(by: Steven Stilt)
The Cardinals Caravan rolled into Centralia on Monday night. St. Louis Cardinals alumni Gary Gaetti, Al Hrabosky and Jason Motte, as well as current Cardinal Luken Baker and rising prospect Thomas Saggese, fielded questions from the audience at Castle Ridge and signed autographs. Mascot Fred Bird also made an appearance and posed for photos with fans.
Greg Sutton, director of operations at Castle Ridge, says the event is a positive for the community. Sutton credits Gaetti, a Centralia native, with helping the community land a spot on the caravan.
“Having a 20-year Major League Baseball veteran right here, from the hometown of Centralia, is a huge plus for the community. … We were able to get the Cardinals Caravan because Gary reached out to the Cardinals and said ‘hey, why don’t you come over?’
This year’s caravan took Cardinals players and alumni to cities in six states. Baker says the turnout in communities like Centralia shows how dedicated Cardinals fans are to their team.
“I mean, it’s pretty unbelievable. This is my first time doing the Cardinals Caravan. From the time you’re drafted, you hear all about how awesome the fans are — one of a kind, best fans in the world. There are a ton of fan bases that say it, but to do events like this, it proves the point. These people are awesome fans and they’re great people, and to come out, especially in the conditions we have right now, it’s pretty cool.”
Proceeds from the Centralia stop on the caravan benefit the NubAbility organization, which hosts athletic camps for youth aged 4 to 17 who have experienced congenital or traumatic limb loss, frozen limb or highly-mobile cerebral palsy. Jana Kuhnert, the organization’s co-founder, says NubAbility is seeking volunteers for its All Sports Camp, which will take place in Du Quoin July 17 through July 21.
photo: Luken Baker (far right) and Thomas Saggese (second from right) chat with fans and sign autographs at Castle Ridge.
(From left) Gary Gaetti, Al Hrabosky, Jason Motte, Thomas Saggese, and Luken Baker respond to questions from fans at the Cardinals Caravan’s stop at Castle Ridge in Centralia.
