Get local news delivered to your inbox!

As a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, I can't help but smile when I see Albert Pujols turn back the hands of time and belt home run after home run in his quest for No. 700 before his career comes to an end this October.

At the start of the season, he needed 21 roundtrippers to reach that magic number. And by the time the All-Star game rolled around on July 19, Pujols was nothing more than a novelty act. He had all of six home runs to his credit. But in just barely a month since, he has tacked on eight more for a total of 14, leaving him with 693 for his career or seven shy of the 700 Club today.

Heck, this past week, he was named MLB Co-Player of the Week with teammate Paul Goldschmidt.

"Prince Albert" or "The Machine," as he was nicknamed, has been en fuego with a bat in his hands!

He actually had a four-hit game; a pinch-hit grand slam; and a two-home run game within the last week. And the dude is 42 years old. He even tried to steal a base. He was out, of course, but it took a perfect throw to get him. In short, he has been rejuvenated in St. Louis this season. Each home run leads to one additional curtain call with his beloved Cardinals fans.

There have been several calls for Pujols to return to the team next year in a similar role. But at least for now, Albert says no dice. Says this is it, whether or not he reaches 700.

As for me, I hope he makes it to 700. It would be a fitting end to his Hall of Fame career in the place where all the magic began 21 years ago.

The Pujols explosion made me reflect back upon some other wondrous Cardinals memories of mine.

I saw Bob Gibson pitching in his prime. I wasn't old enough to fully appreciate what I was watching, but I did see him pitch and have the scorecard to prove it from 1968.

I saw Lou Brock stealing bases like there was no tomorrow in 1974 when he broke the single-season record formerly held by Ty Cobb.

I was fortunate to have witnessed the World Series Game 7 clincher at Busch Stadium II in 1982 when Bruce Sutter pumped his fist into the air and catcher Darrell Porter leaped into his arms.

I saw Jack Buck's "Go Crazy Folks" home run by Ozzie Smith in the 1985 playoffs against the Dodgers.

I was there in 1987 when Tommy Herr belted the grand slam against the New York Mets and the field was littered with seat cushions.

I saw the Game 7 World Series clincher at Busch III in 2011 with David Freese, Allen Craig, Chris Carpenter and Jason Motte sealing the deal.

I saw rookie pitcher Michael Wacha come within an eyelash of a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals in 2013 when the only hit registered against him came with two outs in the top of the ninth inning on an infield single.

There were other playoff and World Series games along the way, but you get the idea. I have been one lucky guy to have seen some amazing moments in Cardinals history.

I'm just hoping that Pujols, Yadi Molina, and Adam Wainwright can ride off into the sunset after this year with another World Series championship. It would be the organization's 12th. Only the New York Yankees have won more.

Thank you to Black Diamond Harley-Davidson co-owners Shad Zimbro and Rodney Cabaness for bringing college baseball to Rent One Park in Marion next summer. It was formally announced Wednesday at a press conference that there would be a Marion-based college wooden-bat league team playing at the stadium as a member of the Prospect League.

Rent One Park General Manager Dave Kost, along with Prospect League Commissioner Dennis Bastien and Zimbro gathered to share the news.

The Prospect League is perhaps the top collegiate wood-bat summer league in the nation featuring 18 teams in all, mostly from the Midwest. The season runs about 60 games in length with 30 home games.

Players will come from collegiate rosters from all over the country in an effort to gain more recognition from professional scouts leading up the annual Major League draft. A team name is to be picked by Southern Illinois residents. There will be a public reveal before Thanksgiving.

John Homan is a sports reporter for The Southern. He can be reached at john.homan@thesouthern.com or 618-925-0563.

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

When I learned last week that Althoff Catholic High School out of Belleville was pulling out of the South Seven Conference after this year, I …

Sometimes, if you're lucky, cool stories fall into your lap. That's what happened to me this week when I learned about some long-forgotten bas…

Football practice got underway for the first time this season on Wednesday. It may be a couple of days before the cracking of the pads and hel…

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.