Three local reasons to cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals

Posted Oct 27, 2011 by Eddie Daniels

Updated Oct 27, 2011 at 05:19 PM

Yes, St. Louis is a nice leap north from the Tampa Bay area, but for those of you searching out a reason to cheer on the Cardinals – look no further.

St. Louis will take on the Texas Rangers tonight in Game 6 of the World Series. The Rangers have a 3-2 advantage in the series and if they win tonight, they’ll collect their first title.

OK, so obvious reason No. 1 is the man who manages the squad, Tony La Russa. He’s a Tampa native and played baseball at the old Jefferson High with current Jefferson coach Pop Cuesta as well as local boxing trainer/promoter Pete Fernandez.

Then there is 1988 graduate Pete Prinzi. The former Panthers quarterback is the strength and conditioning coach for the Cardinals, a position he’s held since 2000.

Prinzi suffered a broken right leg in his final game in 1987 against Tampa Bay Tech as a senior. Despite the setback, which included having a rod inserted into the leg, former FSU coach Bobby Bowden offered Prinzi a scholarship. After three surgeries and a delay in his recovery, Prinzi signed a medical termination, which ended his playing eligibility at FSU, but allowed him to continue as a student on scholarship. Eventually, he rehabbed his leg and moved on to a brief stint at Valparaiso and Valdosta State, finishing his collegiate playing career at Benedictine College

Prior to joining the Cardinals in the same capacity for its minor league teams in 1997, Prinzi served as an assistant strength coach for the Florida State football and men’s basketball teams from 1994-96.

“I taught him how to lift,” Chamberlain football coach Joe Severino said.

Severino could be right.

Severino was the offensive line coach at Plant when Prinzi was the quarterback. Prinzi, who later served as an assistant for Severino’s 1994 Gaither football team, also was his training partner for during Severino’s competitive weightlifting days.

Severino is a past Florida State Championship for the American Drug Free Power Lifting Association champion.

Also, if you see a No. 43 Cardinals jersey, that’s former Jesuit and Florida State standout Shane Robinson. This season, Robinson, a center fielder, has played in nine games with just seven at-bats. The 2005 National Player of the Year has been named the Best Defensive Outfielder in the Cardinals organization twice (2009, 2010) by Baseball America.

While played for the Seminoles, Robinson proved an iron man, starting in each of the 202 games in which he played. He’s the only FSU player to steal 100 bases during his career. His 40-game hitting streak in 2005 broke J.D. Drew’s record of 34.

And there you have it. A reason to cheer on the Cardinals from your couch here in Tampa.