Cards fans gathered in Cape Girardeau to watch Game 5

By TJ GREANEY

Southeast Missourian

All across Cardinal Nation red-clad fans were gathering to scream themselves hoarse, hold their breaths and chomp their nails.

It's October, and the only thing better than watching the Cardinals compete for their first World Series championship in 24 years is watching it with a crowd of like-minded fanatics.

"It's awesome. It's a lot more fun to come down here and watch it with a crowd in a great atmosphere," said Shaun Powderly, 23, a Southeast Missouri State University student.

One of the preferred watering holes Friday was Buffalo Wild Wings at 2136 William St. The crowd of approximately 200 hooted and hollered from the national anthem into the ninth inning, when the Cardinals clinched the series with a 4-2 win.

Tyler Nowell, 22, drove from Indianapolis just to soak in the scene.

"I wanted to come back and share this with my girlfriend. We both just wanted to come out somewhere and be in a nice atmosphere for the game tonight," said Nowell, a student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

Nowell, who said Friday's matchup marked the biggest game of a lifetime following the Cardinals, said he'd grown accustomed to the team coming up short.

"This was the year coming into the playoffs they weren't expected to do anything, so I was kind of just happy to be there, happy they didn't choke. But now I'm getting greedy. I want to win it all," he said.

But girlfriend Rachel Stork, 22, said she has a different reason for rooting for the team.

"If they don't win, I don't want to be around him. He's about as big a fan as they come," she said.

Some in attendance couldn't believe the how far the Cardinals had come.

"It's the first year we don't deserve and it's the year we get there," said Brad Simmons, 26, who works for Wells Fargo. "All the guys nobody wanted are the guys coming through right now. It's been a roller-coaster season."

Simmons watched Game 4 on Thursday from Al Hrabosky's Ballpark Saloon in St. Louis. He had hoped to buy last-minute tickets but found everything was in the $500 price range. He would have been willing to pay as much as $200, but couldn't justify paying the scalpers' prices.

Still, the passion of fans like these translates into big bucks at Buffalo Wild Wings. General manager Jerry Lynn said the past week has been a record-setter for beer sales.

"We've probably gone through 60 kegs and 50 cases of beer in the last week. We're in the top 40 Buffalo Wild Wings in the country right now out of 400 franchises nationwide," he said.

"It's overwhelming. The atmosphere has just been fantastic," he said. "We're busting out of our seats every night here. People show up at 5 p.m., and they stay till closing."

The waiting staff also got an extra financial boost out of the Red October. Manager Andrea Pecaut reported tips on game nights are about double those from other nights.

One waitress was just struggling to keep up. For Perri Moore, 18, it was her first day on the job.

"I just had my training this morning," she said as she hurried to refill a tray full of king-sized sodas. "I'm still getting used to all the screams and yelling, but I love it when it's busy. That means we're making money."

The fans make it fun to come to work, they say.

"The intensity of these fans is unbelievable. You can feel the excitement. It's actually interesting to see the tables interact. They start out in separate groups, but by the end their hugging and high-fiving, the crowd becomes one," Pecaut said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245