In Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, David Freese of the St. Louis Cardinals came to bat in the bottom of the ninth inning. You probably know the story. Trailing by a game to the Texas Rangers, the Cardinals were facing elimination. There were two outs and two men on base. Down to his last strike, Freese hit a two-run triple to send the game into extra innings. In the 11th, again with two strikes, Freese hit a game-winning home run. The rest is history.

One fan who was going especially crazy over Freese’s heroics was, predictably, Guy Freese, David’s dad. Guy, CE’75, is executive vice president for Professional Service Industries Inc. in St. Louis.

David Freese, of course, was named MVP of the World Series.

Rally Squirrel hits home
The Rally Squirrel became instantly famous during the 2011 playoffs when he ran across home plate while Skip Schumaker was at bat, solidifying himself as a sidekick mascot in the eyes of St. Louis Cardinals’ fans.

Joe Abernathy, ME’77, vice president of stadium operations, said his staff successfully captured and released four squirrels into the wild — or at least a good distance from Busch Stadium.

But Abernathy couldn’t confirm that the real Rally Squirrel was actually caught. The squirrel was such a hit with fans that he had his own Twitter account and has appeared on T-shirts. During the World Series, the Cardinals sold stuffed Rally Squirrels for $5.