Back in September, when the St. Louis Cardinals were on a road trip that included a stop in the Nation’s Capital, principal owner William O. DeWitt Jr. arranged a visit to the White House.
President George W. Bush entertained Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and a party of 15 players and officials for 30 minutes. At the time, Bush and La Russa joked about a return visit.
After the Cardinals lived up to their end of the deal, winning the 2006 World Series, so did the President honor his part. A traveling party of Cardinals will return to the White House in mid-January, likely following Winter Warm-Up.
In fact, several stops on the Cardinals Caravan have been rescheduled as a result. That includes the Springfield, MO stop moving from January 15th to the 11th. Also changed were dates for Sedalia and Jefferson City. Updated Caravan dates and the names of Cardinals participating at each stop follow.
| CARAVAN
1 |
|
|
|
|
| Players: Randy Flores,
Skip Schumaker, Brendan Ryan, Chris Lambert, Ken Reitz, Ken
Dayley |
| Emcee: Dan
McLaughlin |
|
|
|
| Date |
City |
Location |
Time |
Call For Info |
| Thurs Jan 11 |
Champaign, IL |
Hilton Garden Inn |
Noon |
217-352-9970 |
| Thurs Jan 11 |
Decatur, IL |
Decatur Hotel & Conf. Center |
6:00 PM |
217-429-4423 |
| Fri Jan 12 |
Hannibal, MO |
Hannibal Inn & Conf Center |
Noon |
573-221-3450 |
| Fri Jan 12 |
Litchfield, IL |
Litchfield High School Gym |
6:00 PM |
217-324-5921 |
|
|
|
|
|
| CARAVAN
4 |
***PLEASE NOTE: Due to
scheduling conflict, dates of this caravan have changed*** |
|
| Players: Josh Hancock,
Josh Kinney, Chris Narveson, Alan Benes, Al Hrabosky. |
|
| Emcee: Jay
Randolph |
|
|
|
| Date |
City |
Location |
Time |
Call For Info |
| Thurs Jan 11 |
Springfield, MO* |
Bass Pro Shops |
7:15 PM |
417-863-2143 |
| Fri Jan 12 |
Sedalia, MO |
State Fair Community College |
Noon |
660-826-1050 |
| Fri Jan 12 |
Jefferson City, MO |
Truman Hotel & Conference Ctr |
6:00 PM |
573-893-5696 |
| * Dave Duncan will attend
the Springfield, MO program only |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CARAVAN
2 |
|
|
|
|
| Players: Chris Duncan,
Adam Wainwright*, John Rodriguez, Tyler Johnson, Rick Horton, Tom
Lawless |
| Emcee: Rick
Horton |
|
|
|
| Date |
City |
Location |
Time |
Call For Info |
| Sat Jan 13 |
Mt. Vernon, IL* |
Mt. Vernon HS Auditorium |
11:00
AM |
618-237-3125 |
| Sat Jan 13 |
Memphis, TN |
Autozone Park |
6:30 PM |
901-721-6000 |
| Sun Jan 14 |
Dyersburg, TN |
Dyer County High School |
12:30
PM |
731-287-1339 |
| Sun Jan 14 |
Cape Girardeau, MO |
Osage Community Center |
6:00 PM |
573-334-2859 |
| *Adam Wainwright will not
attend the Mt. Vernon, IL program |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| CARAVAN
3 |
|
|
|
|
| Players: Anthony Reyes,
Aaron Miles, Brad Thompson, Danny Cox, Al Hrabosky |
|
| Emcee: John
Rooney |
|
|
|
| Date |
City |
Location |
Time |
Call For Info |
| Sat Jan 13 |
Bloomington, IL |
U. S. Cellular Coliseum |
Noon |
(309) 434-2843 |
| Sat Jan 13 |
Peoria, IL |
Holiday Inn City Centre |
6:00 PM |
(309) 637-3700 |
| Sun Jan 14 |
Quad Cities (Davenport, IA) |
John O'Donnell Stadium |
Noon |
(563) 324-3000 |
| Sun Jan 14 |
Springfield, IL |
Crowne Plaza Hotel |
6:00 PM |
(217) 429-4423 |
It has been a busy presidential period for the Cardinals as Bill Clinton was on the field before an August game in New York and Bush threw out the first pitch at the Cards’ home opener in 2004.
In other news, the club announced official Spring Training reporting dates. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to the team’s training site at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, FL on February 14, with the first workout on the 15th. Remaining position players will arrive February 19, with the first full-squad workout on February 20.
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brwalton@earthlink.net.
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