Loyalty wears red...

One thing I value more than anything in life---Loyalty.

I am loyal to my wife, my family, to my employer, my hometown…..and I am loyal to the St. Louis Cardinals. Don’t talk bad about any one of them in my presence.

I bleed Cardinal red.

So it has been a difficult three years or so as my Redbirds have played second fiddle to the baseball team on the north side of Chicago. I always get Cub fans to say, “Come on Mike—they are the Illinois team.” To that I would respond, “I don’t accept that Chicago is a part of Illinois.”

You must understand my history. I grew up 30 miles from the Gateway Arch. When I was six years old my grandfather and father took me to the old Sportsman’s Park, at Grand and Dodier in St. Louis, to watch the 1963 Redbirds.

Dad and Grandpa were extremely clear. I must watch number 6. Don’t ever forget you saw number 6 play.

Number 6 was, of course, Stan Musial, baseball’s perfect warrior, baseball’s perfect knight. Later in my life I got “The Man” to sign a picture of himself. That picture is the first thing you see when you walk into my office here at the radio station.

I know there are a lot of Cub fans out there within the sound of my voice. They get in my face and recount their recent success.

You know, a couple of playoff appearances and ONE world championship since manned flight is not something I’d be boastful about…

I merely point to the 11 banners flying proudly over Busch Stadium III.

That is success. Even a blind hog can find an acorn once every century or so.

Be loyal, wear red, Stan was The Man.

Go Birds.