Molina Caps Special Week
KMOX
April 25, 2011
By Tom Ackerman
The abandoned parking lot at 6335 Plymouth Ave. essentially became a dumping ground. Trash littered this piece of land in North St. Louis County.
Today, Wellston Neighborhood Park has a picnic shelter, a playground, a basketball court, accessible greenspace...and Yadier Molina Field.
The park project, initially designed and constructed from funding secured by the St. Louis County Economic Council, received its crown jewel last week when Cardinals Care dedicated a baseball field named for the two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove catcher. It's now the home playing field for boys and girls aged 5 to 13 in the Wellston Redbird Rookies program.
Cardinals Care has distributed over $17 million to area organizations that support kids. Funding comes from Cardinals players, ownership, local businesses and Cardinals fans. Yadier Molina Field is one of 19 baseball fields established by Cardinals Care in conjunction with Redbird Rookies, a group of leagues whose participants learn the values of teamwork, integrity, self-esteem and leadership.
Molina attended the dedication ceremony with his wife and two children. Local politicians and dignitaries offered their gratitude. Cardinals president Bill DeWitt III voiced his support for the project, as did Cards general manager John Mozeliak.
"When you think back to what Yadi's been through, he started, probably, on a field that wasn't as nice as this," said Mozeliak, standing between the irrigated playing field and one of the paved, covered dugouts. "He didn't play under the conditions that allowed him to grow up and live a dream that many young children have -- and that's becoming a major league player."
Molina has gained a reputation for being a major contributor to Cardinals Care's community efforts. Some are documented by the media, others go on behind the scenes.
"(It's) not only what Yadi does on the field, but really what he does off the field in terms of his leadership," Mozeliak said. "He exemplifies what you want your son to grow up to be. His passion for this game, his passion for his family...is really what we admire most about him."
Molina offered a "3...2...1..." count, beaming as a cover was pulled away from a structure in right field, revealing a state-of-the-art, solar-powered scoreboard. You almost wanted him to circle the bases with one of his emotional home run trots, like the one against the Reds on Sunday night.
We'll save that for the kids in Wellston.
