What is the Cardinals' new celebration and what does it mean?

The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a much better start in 2024. The energy of the young players has injected a fire that wasn't present for the bulk of last year. Pitchers like Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson have proven their worth in just a couple of starts thus far. The bullpen, though its numbers are slightly inflated, has been as good as advertised despite losing key players like Keynan Middleton and Riley O'Brien.

All of this is to say that the team is having more fun this year. Interviews with players have vigor that wasn't present last year, and the effort on both sides of the ball has been refreshing to see.

Masyn Winn and Nolan Gorman have been spotted performing a unique celebration on extra-base hits recently. I've posted a clip below, but the celebration includes the player raising his hands above his head to make a circle followed by a gentle hip thrust in the air. Winn added the classic "3-point" celebration that is commonly found in basketball on his RBI triple during the home opener on Thursday.

The Cardinals have had unique celebrations in the past including the pepper grinder and the burger phone, and I even proposed some eccentric home run celebrations this past offseason. This year's celebratory dance, however, has been tough to figure out.

What is this new celebration and what does it mean?

I sent out the "Bird Signal" on Twitter/X to see if any other Cardinal loyalists knew what this celebration meant. My research wasn't very fruitful, but there were some comments that seemed like good ideas.

First, the "3-point celebration" was obvious; Winn hit a triple, so him putting up three fingers and tapping his temple wasn't opaque. Carmelo Anthony made this celebration famous in the NBA at least a decade ago.

The circular arms in the air led me to believe that the players were making a reference to the Gateway Arch, a staple in the St. Louis skyline. One particularly astute Reddit user facetiously stated the "O" shape was a reference to the team's intrepid leader, Oli Marmol. This doesn't feel likely, but maybe the players are showing their support for their fearless leader after his extension!

The hip thrust that Winn used seemed to be unique to him, so perhaps his excitement got the best of him there. His excitement could have gotten the best of him in that moment. Regardless of the meaning behind this celebration, it's invigorating to see the team have some fire on the field.

What do you think this new celebration means?