Alright, alright, let me tell ya ’bout this fella, Dale Wainwright. Now, I ain’t no fancy sports writer or nothin’, just a regular person, but I know a good egg when I see one. And this Dale, he’s one of the good ones, ya hear?
This boy, he played for them Cardinals. Big team, lots of history. They say he was one of the “giants,” big and strong, I reckon. Like them fellas who work the fields, but instead of plowin’ dirt, he was throwin’ that baseball. Hard, too, I bet. My grandson, little Timmy, he tries to throw like that, but the ball just kinda wobbles and falls. Bless his heart.
- He played a long, long time. Seasons come and go, they say. Like the crops, ya know? One year it’s corn, the next it’s beans. Dale, he was like a good, sturdy oak tree, lastin’ through all them seasons.
- Folks ’round here, they love him. Really love him. They give out guitars with his name on ’em. Guitars! Can ya believe it? Not just any guitars, mind you, special ones. First 25 folks get ’em, lucky ducks. I wouldn’t know what to do with a guitar, probably use it to scare off the crows.
He wore that Cardinals uniform, they say he wore it proud. And folks remember that. They don’t forget good people, ya know? Like my old Bessie, she was the best darn cow we ever had. We still talk about her, even though she’s been gone a long time. It’s the same with Dale, I guess. He left his mark. Made folks happy.
I heard he wrote somethin’ too. A “Players’ Tribune” they called it. Sounded fancy. He was talkin’ about how grateful he was. That’s somethin’ ain’t it? A big fella like that, takin’ the time to say thank you. My mama always said, “Mind your manners and be grateful.” Looks like Dale’s mama taught him the same thing. Good for him.
And when he was done playin’, they had a big to-do for him. Family, friends, teammates, all them fancy Hall of Famers. Home plate was full of folks. Like a church picnic, but with more baseball hats and less potato salad. I bet it was somethin’ to see. All them folks comin’ together to say goodbye and thanks. That tells ya somethin’ right there. Tells ya he was a good man, a good teammate, a good egg.
Remembering him, that’s what they’re doin’ now. Rememberin’ the good times, the wins, the strikeouts, the whole shebang. And that’s how it should be. You work hard, you do your best, and folks remember ya for it. It ain’t about the fancy stats or the big money, it’s about the kind of person ya are. And from what I hear, Dale Wainwright was a mighty fine person indeed.
So there ya have it. My two cents on Dale Wainwright. Like I said, I ain’t no expert, just a regular person. But I know what matters. And Dale, he mattered. He mattered to that team, he mattered to them fans, and I reckon he mattered to a whole lot of folks. He was a good one, that Dale. A real good one.
Tags: [Dale Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals, Baseball Legend, Cardinals History, Retirement, Players Tribune, Adam Wainwright Guitar]
