Robinson continues to live out dream 20-plus years later
Kerry Robinson grew up in St. Louis attending Hazelwood East High School, and he would watch St. Louis Cardinals games with a close friend. He dreamed of playing for the Cardinals one day. In 2001, a dream that could have seemed unlikely came to fruition.
You see, Robinson was drafted by the Cardinals in 1995, but in the 1998 expansion draft, he ended up with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After a few MLB games with the Rays and a few with the Cincinnati Reds in 1999, he found himself back in St. Louis in 2001 competing for a spot on the MLB roster.
After a short stint in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds, Robinson was sitting in the same seats he and his friend would sit in back when they were kids. But he wasn’t a fan this time around — he was soaking in the moment right before taking part in batting practice.
“Before batting practice, the first day I was there, I sat in those seats for like 20 minutes. I was like, ‘Man, I dreamed of being here. Now I have to go make the most of it,'” Robinson said during a recent visit to Joplin with the Cardinals Caravan.
Those seats were directly behind home plate. He said he and his friend would buy the cheap tickets up at the top of the stadium but would move down to seats behind home that always seemed to be open every night they were there. He recalled watching his favorite Cardinals outfielder growing up, Ray Lankford.
He got three seasons at the pro level with St. Louis and played in more than 100 games each year before being traded in 2004 to the San Diego Padres. He played 80 games out west, and in 2005, he didn’t play in the big leagues. In 2006, he played part of the season for the Kansas City Royals before completing his career.
The 32-year-old retired. Five years later, he stepped into a new role in the Cardinals organization, and today, he’s starting his 16th year as a pro scout.
“I wanted to stick around and be a part of baseball as long as I could, and they’ve had me all these years. Hopefully, I’ve contributed something over all those years,” Robinson said.
His first year was 2011, the year the Cardinals won the World Series with David Freese’s home run in Game 6 against the Texas Rangers. Robinson said he got to contribute that year by recommending a signing of Rafael Furcal.
“At first, Mo (general manager John Mozeliak) said that wasn’t an option. A week and a half later, he trades for him,” Robinson said.
Robinson also recalled the memorable “happy flight” celebrations from Furcal after wins. Furcal would celebrate wins before a trip to a new city by chanting, “Happy flight, happy flight, happy flight.”
Now 52, Robinson is still scouting talent and making suggestions to try and build up another World Series-contending team just like the 2011 team that won it and the 2013 team that lost in the World Series.
He sees a team full of players similar to the place he was once in.
“These young players have an ability to make a name for themselves. The fans are starving for guys that they can cling to and say ‘That’s my guy,’” Robinson said. “We have a lot of talent coming up through the organization, and it does look like we’re starting over, but there’s a lot of talent coming through this club.”
Robinson talked highly of Victor Scott and Masyn Winn as young leaders on this Cardinals team. He noted this about JJ Wetherholt: “He’s a pure hitter. He’s going to be fun to watch over the next decade."
Robinson's journey
Robinson remembers trying to prove himself to the Cardinals in 1997. His manager, Tony La Russa, told him he had a shot. With the way he was producing at the minor league level after a few seasons in the organization, Robinson says that La Russa told him if that production continued, he’d be helping the MLB team out one day.
But the next year is when Robinson ended up in Tampa Bay.
Returning to La Russa’s squad in 2001, the manager again told him he’d be helping out. But this time, La Russa said it would be later that year. Sure enough, during the Redbirds’ road trip in Tacoma, Washington, there was a call on the phone. His roommate picked up.
“He said Mo (general manager John Mozeliak) was on the phone. I knew that was a good sign,” Robinson said. “Mo says: ‘Hey, man, we’re going to bring you back to St. Louis so you can play with your childhood team. The first phone call I made after that was to my mom.”
Robinson told her, "Mom, I’m coming home."
“What, you quit baseball?” she asked.
“No, I’m coming home to play for the Cardinals,” Robinson told her.
“The St. Louis Cardinals?” she asked, still stunned.
“Yes, I’m going to play for the big league team,” Robinson assured her.
La Russa was the first to give him that extended opportunity at the pro level. He got those three seasons and one with the Padres. Those years taught him something about pro baseball.
