Michelle Burns, Relationship Specialist and legit Cardinals fan, says sports events are a win on the field and for the heart. Hear her take on what made our BBBSEMO Cardinals Player Ticket outing spectacular!

^{Little/Big Outing: A dozen matches watched batting practice, had a personal Q+A with pitcher Adam “Waino” Wainwright, and enjoyed a Cardinals vs. Dodgers game. The matches also received a free t-shirt designed by Wainwright’s wife, Jenny Curry}

Fun Facts

“Wainwright’s not only a successful and seasoned veteran (life-long Cardinal and future Hall of Famer, most likely), he is also the team’s biggest prankster.

“A great thing about Waino is his incredible understanding of sport and what it takes to get to where he is at."

“One Little Sister asked, ‘How did you get into baseball?’ Wainwright shared that his father was not around much, but his older brother stepped in as a father figure and first introduced him to it. Waino wanted to be just like his brother, so he learned baseball by joining him everywhere he went. I think it is a great mirror to the relationship that some Bigs and Littles have – learning from one another and engaging in each other’s interests.”

Diversity and Variety

“Another Little asked, ‘What’s your favorite aspect of the team?’ Waino illustrated the diversity in age and experience on the team – some young vs. old, those who have a ton of experience in the league vs. those who do not. He also highlighted how team dinners and travelling together offer opportunity to learn about each other and pick each other’s brains about baseball and about life… again, great parallels to the relationship that our matches can and do have.

“We had such a fun variety of matches with so many personalities… those who’ve been matched for years, and those who are fairly new. For one Sisters match, the event was their first in-person outing after being matched virtually! 

Our Village > Score

“Although the game was a loss for the Cardinals, it was a win for BBBSEMO, and it filled our hearts to see matches interact in-person again.

“Thank you to my colleagues Karen for being so organized throughout the event and for listening to all of my random facts about every Cardinals player; Liz, who helped in all the preparation for the evening; and always to Madeline for being our go-to for all things BBBS events! Thanks also to Carol, an employee of Scott Credit Union, a key contributor to the Cardinals Player Ticket Program, who joined us for the event. 😊 The experience was appreciated and enjoyed by all!”