By Debbi L. Cortright

The fan club was established in 1998 by a small group of fans who visualized an organization which would provide a means for New Jersey Cardinal fans to join together in friendship, to share the elation of victories and commiserate over the low points that make up a season of rookie level professional baseball. Today, the fan club stands poised at the edge of another great summer.

It all begins on Sunday June 13^th. On this day, the club will sponsor a picnic to welcome the Cardinals to their new home in Sussex County. The members will join together and watch the players take their first practice at Skylands Park. Afterwards, they will share a picnic lunch of Kentucky Fried Chicken with them. At this time, the fan club members will also learn their matching player "adoptions".

A player adoption is a matchup of a New Jersey Cardinal with a fan club member. The member becomes the player’s personal cheering section, offering encouragement to their Cardinal. This takes different expressions for different members. Some make scrapbooks and others mementos for their players. Some others give their players a feel of home by baking brownies and cookies for them. Yet others simply offer a smiling face and cheerful conversation to brighten up the days of these very busy young men.

After the season begins, the fan club truly kicks into high gear. Road trips offer embers opportunities to cheer on the team in a hostile environment. Of course, when one ventures into enemy territory, one should expect some sort of retaliation in return.

In 1998, Rookie, one of the mascots of the Hudson Valley renegades, shot fan club members with silly string. A small price to pay for seeing the Cardinals rally because the fan club was there cheering them on.

1999 finds members contemplating another trip to Hudson Valley on June 19^th, and who knows, perhaps a bit of retaliation. A trip to Staten Island to see the Cardinals take on the Staten Island Yankees, the newest affiliate in the New York- Penn League is also in the works. However, no definite date for this trip has been set at this time.

The fan club also seeks to instill love of the game in its youngest members. This year, they plan a trip to the Cardinals clubhouse to meet the players and see how their days as professional baseball players are structured.

The fan club is also implementing a new activity called "Baseball Buddies". Young fan club members will be matched with Cardinals starters and take the field with them during player introductions. After the playing of the national anthem, they will leave the field with a souvenir of their day, a ball signed by their new baseball buddy.

Through summer-long and close contact with these young men, the fan club members become very attached to players on the New Jersey Cardinals. Some of these bonds continue today.