A Squirrely Tale

When a critter interrupts a major sports event, you have to figure that somebody's going to talk about it. And in the case of the St. Louis Cardinals, you can amend that to a lot of people.

During one of the recent playoff games, both crowd and media were treated to the sight of a squirrel scampering across home plate. And with a Cardinal player in the batting box, too!

Seriously, what are the odds? I mean, you might see such a thing happen at a little league game in a public park, but at Busch Stadium? In front of thousands of people?

After the furry interruption (and a lot of laughter), the Cardinals went on to win the game. This swiftly hatched an idea. The rogue squirrel must have brought the team good luck. And in a whisk of the tail, the intruder was dubbed "The Rally Squirrel".

Without fur-ther delay, more items than a zookeeper can shake a stick at were printed and sold. T-shirts, towels, and other collectibles featuring the image of The Rally Squirrel are now extremely caliente. Vendors can barely keep them in stock. Bringing luck, making money, galvanizing fans...wouldn't you think that squirrel would be a hero?

But in spite of everything, I'm sorry to report that the management at Busch Stadium is not impressed with the new team mascot. They've trapped 4 squirrels so far and relocated them to an area described vaguely as "the country".  Guess they don't think the Cardinals need any more luck.

I've heard that squirrels have a great sense of direction. Can the Rally Squirrel return in time to save the day for the home team? I have my fingers crossed.

And if the Cardinals don't win the World Series, I know who I'm going to blame...