…rally

...squirrel!!!

In the world of sports the achievement of greatness takes time and practice.

No one becomes a household name over night. You really have to pay your dues to reach the top. It takes real dedication and a true passion for the game.

Unless of course you are a squirrel with a real affinity for the St. Louis Cardinals.

I am of course referring to the Rally Squirrel.

For those of you not yet familiar with this little fur ball, let me tell you his inspiring tale.

This baseball loving rodent’s first appearance was brief but memorable as he scurried along the third-base line during game 3 of the Cards-Phillies series.

This seemingly insignificant and fruitless cameo (the Cards still lost this one) garnered this furry fan a Twitter account and more followers than most of us will ever dream of.

Many may have thought this was the end of it. But achieving greatness in less than a minute only to disappear into the vast squirrel playground that is a baseball stadium was not in this squirrel’s plan.

This bushy-tailed Sciuridae still had a few things up his metaphorical sleeves. His moment of glory was still ahead of him (or her or possibly even another squirrel of either gender, but the story is much more fun if you assume it’s the same squirrel so we’re sticking with “him”).

And so it was that we arrived at game four, a win or go home situation for the Cardinals. It was only a matter of time before Rally Squirrel would cement his place in sports-lore history (…and a rather impressive collection of adorable t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, etc).

Then, in the bottom of the fifth, with the Cardinals up by one, destiny arrived. Like a furry little finger of fate, Rally Squirrel darted across the plate, startling the Phillies pitcher…and absolutely nothing happened, but…

A short while later, clearly inspired by the dedication of this tiny furry fan, the Cardinals rallied to increase their lead and ultimately win the game.

It’s a classic tale of the power of dedication and brilliant timing.

Rally Squirrel has defied the odds and scurried his way into the hearts of millions of Cardinals fans…and probably some crawl space in the outfield.

____________________________________

“Who Needs a Black Cat? Rally Squirrel Toys with the Phillies”: New York Times

…bi-daily smile…

Don’t worry Oswalt, Dug understands…