Merry Christmas, Cardinals Nation! Here's what I'm grateful for this year

Merry Christmas! I don't say this enough in my writing, but I am just so grateful that so many of you in St. Louis Cardinals' Nation read my work over here on the site and the work I do on the Dealin' the Cards podcast.

Trust me, today will be filled with many overdue thank yous. In the spirit of Christmas, I wanted to share with you some of the things I am grateful for this year.

1. Grateful for the sport we all love - baseball.

Simply put, baseball is the greatest sport ever invented. It unites young and old in the most timeless of ways. Don't get me wrong, I love football, basketball, golf, pickleball, - whatever over sports you want to name - but there is nothing as iconic as going to the ballpark on a summer day.

It's not just major league baseball that has that kind of appeal. From t-ball days to whenever kids first start pitching to one another, all the way up to those family whiffle ball games or slow-pitch softball leagues way past your prime - there's nothing quite like baseball in its purest form.

Even as new rule changes have been integrated in recent years, some I like, some I don't care for, the game remains the best around. I'm hopeful that it will experience a resurgence among the general public in the coming years.

2. Grateful for the team we support, even when things aren't going well.

I don't really remember a time where I wasn't a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a tradition my dad carried on in my family, and it's something I'll continue to hold onto for years to come as well.

My earliest memories were right in the thick of the mid-2000s Cardinals. My "team" as a child consistent of Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Tony LaRussa, and so many more. Scrappy players like Skip Schumaker and Brendan Ryan caught my eye as a young middle infielder myself. Colby Rasmus was the first "top prospect" I convinced myself would be their next superstar.

As a teenager, I fell in love with the 2010s teams that once again featured Wainwright and Molina but now had new faces like Matt Carpenter, David Freese, Michael Wacha, Lance Berkman, Allen Craig, Carlos Beltran, Trevor Rosenthal, Shelby Miller, Jon Jay, Jamie Garcia, Lance Lynn, Kevin Siegrist, Kolten Wong, Mitchell Boggs, Peter Bourjos, Carlos Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, and too many more to name.

As a young adult, I got to watch another phase of Cardinals baseball, with Molina and Wainwright in the twilight of their careers, a brief return from Pujols, and the likes of Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras, Ryan Helsley, and a new young core forming with Masyn Winn, Jordan Walker, Brendan Donovan, Lars Nootbaar, and others as well.

In the future, I look forward to seeing what JJ Wetherholt, Quinn Mathews, Tink Hence, and others in the farm system become. I can't wait to see what players I've never even heard of and have yet to become professionals end up becoming critical parts of their next young core.

Cardinal baseball is bigger than any current front office, coaching staff, ownership group, or even the players on the field. It's something that has stood the test of time because individuals from all of those affiliations have come together to form something special - and I have no doubt that will continue in the future.

3. Grateful for the awesome team I get to write with on the site.

The beauty of Redbird Rants is the site is filled with numerous voices who are all united over one thing - our love of the Cardinals. But each of us brings our own opinions and voices to the table, which I hope ultimately reflects the fact that this fanbase is filled with a variety of perspectives as well.

I'm grateful for Andrew Heckroth, Ben Goldberg, J.T. Buchheit, and Miranda Remaklus who were at the site before I got here and continue to write to this day. I'm thankful for friends like Russ Robinson, Matt Graves, Dan Campbell, Dane Aerne-Moore, Kyle Jasper, Greg Simons, and Taylor Streiff, who although they don't write anymore, have made this site special over the years.

I'm grateful for a new wave of writers who have joined the site - Thomas Gauvain, Andrew Wang, Sandy McMillian, Cliff Williams, Curt Bishop, Jameson McCurdy, and Mason Keith, who've helped the site grow and continue to bring thoughtful coverage to all things Cardinals baseball.

I'm excited for you all to read from some new friends on the site as well, such as Michael Carpenter, Scott Plaza, and Brendan Strieker, who have all hit the ground running in their work thus far.

