Cardinals: Students, workers should be excused for Molina and Pujols Day

St. Louis Cardinals greats Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina have been given their own holidays. St. Louis should grant people time off to celebrate them.

Baseball is more than a pastime for your average St. Louis-area resident — it’s a necessity, as integral to survival as food and shelter. Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina have provided sustenance to St. Louis Cardinals fans for well over a decade, and St. Louis mayor Tishaura Jones just declared Oct. 4 to be Yadier Molina day and Oct. 5 as Albert Pujols day. The days were chosen to reflect the pair’s iconic jersey numbers.

Because baseball is so tightly woven into the fabric of St. Louis, it’s only natural that local students and employees should receive days off school and work to celebrate this incomparable duo. The two have provided countless memorable moments and should be annually lauded for the two (hopefully three!) championships they brought to this city.

While Pujols and Molina might not feel that they warrant such recognition, their contributions go beyond baseball: Pujols and Molina have both won the Clemente award for their efforts in their communities. Pujols established the Pujols Family Foundation in 2005 to help families and individuals with Down syndrome. Molina, meanwhile, created Fundación 4 in his native Puerto Rico, which holds fundraisers and donations for underprivileged residents and people affected by natural disasters.

If you oversee a school district or place of employment around St. Louis, you should consider designating holidays to commemorate these franchise legends. Even if you’re not a baseball fan, their generosity toward their communities and dedication to making them better places are attributes that transcend the sport and should be celebrated. Encourage people to volunteer or donate to a charity of their choice on these days to help their communities and people thrive.

This is a special place with a special baseball culture, and it can’t go overlooked how much these two have meant for the fans and their city. Embrace these days, St. Louis; hold events and activities that acknowledge these players’ Hall of Fame efforts on the field and selfless actions off of it, and let the residents of St. Louis relish the memories of these Cardinals icons.