Springfield, MO – The Springfield Cardinals, Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, have unveiled the design for their Stan Musial Tribute Jerseys, which the team will wear onSunday, June 16 for the 6:09pm game against the Tulsa Drillers.

The ultimate tribute to the greatest Cardinal of them all, the cream-colored Stan Musial Tribute Jerseys are exact replicas of the St. Louis Cardinals uniforms from 1941, the year that Stan “The Man” played in Springfield before making his St. Louis debut later in the season on Sept. 17.

On Sunday, June 16, every Springfield Cardinal will not only don the tribute jerseys, but the entire team will also wear #6, marking the first time in 50 years that a Cardinal has worn the revered number.

The Stan Musial Tribute Jerseys will feature the Stan Musial #6 Patch that both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Springfield Cardinals have been wearing on their left sleeves all season. The jerseys will also have a Stan Musial Tribute Jersey Patch on the bottom right, commemorating the day’s special celebration of the life and career of the Cardinals legend.

In line with both Musial’s excellence on the field and his dedication to the community, the game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the June 16 game to benefit the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri.

For more information, visit SpringfieldCardinals.com or call (417) 863-0395.

I know, I know, this is a baseball site dedicated to the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals.

Every now and then, however, we read something that transcends.  It sheds light on athletes, athletics, faith and even life.

Garrett Weber-Gale is a world class athlete and was a favorite to head to London as part of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team.  His dream fell short.  It is not an easy thing to handle as an athlete, as you will soon see.

I cannot due the mood, emotions or situation justice myself.  Below are Garrett’s own words, taken from his site with his permission, and shared here with our readers.

Thanks to Garrett for sharing his thoughts with our audience, and God bless you, young man…your journey is just beginning:

Olympic Trials Recap

A week away from the US Olympic Trials and I’m still blown away by the result. Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I would miss qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games. Throughout the course of my career I have always been extremely consistent in my training, and dedication, to excellence in the sport of swimming. Going into the 2012 Olympic Trials I believed I would be in the running to win the 100 freestyle and be in the top three or so of the 50. As I write this, my mind still tries to figure out the meaning of the situation, to grasp the fact that I am sitting home while my former USA teammates are preparing for the Olympic Games. It feels like I’ve been stung by a huge bug, this hurts.

My career has always been about hard work. I’ve never thought I was the most talented swimmer. I’m certainly not the biggest, nor the strongest. My success has been a direct result of my absolute determination to do as many things right as I can, to put myself in position to be successful. Whether I’m refining my nutrition, stretching, getting to the weight room early, watching video of my stroke, working tirelessly on my start, going to bed every night at 9pm, or being a freak for keeping my shoulders healthy with physical therapy, I’ve done everything I would have ever known to do to promote fast swimming.

Last summer at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai I went 48.19 in a time trial of the 100 freestyle. At the same meet I anchored the prelim of the 400 medley relay with a time of 47.3, which was the second fastest relay split in the world. When I got back to Austin in the fall of 2011, my coach Eddie Reese and I decided the way for me to go faster was for me to get stronger. I’ve always battled getting stronger and this was the area I needed to finally overcome. From September, straight through March of 2012, I literally killed myself, four days per week, in the weight room. I was getting stronger, and believed my goal of once again going 47 in the 100 freestyle was approaching.

On top of swimming super fast in 2011, I made a crucial realization in my life. I learned that for me to be successful, and swim fast, I need to be happy. Looking back at my best swimming, I’ve always been really happy, and positive about life. Inevitably there were times when I wasn’t happy, and my swimming definitely paid the price. Going into the summer of 2012 I knew my happiness was going to be a key to my success. Luckily for me, I was as happy as I could ever remember being in my entire life. The pieces of my happy puzzle were in place; my sister lives nearby and we hang out a lot, I have a phenomenal girlfriend, my body was healthy, I was getting tons of great sleep, my nutrition was and still is the best it’s ever been, I was on great terms with both of my coaches, and all the hard work I’d put in in the weight room had paid off because I was stronger than I’d ever been. Being happy and positive I had on lock down.

Unfortunately what I failed to understand is that with all my added work in the weight room, I would need even more rest, before my big meet, to recover from all that work. Swimming at the University of Texas I have always been a huge taper swimmer. I swim fastest at the end of the year when I have plenty of time to let my body and mind rest from the rigors of training. In the past, I generally would begin resting and compete about every month or so to judge my training as we approached the big taper meet. In 2008, for instance, I gradually got faster each meet I swam, right up to the 2008 Olympic Trials. As I swam faster, I was able to fine tune my skills, adjust my training appropriately, and gain confidence along the way.