4. Grateful for the many friends I've made who cover the team as well.

I began writing for the same reason I continue to do it today - I love contributing to the conversation on all things Cardinals baseball, and I hope to do so in a way that is entertaining, thought-provoking, and a value add for your fandom. While I've always enjoyed writing and thinking about the game, I have way too many people to thank for their contributions to my work so far.

Robert Murray, who took a chance on me as a contributor early on, and even as he navigated the life of being an MLB insider, invested in me, advocated for me, and set me on a trajectory to do what I do now. Kurt Mensching, Adam Weinrib, and Thomas Carannante, who have all be incredible supports to me from the FanSided team.

Locally, I've been blown away by the kind of support the local beat writers and media have supported my work. Bernie Miklasz, who continues to be a huge encourager and support to my work both on here and the podcast. Brendan Schaeffer, who saw value in my work and has been a great friend to me. Jeff Jones, Katie Woo, John Denton, Lynn Worthy, Trevor Rosenthal, Derrick Goold, Kareem Haq, Jim Hayes, Victor Scott II, and so many others who have been kind enough to come on my podcast and/or provide support and encouragement in what I've been doing.

Seriously, Cardinals Nation is blessed with incredible people who cover the team, and I've seen firsthand how they support people like me in what I do.

5. Grateful for the work I get to do with Andrew Wang and Sandy McMillian on the Dealin' the Cards podcast

I joined on with Andrew and Sandy back when they were the "Noot News Podcast" back in September 2023. They started the podcast as a passion project during the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and as I was trying to break into the audio space as well, we saw an opportunity to collaborate and play off of each other's strengths. I'm so glad we did that!

Now rebranded as "Dealin' the Cards", we've had a blast interacting with so many of you and many of those friends I mentioned above. Sponsors like 314 Sports Cards and Collectibles, Tracy's Karate, Smith Agri-Service, SeakGeek, and Underdog Fantasy have been huge blessings for us. Not only have we been able to cover the team for the last few years and hopefully provide entertainment for you along the way, but we've also been able to raise thousands of dollars for Big League Impact through our charity livestreams.

I'm really looking forward to what 2025 will bring for the podcast. Stay tuned, because we are just getting started! You can find us on YouTube or anywhere you get your audio podcasts. We really appreciate the support!

6. Grateful for the special relationship that my dad and I have formed around Cardinals' baseball.

For all of the friends I've made along the way, I still enjoy watching and talking about Cardinals baseball with my dad the most. All of the inside jokes, the incredible baseball we've witnessed, and the memories made around this team, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I'll never forget being at Busch Stadium with my dad to witness a 19-inning game against the Phillies, catching a home run ball from Ryan Howard during batting practice, watching Rick Ankiel throw out a runner at home from deep center field, a 7-RBI game from Paul Goldschmidt during the heat of a division race, Albert Pujols' return to Busch Stadium as a Dodger and homering in his first at-bat, being at opening day for Pujols, Molina, and Wainwright's final season together in 2022, the heartbreak of being at Game 2 of the 2022 Wild Card Series, witnessing Jordan Walker's first MLB hit on 2023 Opening Day, and so many more things that I'll probably kick myself over for forgetting to mention.

Dad, thanks for helping create so many incredible memories for me in our Cardinals fandom. Love you.

7. Grateful to each of you who read our work here on the site.

I can't thank all of you enough for the support you give toward my work and other contributors to the site. It's truly an honor to do this, and I'm humbled that you click on our work. Same with the podcast as well, it's mind-blowing to me how many people care about what we've got going on, and I hope to continue to do that well over the coming year.

8. Grateful for the many blessings in my life

Lastly, this post was all about baseball, but I can't help but thank God for the many blessings in my life, and I hope you spend time today reflecting on your blessings as well. I have what I need, I am in good health, and I'm loving life with my wife Madisen and our families.

Merry Christmas all!