morning, sported a "Happy Flight" hoodie and waved happily at the cheering fans.
Then it was into a fan-packed stadium, where the crowd lavished ear-rattling acclaim onto their 2011 band of underbirds.
One by one, team members stepped up to the microphone to share their thoughts over the stadium's public address system.
"I feel like a kid. This is awesome," said catcher Yadier Molina.
Outfielder Allen Craig said that he had never before made a catch like the one in the sixth inning Friday night that robbed Texas Ranger Nelson Cruz of a home run.
"Glad I saved it for Game 7 of the World Series," he said.
Pitcher Adam Wainwright, out all season for elbow surgery, pronounced the turnout bigger than the last World Series party in St. Louis.
"These Cardinal fans should be proud of themselves," Wainwright said. "This is even bigger than 2006."
Third baseman David Freese, who grew up a Redbird fan in Wildwood, added two more prizes to his postseason stash that includes being named Most Valuable Player of both the World Series and the National League championship series. St. Louis County Executive Charles Dooley presented Freese with the key to the county, and Mayor Francis Slay gave him the key to the city.
Freese told the crowd how excited he was when he got the call from general manager John Mozeliak in 2007 informing him that he'd been traded to the Cardinals. He praised his teammates and management for the season, and then returned the love being showered down from the stands.
"You guys are the reason this is all possible," he told the fans.
DeWitt praised the players for their resilience this season and offered kudos to Mozeliak for making the right trades and La Russa for making the right management decisions. He also credited the fans for supporting the team in spirit and with their pocketbooks, allowing the team to make the right moves.
"You come out year in and year out -- 3 million strong -- you never give up," he said.
Ace Chris Carpenter drew laughter when he was asked if there is one memory that stands out in his mind about this World Series run.
"Yeah, the last out," said Carpenter.
The crowd roared for first baseman Albert Pujols, now a free agent, who smiled and tipped his hat in a return salute.
"I love my fans. They're the best," he said, clearly enjoying the moment.
Asked if it was possible to do it again in 2012, Pujols replied, "Hey, why not?"
A clean-shaven Lance Berkman minus his postseason rally beard, acknowledged that after his long career with the Houston Astros, he was ecstatic about joining the Cardinals.
"It's great," he said. "This is what I came here for."
La Russa, who managed the team for 16 years, was celebrating his second World Series win for the Cardinals. He congratulated the St. Louis Rams for winning their first game today and wished them a happy flight.
The victory party was even sweeter because it was totally unexpected this season. In late August a World Series parade on the streets of St. Louis wasn't likely for a team that was 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League wild card race.
But then began the unexpected, unlikely, unbelievable race to the postseason. First the Cards snatched the National League wild card slot from the Atlanta Braves -- and then stunned the pundits by besting Philadelphia in the division series and then Milwaukee for their 18th National League pennant.
The World Series was a wild and crazy back-and-forth struggle with the Texas Rangers that many sportswriters have dubbed one of the best World Series ever, including Albert Pujols' three home run Game 3. Twice down to their last strike in Game 6 -- and facing World Series elimination -- the Comeback Cards rallied to beat the Rangers 10-9 on Freese's 11th inning walk-off solo home run. The next night, 47,000-plus fans packed Busch Stadium to watch the Redbirds finish off the Rangers in a 6-2 win.
Tickets to Sunday's party in the stadium were $5 each, raising about $200,000 for Cardinals Care, according to Mozeliak. Tickets sold out in less than two hours Saturday afternoon.