This year I was so broken down from all the training that as I approached the 2012 Olympic Trials I was barely getting faster at all in my meets. Even though I was doing everything right to swim fast, I had worked myself into such a deep hole that I couldn’t climb out of it. I hate to say it, but I over-trained. Essentially, all the hard work is pointless if you don’t give yourself the time to recover from it. Your body needs time to heal and rebuild.

The finals of the 100 freestyle at the 2012 US Olympic Trials arrived. I warmed up and was super excited to race. I definitely had some nerves, but felt pretty good in warmup, and was ready to race. The summer before, when I went 48.1 in the 100 freestyle, I went out in 23.0 at the first 50, and came home in 25.1 the second 50. In the semi-finals of the 100 freestyle at the Trials I went out in 23.4 and went 48.9. I knew I needed to be out a bit faster, in the finals, to be in the race and give myself a chance to swim really fast. The gun went off and I was going for it. In no race do you go completely all out right from the get go. I built into the race and went out it 23.1. Off the turn I could tell I was in the race and needed to have a great second 50 to finish in the running. I began building the effort on my legs and worked to maintain the same tempo of my arms. With about 20 meters to go I started to seriously hurt. I have always prided myself as being one of the toughest racers, and not ever giving into the pain. I pushed and fought as hard as I could, and at the end it felt like my arms were full of lead. As I approached the finish I could barely move. After touching the wall I had an idea of the result before even looking at the scoreboard. Never in my life had I died that hard in a race. My mind knew that I would be lucky to get in the top six after hurting that bad the last 25 of the race. I went out in 23.1 and came home in 26.1 on the second 50. I finished in eighth place and missed making the Olympic team. Ouch is an understatement.

I went to the side of the pool and slowly got out. My body was battered and my mind deflated. For years and years I had worked tirelessly towards my Olympic dream. I felt like a failure. The only thing that kept me from crying was the fact that I was in complete and utter disbelief and shock. How did this happen, I thought.

Not only was I saddened and disappointed, but I was embarrassed. I believed I was one of the best sprinters in the world, and I couldn’t even get in the top six in the USA. Not to mention, USA Today had just featured me in their sports section about how much my diet makes a difference in my training and performance. I felt like a fraud, that everything I had worked so hard to do with my nutrition, in the pool, and with my food business, AthleticFoodie, was discredited.

Since I was a young boy, after every meet, I would always get together with my family and have dinner. The Olympic Trials was no different. After the 100 freestyle final I went back to the hotel and my parents had dinner waiting for me in their room. I ate with them and we talked about the result. I really didn’t even know what to say. Just like always, my parents were there with the utmost love and support. They were disappointed for me. Their positivity and love never wavered. All they’ve ever wanted was for me to be happy.

The next day I swam in the semi-finals of the 50 freestyle but barely missed qualifying for the finals. This just wasn’t my meet.

My poor result at the Trials was not because I didn’t work hard. Not because I didn’t do everything I knew how to do in order to swim fast. I was happy. I was excited. The problem was that I just didn’t get nearly enough rest to recover from the brutal training we did throughout the year. I should have toned down my weight lifting regimen much sooner. My lack of success at the Trials does not discredit my attention to detail in my diet nor my AthleticFoodie concept. The truth is that my refined diet, and the belief that healthy and nutritious foods can and do make a huge difference in performance holds true. By eating healthy and fueling for success I was able to get stronger than ever. The only thing stopping me was my lack of rest –not sleep, but time to continue working at an easier pace while my body healed itself. My diet paved the way for me to gain strength I never before had. Unfortunately I just couldn’t do anything about the fact that I didn’t have enough time to rebuild my muscles and nervous system before the big races.

I am sad. This experience definitely stings. Yes, I have felt embarrassed, and like a failure. However, as I get further and further away from the Trials I gain greater perspective and realize that this is the farthest from the truth. I followed my dream, and I pursued it with the utmost tenacity, care, focus, and resilience that I knew how. Along the way I have tried to be the best person I know how to be, and make as many positive differences in as many people’s lives as I could possibly touch. Swimming has never, and will never define me as a person. I still have an unbelievable life with family and friends who I love and love me back, a girlfriend who is an absolute angel, and many goals I am excited to now begin working to achieve. AthleticFoodie is at the top of my priority list now. It’s time for me to help as many people as I possibly can to become healthier and feel the dramatic difference nutritious foods can play on the quality of their lives.

