By Sally Tippett Rains
Terry and Barb Boegel have been coming to spring training for 10 years and three years into it they got Terry’s brother Rick to start joining them, so he’s been on the trip for seven years. The unique thing about this family is they come from Kitchener-Waterloo Ontario, Canada about an hour from Toronto, to watch their favorite team—the Cardinals.
“Terry is one of five boys and their dad instilled in them the love of the Cardinals from an early age,” said Barb.
On a clear night in Canada, in the 1960’s their dad, Merv Boegel could pick up the 50,00- clear channel watts of KMOX Radio, dating back to Harry Caray and Jack Buck.
“We still have our mother, but our father passed away when he was young, just 56,” said Rick Boegel. “He was the one who originally loved the Cardinals. He was a Stan Musial fanm and he got us on to cheering for the Cardinals. I remember those teams in the 1960’s. I was only seven in 1964 but I remember that World Series and then ’67 and ’68.”
He said his father would “grill” them on the Cardinals.
“We got to know those players pretty early,” he said. “ I remember Gibson, and Brock and Flood, Boyer and all the boys. We got grilled on them early. Some of our friends wonder how we became Cardinals fans—and obviously I’m a Cardinals fan, I brought 13 Cardinals tee shirts with me and three golf shirts.”
Rick remember a certain World Series where there was family “betting” involved.
“It was the 1968 World Series year,” he said. “Our dad said, if they end up winning you are going to get something. They ended up losing but he still got us something. We’ve been Cardinals fans ever since. Barb and Rick got me going to spring training and we’ve gone to St. Louis occasionally for a weekend series, but we really enjoy going to spring training.”
And seeing a Cardinal win is the cream cheese on top for the Boegel family who pronounce their last name “bagel.”
The whole spring thing started because Barb and Terry were looking for something to do.
They had no idea that that first trip to watch the Cardinals play in spring training was going to set about a whole tradition of heading south each year which they look forward to. They have met friends who they see again each year– many who plan their trips around the same time so they can go to the STL Sports Page Spring Training Party.
“We couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Matt Carpenter is coming here to our hotel!”
They went to the party and the photo, right shows Terry with Matt Carpenter at that first event.
At the party, they signed up for the free newsletters and found about future event and started coming back. They found out about the special STLSportsPage hotel discount and now they plan their trips around the dates of the party.
“At first I just came for the weather, but over the years I’ve really enjoyed the games,” she said. “I like the atmosphere.”
“I had wanted to go to spring training– and Barb wanted to go somewhere warm so we compromised and came to spring training,” said Terry. “Getting to meet Carpenter and then going to the backfield diamonds and getting a chance to see the major league players up close was really a cool experience.
“We saw them taking batting practice and doing infield drills and pitching fielding drills. For a die-hard baseball fan like me, it had me hooked to coming back each year.”
Terry and Rick are retired but Barb is still working at her job with Risk Management at Sun Life in Kitchener. She said she’s been there long enough to get five weeks vacation and she takes several of those weeks in Jupiter, Florida each year.
Terry and Barb have a son and a daughter who have not quite picked up the love of the Cardinals as much and the whole family met in Toronto when the Cardinals came to play the Blue Jays last year.
“Our son Scott, is a Jays fan,” she said. “And our daughter Jacy wore a Cardinals shirt for that game.
Barb didn’t start out as a Cardinals fan originally, she picked it up from Terry’s family.
“I did like baseball being raised around all brothers who played it,” she said. “Our annual trips are a great break in the winter to be in warm weather and watch baseball.”
“The three of us have enjoyed it so much that one of Rick and Terry‘s other brothers, Jeff and his wife Carolyn and their son Jake have come down to spring training as well, four times,” said Barb.
The photo, left shows their nephew Jake in front; then left to right their brother Jeff, his wife Carolyn, Barb, Terry and Rick.
The Boegels generally try to schedule their trip so they will be there for the STLSportsPage Spring Training Party as do many of the fans, so they see each other year after year.
“Another thing I like about coming down for spring training is the camaraderie with fellow Cardinals fans at the Homewood Suites,” said Terry. “We see many of those friends each year and that makes us really want to keep coming back.”
Photo of the Boegel family at the Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cardinals game. Four of the brothers are in the photo and their mom is in the center, back. We put the Jays fans at the end, ha ha,” said Barb.
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