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World Series win comes twice for local judge

World Series win comes twice for local judge
World Series win comes twice for local judge | Weakley County General Sessions Judge Tommy Moore, Kate Moore, St. Louis Cardinals

Judge Tommy Moore with daughter Kate

Judge Tommy Moore readily admits he’s primarily a “post-season” St. Louis Cardinals fan.
This year the red birds gave him much to cheer about as he sat in the audience for games two and seven and watched them knock off the American League champion Texas Rangers to take their 11th World Series.
This isn’t Moore’s first World Series to attend – he also saw the Cardinals take the crown in 1982 – but it was his first time to be able to enjoy the games with his children, Josh and Kate, and that made it all the more memorable.
“In 1982, several people from Dresden and the county got to see the Cardinals defeat the Milwaukee Brewers and we got the tickets from Ned Ray McWherter because the Budweiser distributorship had some tickets,” Moore said.
Sitting in the very top of the old “fish bowl” Busch Stadium, Moore admitted the weather conditions were miserable as the temperature dropped below freezing and the wind was biting. All the players looked like ants, but it was overall a “neat” vantage point.
When the final out was recorded, fans rushed the field, including the group from Weakley County, and pieces of the turf and walls were ripped off as fans scurried to take home souvenirs from the Cardinals’ first championship since 1967.
They were finally herded out the south side of the stadium by policemen.
After 1982, the Cardinals reached the World Series in 1985, 1987 and 2004, but fell short each time. Then, in 2006, having won only 83 games in the regular season, they came from behind and christened the new Busch Stadium by taking their 10th championship over the Detroit Tigers. Moore missed out.
“I’m in with a group of people who have tickets and they’re divided up at the beginning of the series and you hope the series goes to seven games because if it doesn’t, somebody doesn’t get to go,” Moore explained.
This year, in similar fashion, the Cardinals found themselves in the position of underdog, but fought tooth and nail during the last month of the regular season to tie and overtake the Atlanta Braves for the wild-card position in the National League. They then came up victorious in playoff rounds against the Philadelphia Phillies and Brewers before taking on the Texas Rangers in the World Series.
The Rangers, who’d reached the World Series for the first time in their history last year and had fallen to the San Francisco Giants, were doubly hungry for a win this year, but the Cardinals had been one of the hottest teams in the league during the last month of play and hoped to carry on their hot streak. Moore and other his group were ready and waiting to be there.
 “This year, we divided out the tickets. They were paid for at face value and our tickets were located in right field just above the right fielder.”
People sitting directly in front of the Weakley County group had paid $400 per seat and prices jumped to $800 along the right-field baseline.
The group included several Weakley Countians such as David Hart and Paul Tinkle and for the second game of the series, Moore took his son Josh, but witnessed a tough 2-1 loss for the home team.
Moore had tickets for the sixth game and was on his way to the stadium with daughter Kate, but when they reached Wickliffe, Ky., they found out the game had been called off due to rain.
As Moore was unable to get off for the rescheduled date, Hart went instead. Game six turned out to be one of the most memorable contests in history as the Cardinals faced elimination twice yet, came back to win in thrilling fashion, 10-9, in the 11th inning.
“Kate and I went to the seventh game, which wasn’t quite as dramatic as the sixth, but still, it sealed the World Series for the Cardinals,” Moore said.
“It was fun. And it was even better to be able to take Josh and Kate,” he added.
Back in 1945, Moore’s father was placed in a Michigan hospital after the war. At that time, members of the Chicago Cubs came to the hospital and transported several of the veterans to games. That played an enormous factor in Moore’s becoming a big fan of the Cardinals’ biggest rival.
“I’ve got a good reason to be a Cubs fan,” Moore said. “I became a fan after they did that for Dad and the other veterans.”
“But,” he added. “I’m a post-season Cardinals fan and I’m a Cardinals fan if they’re not playing the Cubs.”
Contact Sara Rachels at sararachels@nwtntoday.com.

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