Fans line up to meet Champion St. Louis Cardinals - Hannibal.net

From toddlers to senior adults, fans of the 2011 World Champion St. Louis Cardinals brought shirts, magazines, balls and other items to be signed by the players at the Cardinal Caravan Saturday, Jan. 14, in Hannibal.
While the players took turns signing and posing for photos, long lines of fans waited patiently for their turn to meet the champions at the Quality Inn and Suites.
To some it didn’t matter that they won the World Series - they have been following them for years and will continue to do so, such as Larry and Barb Ferguson.
“We are avid Cardinal fans,” said Larry. They had driven to Hannibal from their home in Keokuk, Iowa, and had recently attended a Cardinal Caravan in Mexico, Mo. He named Albert Pujols as his former favorite.
Larry’s new favorites include two Cardinals who were on the caravan - Jon Jay and Daniel Descalso, adding that “without those guys they wouldn’t have won the World Series.”
Barb named Yadier Molina as her favorite player, adding that as catcher “he knows what pitch” to choose.
Amber and William Hoover of Hannibal are such big Cardinal fans that they spent their first day of married life at a game. They were married on June 4, 2011, and she recalled that at their reception while he was doing the “mother dance” she was listening to a game and heard Albert Pujols make a home run.
Pujols did it again the next day, on June 5, with the newlyweds present. Now one of her favorite players is Jon Jay, whom they met at the caravan on Saturday.
The Hoovers brought their 7-year-old nephew, J.T. Thomas, to the caravan, where they had several players sign their Cardinals clock. Among them was prospective player Matt Adams, currently in the Cardinals minor league. Adams said he hopes to be playing in Memphis this year.
Next to him was Brandon Dickson, who made his debut with the Cardinals in 2011, just in time to be on the championship team.
Fans came from several states, including Mike McCartney of Roodhouse, Ill. After getting signatures from the players, McCartney named Lance Burkman as his favorite.
Wayne and Carolyn Hammock of Hannibal are long-time Cardinal fans, and her favorite player is still “Stan the Man” Musial. She said, “it’s very good to see the Cardinals up close.”
One special Cardinal - Fredbird - was greeting all the young fans, such as Richard Hayden of Vandalia, who came to the caravan with his parents, Stephen and Lydia Hayden.
“I’ve been to two caravans,” Richard proudly reported. The family has attended “quite a few games” Stephen said, and at home, they like to listen to the radio play-by-play rather than the TV commentary.
His current favorite player is Molina, but he is still a fan of former Cardinals Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee.
Cardinal broadcaster John Rooney also was giving autographs to the fans, and after the long line had ended, he said “I’ve never seen anything like Cardinal Nation. We hear from people all over the nation.”
Some members of the team will begin spring training on about Feb. 19, Rooney said, and the first spring training game will be March 5 against the Miami Marlins.