“It’s easier to get there than it is to stay. A lot of guys fail, in my opinion, because they’re scared to have success,” Robinson said. “On the downside, the outfield was Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds and J.D. Drew. If you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, like I was, you don’t want to see Kerry Robinson playing over any of those guys. Nor was I as talented as any of those guys. … The blessing was I got to play in the big leagues. The little bit of a curse was I had three — it might be one of the best outfields of all time.”
No ice, no problem. Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo’s impossible dream
Limits never existed for Donovan Carrillo, the Mexican skater. With only a pair of skates and the ice rink of a shopping mall as a training scenario, he began to forge a dream that, over time, materialized to become not only a personal milestone, but a historic one for all of Mexico.
Carrillo, 26, is the first Mexican to qualify for the figure skating final at the Olympic Winter Games, achieving it for the first time at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and the current Milano Cortina 2026. In addition, he has won other titles during his career of almost 20 years.
The skater has become living proof that even when accessible roads are nonexistent, one can create them, because choosing figure skating as a discipline in Mexico is a challenge due to the lack of infrastructure to practice it.
“I was told many times that I would never achieve anything in figure skating. That it was crazy to even try,” Carrillo told Olympics.com. “And that the most I could hope for in an international competition was to finish last. I’ve proven that Mexicans have a lot to offer in sports.”
The beginning: A dream over ice at a mall
Born in Zapopan, Jalisco, Carrillo fell in love with figure skating when he was 8 years old. At the time, he was involved in gymnastics and diving. That spark for figure skating came thanks to his older sister, Daphne, who practiced the sport.
“I used to go with my parents to pick her up, and that’s what led me to meet a girl and fall in love,” Carrillo told Olympics.com.
Noticias esenciales en español: Suscríbete al boletín de La Voz
After Carrillo began training, figure skating became an expensive sport for his family, and they were no longer able to afford lessons with his coach, Gregorio Núñez. But the coach did not want to part ways with the athlete and his family, as Carrillo’s future looked bright in his eyes.
“I saw that he was a child with a special spark, with charisma,” Núñez said for Winter Tracks, an original Olympic Channel series. “At that moment, I believed it was the best option, and now I think I wasn’t wrong.”
The shared dream between Núñez, Carrillo and his family led Donovan to move from Zapopan to León, Guanajuato, with his coach in 2013 to continue training in the sport. He kept training at a shopping mall ice rink while drawing inspiration from figure skating greats Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernández.
After years of practice and growth miles away from home, Carrillo began competing nationally. His first competition took place in Mexico City in 2013 when he participated in the ISU Joven Magnífico Prix (JGP).
The evolution and present: A historic Mexican milestone for figure skating
During the 2017–2018 season, Carrillo competed in his first international tournament. In 2019, he made history by becoming the first Mexican to land a triple axel in an official competition and earned his first international medal at the Philadelphia Summer International, where he placed second.
In 2022, Carrillo experienced the “pinch me” moment every athlete dreams of: competing in the Olympic Games. He secured his spot thanks to his 20th-place finish at the 2021 World Championship, becoming the first Mexican in 30 years to compete in the men’s individual figure skating program at the Olympics.
But making it to the Olympics and performing in the short program of the competition was not the end of the story. Historic achievements continued for Carrillo and Mexico when he qualified for the free skate program (final) concluding the Olympic tournament in 22nd place.
“My performance at Beijing 2022 is proof that the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves,” Carrillo told Olympics.com.
Carrillo experienced a sense of déjà vu at the Milano Cortina 2026, where the Mexican once again took to the ice with technique, attitude and confidence. These qualities led him to qualify once more for the final program in figure skating, where he finished the competition in 22nd place again.
But beyond medals, Carrillo has earned the love of many, especially his fellow Mexicans. One of the greatest proofs of that support came in the applause that blended with chants that yelled “Donovan! Donovan!” following his short program performance at the 2026 Olympics — a moment sealed with an inspiring message from the athlete.
“This is for Mexico,” Carrillo said, looking into the camera after finishing his performance. “Dreams do come true.”
Reach out to La Voz reporter Paula Soria via email:[email protected].
