Farewell Mr. Freese

I remember when the Cardinals traded for David Freese back in 2007.  I was not happy at all.  The team sent aging center fielder Jim Edmonds to the Padres, and all they got back was a Minor League third baseman.  I heard the spin about how this Minor Leaguer could be the Cardinals third baseman of the future, and as an added bonus the guy was from suburban St. Louis.

I did not really care about any of it.  I really liked Jim Edmonds.  

I got over it eventually.  Freese started playing for the Cardinals, and was good when he was healthy during the regular season.  Then there is the Postseason.  He is largely responsible for the Cardinals winning the World Series in 2011.    

Not sure any Cardinals fan is ever going to argue that he should be in the Hall of Fame, but he will always be given the same level of love and appreciation as the best players to have worn the birds on the bat.  

I cannot remember a game he played for the Pirates or Dodgers against the Cardinals the last few years where he did not get a standing ovation.  

I have collected a few Freese cards over the years.  Given what he means to St. Louisans, he is probably underrepresented in my baseball card collection.  I do not regularly write about him, and in looking back, I have made two posts about him since 2013 when he was traded to the Angels.  

Two.  

I probably should have spent a little more time writing about his cards after he left the Cardinals, but we cannot go back and change that now.  

pic.twitter.com/czVJztm9iY

— David Freese (@david23freese) October 12, 2019

Especially since David Freese announced his retirement yesterday.  

It took me only a few minutes to dig out my small pile of good David Freese cards, flip through, and pick out my favorites.  There were three that were clearly better than the rest.  

Here they are.....

I always forget how nice these By The Letter cards were back when Upper Deck had an MLB license.  It seems like every time I see a Letter card these days, it's because someone is buying up the junky ones so they can spell out their kids name with cards, frame it, and hang it on a wall in their house.  No judgement.  My wife has my kids names spelled out on their walls too, but with wood letters from a craft store.  

A Five Star autograph, which is always good, but this is not even my best Five Star autograph of Freese.  Let's just move on to the last card.

This is my favorite David Freese card.  I have posted it on here before.  I love the combination of the red background and the silver pen used to sign the card.  Someone at Topps was having a good day when they came up with this card.  

Even though he did not appear in this space regularly, I will miss having David Freese around as a baseball player.  I am not sure if he will have any baseball cards in the future. I am not sure if I will ever go back and find the ones that I am missing.  I  do know that as a Cardinals fan, I will always enjoy looking back at his time with the team.  

David Freese hits a two-run double during the first inning of Game 7 of baseball’s World Series against the Texas Rangers Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, in St. Louis. #OctoberBaseballVibes pic.twitter.com/CowXExhqGt

— cardinalsgifs (@cardinalsgifs) October 11, 2019

Other Cardinals fans will too.  

Farewell Mr. Freese.