Stepping into Karen McKay’s apartment is a real assault on the visual senses. Every inch of her place is covered in Cardinal memorabilia. I’ve never before met such a dedicated fan. And, we instantly connected because several of the newspaper photos framed on her wall were mine.

I was there to do a video on Karen. She had written to the Post to explain why she thinks she is the Cardinals’ number one fan. I can’t disagree with her. I’ve covered the Cardinals since 1976, and have met lots of very serious fans, but no one like Karen. Almost every inch of her apartment is covered with Cardinals stuff. She has season tickets and goes to every game. Before she leaves her apartment, she sets her television to record the game so that she can watch it later. As she gets ready to go to Busch Stadium, Karen has several rituals and superstitions, all based on how the team has done in the past. Beads and wristbands are put on in a certain order. The full-sized Albert Pujols cardboard cutout has to be patted as she leaves the apartment. When she gets to her seat in the ballpark, she can’t move past her rally squirrel that ’s tied to the railing once the game starts. Quirky? Maybe, but it’s what makes her happy.

So goes her love for the Cardinals. She said that she hopes to be the 85-year-old lady still going to every game. She’s told her relatives that she wants her ashes dropped onto the field from an airplane. Do you know of anyone who is that committed to the Cardinals? If so, please let me know.

Go here to see the Post-Dispatch’s multimedia project on Cardinal Culture.