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is Donovan Carrillo? The only Latino figure skater at the Olympics
Blake scores twice as Bradford beat Catalans
Betfred Super League
Bradford (24) 28
Tries: Ackers, Blake (2), Aekins Goals: Milnes (6)
Catalans (0) 10
Tries: Faataape, Sexton Goals: Sexton
Bradford Bulls marked their first Super League home match for 12 years with an emphatic 28-10 win over Catalans Dragons.
Converted tries from Andy Ackers, Waqa Blake and Caleb Aekins were added to by three penalty goals by Rowan Milnes for a 24-0 lead at half-time.
Quickfire scores from Solomona Faataape and Toby Sexton threatened a stunning Dragons comeback in the second half.
But Blake scored again to secure a famous win for the Bulls at Odsal Stadium.
Bradford took an early lead through Ackers, who twisted and turned before powering over the line from close range after Joe Mellor kept the move alive.
Milnes kicked two penalties from under the sticks inside 22 minutes, punishing a string of errors by the Dragons.
The visitors were denied by a no-try call when Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui thought he had scored on the line, but the video referee upheld the decision, ruling that he had not touched the ball down.
It proved to be a key moment as Milnes added a third penalty goal before Blake raced away after a swift team move from right to left to score the Bulls' second try.
Aekins then darted through a gap left by the Catalans' front row for a third try.
Three minutes after the break, the Dragons were given a gift when Ethan Ryan's loose pass was pounced on by Faataape, who could not believe his luck as he ran in to score.
The momentum was with the visitors, and another Bradford error, this time from Aekins, was punished as Sexton went over, but his conversion attempt went wide to leave the deficit at 14 points.
Ryan almost made amends for his mistake by catching a long Milnes kick inside the Catalans' half before setting Esan Marsters away, but the video referee disallowed the try, ruling that Ryan had been tackled during the play.
Blake added his second try moments later after Ryan combined with Milnes to cap an impressive victory.
Bradford progress pleases Haggerty - reaction
Bradford Bulls head coach Kurt Haggerty told BBC Radio Leeds:
"I really enjoyed the first half. I really enjoyed parts of the second half, particularly defensively.
"We were really sloppy with the ball in the second half, but I liked how we turned Catalans away. We showed how fit we are... and how far we have come in a short space of time.
"The belief of the group is really important, we've got another tough game [coming up against Toulouse], it's week to week this. You can't just peak because we've got a good crowd at Odsal.
"We'll certainly won't be happy, we'll address the second half, we'll fix it."
Bradford: Aekins; Wynne, Marsters, Blake, Ryan; Hooley, Milnes; Sutton, Ackers, Lewis, Chamberlain, Fulton, Mellor.
Interchanges: Souter, Scurr, Doro, Peposhi.
Catalans: Staines; Makinson, Cotric, Faataape, Simm; Sexton, Dodd; Satae, Da Costa, Navarrete, Lipowicz, Condon, Leeming.
Interchanges: Fa'asuamaleaui, Allen, Lis, Chan.
Referee: Liam Rush.
Arizona Diamondbacks 3, Colorado Rockies 2
Record: 1-0. Change on 2025: +1. 5-inning record 0-1.
The Diamondbacks got off to a winning start this afternoon, coming from behind with a two-run eighth inning to prevail over their SRF-mates from Colorado. It was a day for the new guys, with all three Arizona runs being driven in by players who weren’t part of the organization at the end of last season. Nolan Arenado got the team on the board with the D-backs’ first home-run (below), giving them a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Then, trailing 2-1 in the eighth, shortstop Jacob Amaya singled home A.J. Vukovich with the tying run. Catcher Matt O’Neill then double home Amaya, with what proved to be the winning run for Arizona.
On the pitching side, the D-backs used eight different pitchers, seven of whom put up zeroes. The exception was Isaiah Campbell, who allowed both Rockies’ runs in the fourth, on a pair of hits. However, the defense didn’t help him on either of those. The first was an infield single to former D-backs Jake McCarthy, though Arenado’s attempt to get him at first… was not great. Playing left, Ryan Waldschmidt then got all turned around, with a very poor first step on a ball which ended up whistling over his head for an RBI triple. But otherwise, decent results, with Thomas Hatch and Andrew Hoffmann each getting two K’s in the first and second innings.
