Dreams, Loss, and Bad Luck: My World Series Journey in 2013

On October 27th and 28th, 2013, I had the opportunity to cover the World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. At that time, Maria and I had only been married for a month, and we were expecting our first child. Tragically, we lost that child in November during our first trimester, making that fall incredibly difficult for both of us. It was my first time experiencing such a heartbreaking loss.

Before I left Maria wasn’t feeling well during that period. I was torn about whether I should go, especially since I was also battling severe congestion and a persistent cough.

I ended up making the trip with Dan Hawk—our first time working together outside the Joplin/Pittsburg area. Covering the World Series had always been a dream of mine, but the timing couldn’t have been worse. Between worrying about Maria, my illness, and the four-hour drive to St. Louis, I felt completely drained. Those were long, exhausting days, from navigating tough security checks to parking logistics and keeping up with the press conference schedules. On top of that, the staff at Busch Stadium weren’t particularly welcoming, and my interactions with the MLB media assistants were less than pleasant.

One bright moment, though, was seeing Hank Aaron during the series, which felt surreal. As for the Cardinals, they didn’t play well in the two games I covered—I sometimes joke that I might have been bad luck for St. Louis.

In 2014, I skipped covering the World Series in Kansas City because Maria was pregnant with Ellie, and in 2015, I passed on the trip to New York to cover the Royals, staying home for Ellie’s first birthday. I was also sick that weekend, and the idea of being covered in champagne while feeling awful didn’t seem appealing. October has never been kind to my health, and fittingly, as I write this, I’m sick again.