Meet Gail Luscombe from Viva El Birdos

We have dozens of women covering pro and college sports for our team brands here at SB Nation. Meet one of those talented writers, Gail Luscombe, who writes for our Cardinals blog, Viva El Birdos.

I’ve been a baseball fan since my dad first propped me up in a car seat in front of the radio to listen to the 1982 World Series. Being a Cardinals fan wasn’t something that I ever consciously chose; it just felt as natural as breathing.

Watching the young players for the Cardinals develop over the last few years has been an amazing ride. I know the phrase “devil magic” gets bandied about to describe the Cardinals’ ability to mine diamonds in the rough, and that’s a bit fair, but it makes for one heck of a ride. It’s exhilarating to see the prospects come up and be a blank slate that you can project all your crazy 90^th percentile outcome dreams onto.

For most of my time spent in the online baseball world, I’ve hidden my identity as a woman (or at least I haven’t made it widely known). It’s difficult having your opinions dismissed out of hand because you’re a woman, so I initially tried to play down that aspect to have my opinions judged on their merits. I’ve been told things like “You talk too much about the game ... You are better to look at than to listen to.” And that’s some of the more pedestrian stuff! Once you get online, there are thousands of anonymous people who want to demean, condescend to, or dismiss you for the audacity of being a woman with an opinion about baseball. You’re facing an uphill battle: first to convince people that it’s normal and okay for you to have an opinion, and THEN you have to convince them of your opinion on its own merits.

I started out engaged in the comment community at Viva El Birdos. I was extremely lucky to come into the community at a time when the comments were vibrant, smart, intense, and challenging. It was a proving ground for your opinions about the team and about baseball, as well as a place where you could have your preconceived notions challenged. There was hardly a day that went by that I didn’t learn something there. Moving into recapping games gave me an avenue to start conversations with that commenter community and have a little fun with games (even the losses) as well.

Not to be too much of a homer for the team brand, but Heather Simon (who writes under lil_scooter93 at Viva El Birdos) is an absolute delight. Unfailingly positive and enthusiastic, she’s exactly who you want as an ambassador for your team. Jenifer Langosch, who covers the Cardinals for MLB, is knowledgeable, straightforward, and insightful. Susan Slusser for breaking the glass ceiling at the BBWAA. In terms of groundbreaking women, you must throw Melissa Ludtke, Jessica Mendoza, and Christina Kahrl in there as well.