They were helped considerably by Gabriel Moreno using his ball-strike challenges effectively behind the plate. He got three reversals in a row, turning balls into strikes, before the end of the second. It was not a good day for home-plate umpire Alex McKay. All told six of seven challenges by the players ended up being successful. Also, in kneejerk reactions, Waldschmidt didn’t look great at the plate overall, though did scald the day’s hardest-hit ball at an impressive 115.6 mph. Nor did Druw Jones impress the SnakePit, but Tommy Troy had some decent at-bats. Alek Thomas reached base safely in both of his at-bats, on a walk and a hit.
We’ll be back tomorrow, facing the same opposition, with the Diamondbacks the home-team this time! It will be another 1:10 pm start at Salt River Fields, with Mitch Bratt making his Diamondbacks debut.
Southern men hold on for 64-60 win over Fort Hays
In a game that saw 13 lead changes, the Missouri Southern State University men’s basketball team used a strong second-half performance Thursday night to come out on top with a 64-60 win over Fort Hays State University at Robert Ellis Young Gymnasium.
Fort Hays (17-9, 9-8) jumped out to a 7-0 lead off a jumper by JuJu Ramirez, a trey by Kyle Grill and a Dan Mukuna layup.
Southern (15-10, 9-7) stopped the bleeding with a Tyrone Wright score in the paint, but Hays responded with a Lucas Hammeke bucket to push the lead back to 7 points at 9-2 with 16:27 left in the half. The lead grew to 9 points, courtesy of a Blake Danitschek score in the paint.
The Lions battled back to within a score at 14-12 off a Hunter Fitch trey from the left side at the 12:43 mark and tied the game at 14 with a Fitch putback of his own shot.
The Tigers got their lead back to 6 points at 21-15 off a Grill trey with 8:53 left. Each team scored 9 points the remainder of the half as Fort Hays took a 30-24 lead into the break.
Lion guard Isaiah Atwater talked after the game about MSSU's ability to regroup for the second half.
“We just knew that our shots would fall eventually,” Atwater said. “We worked too hard to miss that many shots. We shot like 25% in the first half. We knew it had to come around and that it would have to start on the defensive end so we could get out and create some easy buckets, and that’s what we did.”
MSSU head coach Sam McMahon also talked about shots not falling in the first half and how Southern was able to adjust.
“That’s a testament to Fort Hays’ defense,” McMahon said of the first half. “They are one of the best defensive teams in the country and obviously in the MIAA, so we knew it was going to be a dogfight. We knew it was going to be like going to the dentist — no one wants to go to the dentist. Their physicality and toughness around the rim kind of stunned us at first. We weren’t getting great looks and kind of got used to it and had a really great second half offensively and were making the right reads on defense.”
Trailing 35-29, Southern got 7 straight points from Colin Ruffin to close the gap to 37-36 with 14:53 left in the game.
Hays took the lead back with a Jahvari jumper, but the Lions answered with an Atwater trey to go up 41-39 with 12:43 remaining.
Martino tied the game at 41-all and a pair of Mukuna free throws gave Fort Hays a 44-41 lead. Southern regained the lead at 45-44 after a Jaden Taylor jumper and a Ruffin lay up at the 10:33 mark.
The Tigers took the lead back after a Muhamed Kante score in the paint and a Ramirez bucket that made it 48-45 with 9:42 left.
A Wright layup and an Atwater 3-pointer put the Lions up 50-48 with 7:46 left. Several ties and lead changes later, the Tigers earned their last lead of the game with 2:45 left off a Mukuna free throw that made it 60-59.
Tyrone Wright tied the game at 60 with a free throw, and Taylor and Atwater both sank shots to secure the 64-60 win.
Taylor led the Lions with 14 points. Atwater netted 13 points and went 3 for 4 from behind the arc. Fitch tallied 12 points, and Wright finished with 10.
Grill led the Tigers with 15 points, and Kante finished with 13.
The Lions wrap up the home portion of their regular season schedule with senior day at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against the University of Nebraska-Kearney.
“We know that every game matters at this point,” Atwater said. “That was a great opponent and a good win to have."
The win put Southern in a three-way tie for fifth place in the MIAA with Missouri Western State University and Pittsburg State University. The top 10 teams in the MIAA qualify for the conference tournament.