As Roger Federer said yesterday in reference to Andy Murray’s defeat at Wimbledon, “It’s not the end of the world, it’s the start of something big.” This is not the end of Garrett Weber-Gale, this is just the beginning of a new stage in my life that promises to bring exciting and meaningful opportunities.

I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you who have followed and supported me throughout the years. I would never have been able to accomplish anything great without your continuous love and support. I have absolutely loved swimming the past couple years and have truly enjoyed the ride. There’s no question that I did not reach my potential this summer, and that leaves me wanting to get back after it! What I know for sure is that I’m going to continue living the dream as I always have. I will follow my passions, and continue to work to do everything at the absolute highest level. The opportunities for the future are endless!

This fall I have several speaking engagements already lined up, and will be kicking off an AthleticFoodie tour of swim clinics and events. (After all, I do have two Olympic gold medals and was a key part of one of the most famous relays ever!!!) Working with kids, and helping people be healthier is a huge passion of mine. One way or another I will be in a pool.

If you would like to bring an AthleticFoodie clinic or event to your team or city please email or call us from our AthleticFoodie contact page. Thanks y’all and I hope to see you soon!

In 1971, the St. Louis Cardinals made a change in game day operations. For the first time in team history, they hired an organ player for the ballpark. The familiar noises that would encourage fans to yell “charge”, clap their hands, and sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” would begin to echo through the park at Busch Memorial Stadium.

Over the course of the next 40 years, Ernie Hays would continue to entertain the fans, encourage the support of the team, and punctuate the on field events with humorous and poignant sounds. His perch inside the stadium would be sought out by reporters, fans, and casual observers. He would join the organization in 1971 as a feature to the ballpark and ballgame that crowds would see as new and exciting. In 2010, he was a part of the organization that showed their dedication to the past and tradition. Many teams have gone to recorded music in today’s digital age, but the Cardinals continued to feature an organist at the park, even after building a new home and moving into it in 2006.

In 2011, fans will be treated to something new that still pays tribute to the past. Ernie Hays has played his final note in Busch Stadium, retiring from the organization as the only organ player they have ever known. Now that the opportunity has presented itself for the Cardinals to move forward into the technological world with the music at the ballpark, the team will replace Hays with a new organist and keep the traditional sound booming through the old ballpark.

Hays himself has not ruled out a guest appearance or two in the future, as the itch to do what he loves and surround himself with the environment he craves may be too much to bare at times.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

I-70 Baseball came into existince on July 12, 2010 as the new affiliate site of BaseballDigest.com. The launch brought a modest staff of writers and editors to the world to talk about Cardinals and Royals baseball.

In the short time that we have been around, we have grown tremendously to bring you, our readers, the best content we can on a daily basis. Without fail, we have published a minimum of one article per day, seven days a week, for each team. We have laid out a schedule that brings fantasy reports, series previews, farm reports and commentary to you on a regular basis.

As we have been moving through production, we have identified areas of the site that need some attention. Derrick Docket, our Graphic Designer, has done amazing work adjusting the way things look on the site based on suggestions from our readers, our writers, and our editors.

The goal of this website is to bring you top quality content in a attractive design while being informative and entertaining. Recently, during staff discussions, we identified that the pictures being used to deliver our material were lacking in solid quality. A decision was made to appoint someone to oversee this aspect of the website and ensure that the photography you see on the site is of the same amazing quality as the graphics and writing that you find here every day.

Justin Hulsey was one of the first writers to join the staff here at I-70 prior to launch. A young man from Union, Missouri, Justin is one of the most talented individuals I have come across, regardless of age. I have often said that one of the great benefits of being an editor of the site is getting to read the amazing content from some of my favorite writers before anyone else gets that luxury. Justin is the epitome of that statement as I enjoy his series previews, opinion articles and his weekly Cardinals Farm Report. He has shown great dedication to the I-70 project and ensuring that everything is handled in a manor that would allow us to reach out to more and more fans.

After discussing the needs of the site, it was agreed that Justin would join the executive staff here at I-70 Baseball as our Photo Editor in addition to his writing duties. It is a great pleasure to announce this to our readers and to continue to work with this young journalist with a very bright future.

If you would like to submit photos for use here by I-70 Baseball, you can reach Justin at jhulsey@i70baseball.com