I think this is the 12th year I've partnered with the Cardinals on this? That means I was in my 30's when we did the first one and now I'm in my 50's. This has nothing to do with anything so let's just get to the contest.

How can you win four tickets and four of those hats? By winning my little contest. How do you win the contest? You simply tell me why you should win the contest.

Let me give you the details first. Illini Night at Busch Stadium will be four weeks from today: Wednesday, May 17th. The Cardinals play the Brewers at 6:45 pm. The winner of this contest will win four tickets to that game AND four vouchers to grab four of these hats:

I know that an orange-and-blue Cardinals cap makes some of you vomit, but let me explain that hat from the perspective of someone born and raised in the Metro East.

72% of the metro area is on the Missouri side. But 28% is on the Illinois side. In terms of Braggin' Rights ticket sales, even when you factor in Illinois fans on the west side of the river and Missouri fans on the east side of the river (gross), the metropolitan area is about 75% Missouri fans and 25% Illinois fans. (Which is why it's amazing that Illinois always sells more tickets.)

But the area isn't treated like 75/25. It's around 95/5. I honestly don't think that broadcasters in St. Louis (TV and radio) believe that their signal crosses the river. Somewhere between one-quarter to one-third of the people tuning in to watch the sports segment/listen to sports talk are Illini fans, but they still think they're broadcasting to a nearly all-Mizzou audience.

Because of that, a hat like this is pure gold. No, Cubs fan, it's not meant to offend you. Just... go be Cubs fans up there {brushes hand away}. This doesn't concern you.

To a Mizzou fan seeing an orange and blue Cardinals cap? It is absolutely infuriating. They're supposed to share the Cardinals with the 28% of the metro population with Illinois plates on their cars and they. don't. want. to. They're fine with all the Cardinals fans in Arkansas and Iowa and even western Kentucky and Tennessee. But Cardinals fans in Illinois? To them, we're all supposed to be Cubs fans (even though I grew up -- in the great state of Illinois -- closer to Busch Stadium than they did).

The St. Louis Cardinals, thank the good Lord, understand where the 28% live. And they promote themselves to both sides of the river. Mizzou night will be in July and they'll all get a nice hat in Mizzou colors. May 17th? That's for us.

I don't know yet which coaches will be in attendance. In the past, it's been Brad Underwood or Josh Whitman, but I don't think that's decided yet. But Illini Night remains the same. You get a special theme ticket, when you buy that theme ticket you get a voucher for one of those hats, and then you go pick up that hat there's a gathering of Illini fans and you can get a photo with Shauna Green (or whoever is in attendance this year).

If you're interested in purchasing tickets for your group, you can do that here. If you want to win four tickets (and four hat vouchers), you can do that by sending me an email. Robert at Illiniboard dot com. Tell me why you want to go and who you want to bring. I'll pick the winner on Monday morning so get me those entries by Sunday night (April 23).

Go Illini. Go Cards. Go... over there and celebrate your world class city, Cubs fans.

This is a Metro East thing.